33 Snake Facts for Kids
Looking for snake facts for kids? You’re in the right place. Snakes are some of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom. They move, eat, grow, hunt, and even poop completely differently than humans do. For kids, snakes can prompt all kinds of questions: What do snakes eat? Do snakes have bones? Do snakes poop? Do snakes yawn? Here are a few sssscintillating answers.
What Do Snakes Eat?
Snakes eat all kinds of food, from mice and termites to eggs and tiny sea creatures. There are over 3,400 species of snakes living in habitats ranging from deserts to oceans, so not all snakes eat the same things. But they do all eat the same way—swallowing their food whole! Their teeth aren’t the right kind for chewing. Luckily, they can take their time with it because they don’t have to eat as often as humans do. Some snakes only feed five or 10 times a year!
Do Snakes Have Bones?
Yes! Snakes are vertebrates, which means they have a spinal column just like humans do. Snakes can have hundreds of bones, but their skeletons don’t look much like ours. They don’t have legs or arms—just a skull, special backbones and ribs, and tailbones. Because of the way their bones fit together, snakes are much more flexible than many other animals.
Do Snakes Lay Eggs?
Most snakes lay eggs, but some give birth to live young. Female rattlesnakes carry egg sacs inside their bodies while the babies develop. After around three months, the snakes push out the egg sacs, and the babies emerge from the eggs almost immediately, fully independent! This way of reproducing, which scientists call ovoviviparous, is different from the way mammals give birth. Baby snakes develop within their individual sacs, rather than being attached directly to their mothers through an umbilical cord.
Do Snakes Poop?
Yes. Like other animals, snakes need to get rid of the waste left behind once they’ve digested their food. Snakes poop about as often as they eat, which is every few days for some snakes but just a few times a year for others. In some cases, undigested food can make up as much as a fifth of a snake’s body weight!
Do Snakes Yawn?
Not really. If you watch a snake long enough, you may see it bare its fangs and stretch its jaw very wide for a second or two. This looks like yawning, but scientists call it “mouth gaping,” and they use a different word for good reason. Humans yawn when we’re tired, but snakes don’t seem to gape because they’re sleepy. Scientists are still figuring out why they do it, but think it may include looking threatening and stretching muscles in the mouth and jaw around mealtimes.
Do Snakes Drink Water?
Yes! Snakes don’t need to drink as often as humans, but they share a surprising similarity with us: they drink with their mouths instead of lapping up water with their tongues! Scientists have noticed that snakes don’t drink nearly as much water as they could, which may be because they get most of what they need from what they eat.
More Animal Facts for Kids
Did you enjoy these cool snake facts? Check out our other animal facts for kids before you go!