Remember the movie Anaconda? Anaconda is one of the many names of types of snakes in the world. Snakes are reptiles that live on land and some in waters or swamps.
Snake Physiology
The physiological characteristics of snakes are as follows:
a. Scaled
Snake is a reptile animal that has scales all over its body. The scales on snakes are formed from layers of horns that are connected from one layer to another so that they look tightly covering the skin. Snake scales are round, pointed and elongated and serve to protect snakes from the environment and are waterproof.
The scaly skin on snakes has a certain life span, usually at a certain time, between 40 days to 2 months the snake will go through a molting cycle, the outer skin is peeled off by the way the snake rubs its mouth, and new skin is immediately visible.
b. Having Kidneys and Lungs
The organs in snakes which are the same as other animals in general are the kidneys and lungs. But the shape adjusts to the snake's elongated slender body shape.
The snake's lungs consist of the left lung and the right lung, but the right lung functions more as a breathing apparatus than the left lung which is just a complement.
c. Measuring Between 12.5 Cm to 15 Meters
The smallest snake is the Blind Snake type with a length of about 12.5 cm while the Python type snake or Python reticulated snake can live with a body length ranging from 10 to 15 meters.
d. Have a Sense of Smell
As vertebrate animals in general, snakes have a sharp sense of smell. The nostrils of snakes are equipped with an organ called a Jacobson, which is a hollow in the roof of the mouth. This Jacobson organ has a function as a sensor, so that odors and sounds around it can be detected.
The main reason snakes stick out their tongues is to detect odor molecules in the vicinity and pass them on to Jacobson's organs, which work chemically to analyze the odor.
e. Has a Heat Sensor
Another organ in snakes that functions as a sensor is the Pit Nose organ which functions as a heat detector but not all types of snakes have it, snakes from the Viperidae and Boidae families are types of snakes that have Pit Nose organs.
This sensor is located above the snake's lips and consists of a layer of cells equipped with thermoreceptors and is able to connect nerves to the brain. The message that is forwarded to the brain is usually the distance and location of the prey being hunted.
f. Having Teeth
Apart from being a digestive organ in charge of chewing, the teeth in snakes also serve to catch prey. The lower jaw of the snake is not fused, this is related to the way the snake eats so that prey up to three times the size of its head can be swallowed easily.
Snakes can swallow prey larger than their own bodies because snakes have flexible vertebrae. Like the lower jaw, the underside of the snake's rib cage is not fused and can stretch when it swallows prey that is larger than itself.
Snakes have different types of teeth based on the names of the snake species, namely Aglypha, which is large and medium teeth without venom commonly found in Python species, Ophistoglypha, which are short teeth located on the back of the upper jaw and contain venom, commonly owned by gold-ringed snakes. (Boiga dendrophila).
Proteroglypha are canines that are grooved and located in the front of the upper jaw like that of the Cobra and Solenoglypha are long hook-shaped canines, large in size that is located in the front parallel to the jaw and can be folded back like that of the King Cobra.
Names of Snakes
The types of snakes in the world are broadly divided into two groups, namely venomous and non-venomous snakes.
Snakes are divided into several tribes, including the Pythonidae (all types of Python snakes), the Typhlopidae (for example, wire snakes), the Cylindrophiidae (two-headed snakes), the Viperidae (for example, rice field snakes, bandotan snakes), the Elapidae (for example cobras, snakes). striped snake), the Hydrophiidae tribe (all kinds of sea snakes).
Some of the names of types of snakes that we often hear are:
1. Cobra Snake
This venomous snake from the Elapidae tribe is also called a spoon snake because it can straighten and flatten its neck to form a spoon when it feels threatened or disturbed from the outside world.
Cobra in English is called Cobra, which actually comes from the Portuguese language influenced by the Latin Colubra, Coluber which means snake.
It is said that when Portuguese sailors known as langlangbuana in the 16th century landed on the continent of Africa and southern Asia they found a snake they called the Cobra-capello or hooded snake.
In Indonesia, the mention of the spoon snake is intended for the snake surnamed Naja, while the King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah) is referred to as the Anang snake or the Tedung snake.
2. King Cobra
Snake King Cobra which is also called the Tedung snake or Anang snake is a very dangerous type of snake, because of its aggressive attitude and its venom is very deadly. Body length between 3 to 5.7 meters.
3. Snake Dipong (Blood Python)
Its trademark lies in the red color mixed with light brown (beige) on its skin. This snake is not poisonous but quite dangerous because of its strong coil. When attacking he can bend his body like a spring to entwine prey. Dipong snakes live in inland tropical forests, especially in Kalimantan and along rivers.
4. Ball Pythons
Ball Pythons live in warm tropical areas, especially in the West and Central African continent. This black and yellow patterned snake is usually kept by reptile lovers because it is easy to tame and shy.
5. Flower pythons
This snake is not a type of venomous snake but its body size is quite large, its length can exceed the Anaconda and is the longest snake (can live up to a body length of 10 meters) and the largest in South America.
Reticulated pythons are commonly referred to as rice field snakes, petola snakes and in English are referred to as reticulated pythons.
6. Snakehead
Snake named Latin Ahaetulla prasina is a type of venomous snake that is weak and not too dangerous but powerful enough to weaken its prey, namely lizards, frogs and small birds that are usually eaten. As the name implies, this snake's body shape resembles the tops of tendrils of trees in the forest, green, long and slender.
7. Wire Snake
This snake with the Latin name Ramphotyphlops braminus can be called the smallest snake in the world. In English it is called the Common blind snake.
8. Two-Headed
Snake This snake with the scientific name Cylindrophis ruffus is classified as a non-venomous snake, in contrast to other snakes, the two-headed snake straightens its tail when disturbed so that at first glance the tail is the head, the head is actually hidden in the coils of its body.
Knowing the names of types of snakes adds insight and awareness of the threat of snakes when in the open. It will be more helpful if this knowledge is added to the knowledge of offering snake venom.