Snakes at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Eyes on Science
● Fearless Friday: Meet a Ball Python and Boa Constrictor
● Bringing the Aquarium to You: Utah Snakes Meet-and-Greet
Fin-tastic Activities
● Three Snake Crafts
● Snakes at LLPA Crossword Puzzle
● Snakes Word Search Puzzle
● Supporting Snakes: What if I See a Snake?
Discover Snakes
One of the strangest creatures on the planet is arguably the
snake. After all, they have no legs, they shed their skin, and they
swallow food that shouldn't be able to fit into their mouths. It is
these strange adaptations, however, that help the snake to
survive so well. For instance, because they have no legs, snakes
slither on the ground or through the trees, nearly always
undetected. This allows snakes to avoid predators and sneak
up on their prey. The combination of their muscles and smooth
scales allows them to slide with ease. As for shedding their skin,
it’s not strange! As they grow, all animals lose some of their skin,
usually in flakes, but since snakes don’t have extra
appendages, it can come off easily in one piece. Their manner
of swallowing food whole is also explainable. Snakes don’t have
the teeth to be able to chew their food as many other animals
do and they obviously can’t use arms or legs to break their food
into pieces. So, a snake's lower jaws are not connected by bone
but rather by stretchy skin, which means that it can expand to
allow them to eat larger animals.
More Ways to Explore*
Learn more about our largest snake at the Aquarium on our Green Anaconda fact page.
*External links are provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement by LLPA nor is LLPA
responsible for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site.
