Snakes

In a modified version of the mirror self-recognition experiment, eastern garter snakes showed signs that they recognize their own scent.

Can Snakes Recognize Themselves? One Species Has Passed a Modified 'Mirror Test' Based on Smell

Eastern garter snakes might recognize their own scents, suggesting the reptiles are more cognitively complex than thought, according to a new study

Discovered by a metal detectorist in the village of Wólka Nieliska, the badge is about an inch wide.

A Medieval Pilgrim May Have Carried This Basilisk Pendant to Guard Against Evil

Found in Poland, the "pilgrim's badge" was likely worn by a Christian traveler hundreds of years ago

The scientists studied more than 4,600 Burmese and reticulated pythons on farms in Vietnam and Thailand.

Python Meat Could Be a Sustainable, Nutritious Food Source, Scientists Say

The snakes may be some of the most resource-efficient animals to farm on the planet, a new study suggests

The synthetic antibody targets a toxin produced by the Elapidae family of snakes, which includes cobras, kraits and mambas.

Deadly Snake Venom Is No Match for This New Synthetic Antibody

Scientists have created a treatment that targets a toxin produced by cobras, mambas and kraits, laying the foundation for a future universal antivenom against snake bites, according to new research

The cat-eyed snake slithers in the Peruvian Amazon.

A Serpentine 'Explosion' 125 Million Years Ago Primed Snakes for Rapid, Diverse Evolution

Researchers say an evolutionary "singularity" led to several small, quick changes in snake species, from legless bodies and flexible skulls to chemical-sensing abilities

An Indian cobra found in the farmlands of Kanchipuram, India. The country has the highest rate of snakebite deaths in the world.

An Inside Look at the Effort to Curb Deadly Snakebites in India

With around 58,000 human deaths from snakebites each year in the country, a lot more must be done to save lives

The north wall of an ancient Egyptian burial chamber decorated with spells protecting against snake bites

This Ancient Egyptian Burial Chamber Was Filled With Spells to Ward Off Snake Bites

Although serpents were a symbol of protection for the Egyptians, the discovery suggests some were wary of getting venomous bites after death

The Aztec snakehead was discovered beneath a law school in Mexico City after an earthquake.

Earthquake in Mexico City Reveals 500-Year-Old Aztec Snakehead

The nearly six-foot-long sculpture features well-preserved colors on 80 percent of its surface

The Gans' egg-eater swallows a quail egg far larger than its head.

How a Small Snake Can Eat Meals Many Times Larger Than Its Head

The egg-eating African reptile uses its stretchy jaw skin to swallow huge prey, a feat that not even a python can match

Doctors suspect the patient accidentally ingested the roundworm's eggs while foraging for edible greens near her home.

Doctors Pulled a Wriggling, Three-Inch Worm From a Woman's Brain

The incident in Australia is the first known occurrence of the roundworm—typically found in snakes—infecting the brain of a mammal

The snake's new enclosure is specially designed to help the creature avoid hurting itself.

A Rare Two-Headed Snake Is Back on Exhibit at a Texas Zoo

Pancho and Lefty, as the western rat snake is known, has now healed from an injury it suffered more than two years ago

A southern Pacific rattlesnake. Previous studies had found examples of companionship reducing stress in birds and mammals, but not reptiles.

Having a Companion Could Help Rattlesnakes Stay Calm

During a stressful event, snakes experienced a smaller spike in heart rate when they were in the presence of another snake, according to a new study

A male (silver) and female (brown) common European adder meet prior to mating. Scientists are just beginning to understand female sexual anatomy in snakes.

Why Did Scientists Wait So Long to Study the Snake Clitoris?

The delay is representative of a major problem in biology: Female and intersex animals are understudied compared with their male counterparts

Researchers found a two-part organ called the hemiclitoris after dissecting a death adder snake.

Scientists Discover That Snakes Have Clitorises

The finding highlights disparities in research on male and female animals

Professor Bruce Jayne demonstrates how wide a Burmese python can open its mouth to swallow prey.

Here’s How Burmese Pythons Eat Such Big Prey

Stretchy connective tissue between the snakes' cranium and lower jaw allows them to open their mouth four times wider than their skull

Humans have come up with a number of wacky methods to keep animals deemed "vermin" in check.

Seven of the Wildest and Weirdest Attempts to Curb Animal Pests

Why use fences or traps, when you can use deadly viruses or lustful snakes?

Participants of the 2022 Florida Python Challenge captured a total of 231 invasive pythons during the ten-day competition. 

Florida Teen Wins $10,000 for Hunting Invasive Pythons

The annual Florida Python Challenge combats the destructive snakes, which have taken over the Everglades

The female python weighed 215 pounds and measured 18 feet long.

Florida Biologists Capture Record-Breaking 215-Pound Python

Invasive Burmese pythons are wreaking havoc on native wildlife and ecosystems in the Everglades

The new gel uses a protein called ecarin from the venom of the saw-scaled viper and the protein textilinin from the eastern brown snake’s venom to seal wounds. (Pictured: An eastern brown snake)

Made From Snake Venom, These Hydrogels Could Treat Uncontrolled Bleeding

Scientists have found that two proteins repurposed from snake venom can initiate blood clotting in under 60 seconds

The behavior has not previously been seen, and it was the first time an interaction between a Bolivian river dolphin and a Beni anaconda has ever been recorded.

River Dolphins Spotted in Rare Playful Interaction With a Beni Anaconda

Researchers suspect that the dolphins were playing with the boa, but many questions about the behavior remain

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