Snakes: Fascinating Facts About Nature's Most Slithering Creature

Let's Get to Know the Snake

There are about 2,500 types of snakes worldwide, all sharing common features: a long, smooth body, limblessness, and a skeleton consisting of 100 to 400 vertebrae depending on the snake's size. They are adept at slithering and can easily enter crevices and cracks.

The snake first appears in the Bible and is described as a cunning creature not to be trusted, as in: "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made..." (Genesis 3:1). Its attempt to persuade Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge succeeded, leading to Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden and the snake losing its legs: "On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life." Since then, enmity between humans and snakes persists, as stated: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Later, the snake is mentioned when Moses turns his staff into a snake before Pharaoh to demonstrate Hashem's power in demanding the release of the Israelites from Egypt.

Elsewhere in the Bible, the snake appears as the symbol of the tribe of Dan, blessed by his father Jacob: "Dan shall be a serpent by the road, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider falls backward" (Genesis 49:17).

Why Is the Snake a Metaphor for Evil Inclination? Watch the fascinating lecture "The Snake – The Cunning of Evil"

How Do I Smell?

Snakes possess a highly developed sense of smell, located in an area of the mouth called the "Jacobson's organ." The snake extends its long tongue to pick up airborne scents, which it then delivers to the Jacobson's organ for processing.

How Do I Eat?

A snake can swallow prey weighing up to half its body weight. How is this possible? Hashem created the snake with a flexible body and jaw connections, allowing it to ingest large prey. However, swallowing the prey is a significant effort, and the snake rests for days or even weeks after, digesting its food until it feels hungry again and seeks new prey.

Record-Breaking Snakes

The largest snake in the world – The anaconda living in the Amazon rainforests of South America, over 8 meters long. Although the reticulated python can exceed 10 meters, the anaconda's breadth gives it the ultimate title.

The smallest snake in the world – The Leptotyphlops carlae found on Barbados island, only 10 cm long and extremely thin.

The fastest snake in the world – The black mamba, reaching speeds of 5 meters per second, capable of outrunning humans while raising half its body nearly 5 meters in the air.

What to Do When You Encounter a Snake?

Follow these safety guidelines:

1. Take a step back without sudden movements while keeping the snake in sight.

2. Do not attempt to capture or kill the snake. This will make it feel threatened and it may attack. Only a professional snake handler should approach a snake.

3. In case of a bite, it is crucial to keep the victim calm to slow the spread of venom. Do not give them anything to drink but water. Lay them down, remove any jewelry or watches, and transport them to a hospital using a stretcher, minimizing their movements.

Snakes in Talmudic Sayings

1. The sages advised against drinking beverages that were left uncovered, fearing a snake might have left venom in them.

2. "The snake changes its skin but not its nature," meaning that while a snake sheds its skin, its fundamental traits remain unchanged. This is also said of someone who, despite changing their words, remains inherently evil.

3. "A person cannot share a small space with a snake" (Yevamot 112b) – meaning it is dangerous to share a space with a wicked person.

4. "A snake under straw" describes a person who pretends to be helpful but is actually dangerous.

Marvels of Creation

One amazing phenomenon in snakes is skin shedding. The skin splits near the head, and as it peels away, the snake slithers out, leaving the old skin inside-out and growing new skin in its place.

Want to see how it happens? Watch the documented footage: