An animal kept by itself will die without reproducing, leaving the species poorer. You may think you are being nice to an animal, but often you are condemning it to a slow death by starvation. We do not ever recommend wild-caught pets. There is no parental care in terms of feeding, though the females of a few species may remain for a few days after hatching. Baby snakes are ready to go as soon as they are hatched or born. The female may either lay eggs (oviparous) or retain the eggs in her body until they hatch and the young emerge alive (ovoviviparous). The male has two structures called hemipenes, either of which he may use in mating with the female. Snakes are all either male or female, though it may be hard to tell which is which unless you're trained, or unless you see the snakes in the act of mating. Pretty much the way all other vertebrates do.

Snakes only strike people in self-defense. Snakes do not perceive people as prey and do not chase people or ambush them.There is nothing magic or special about a shed snakeskin, any more than there is about old hair or fingernail clippings. Like all reptiles, snakes continue to grow throughout their lives. Snakes shed their skins as a regular part of growing.The tongue is a super-sensitive organ that permits the snake to make sense of its surrounding by combining taste and scent cues. Snakes do not sting, lick, or poison with their tongues.Snakes cannot 'hypnotize' their prey by staring at it. So they cannot blink or close their eyes even when they are asleep. Their eyes are protected by a clear scale like a contact lens. All snakes can bite, swim, drink water, and climb. Some amphibians, like salamanders and frogs, are slimy because they need to keep their thin skins moist. Snakes are cool and dry and covered with scales, just like lizards. When they get a chance to see and touch a snake, as many people do here at the museum, they find out just how ridiculous some of the stories are. Most people who are afraid have never seen a snake up close and are afraid of the terrible things they have heard about snakes. Get a good field guide with color pictures, written for the area you are exploring or visiting, before you head out. In other countries there are other kinds as well. In the United States, there are 4 major types of venomous snakes: rattlesnakes, water moccasins, copperheads, and coral snakes. The vast majority of all snakebites, venomous or otherwise, occur when someone tries to capture a snake. Second, even if you do know, leave it alone. First of all, if you don't know, leave it alone. You can't tell if a snake is venomous just by looking at it unless you are familiar with the characteristics of different types of snakes.

Lots of snakes and amphibians