Snakes - what do you know? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ophidiophobia

Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders.
Triskaidekaphobia- Fear of the number 13.
Phalacrophobia- Fear of becoming bald.

Answer: In the roof of the mouth.

The Jacobson's organ is located in the roof of the mouth.
A snake flicks its forked tongue out and "tastes" the air. The tongue then collects airborne molecules and retracts back into the mouth of the snake. The tips of the tongue are then placed into the Jacobson's organ, the molecules are identified and then passed onto the brain.

Answer: Head first.

Smaller prey can be eaten either head first, tail first or sideways depending on how the prey was caught. However, large prey are eaten head first to assist the snake with swallowing, as it flattens the legs or wings along the body of the victim. The snake uses its senses to find the head, the direction of the victim's fur also assists with this.

Answer: The forward part of the windpipe.

The glottis is on the inside of the mouth and it connects with the windpipe. Using strong muscles, the glottis is pushed forward and held open to allow the snake to breathe while swallowing prey. Without the glottis, the snake could choke on the food filling the mouth area. The glottis is found on the bottom of the mouth.

Answer: The thread snake

The reticulated python is followed closely by the anaconda in length. The pygmy python is found in Western Australia. The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world.

Answer: True

True - Pythons, boas and anacondas have small spurs at the rear end of their tails, next to the cloaca (the rear end where they excrete urine and faeces). The spurs are the remnants of their back legs that have disappeared over time as a result of evolutionary changes.

Answer: Green.

The green tree python is found in Australia (Northern Queensland), Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya (West Papua). It is emerald green in colour as an adult, but starts off life yellow, brown, brick red and even blue in colour. After 1-3 years the colour changes to green. Some adults have been known to remain blue, or yellow, in colour.
The green tree python is very similar to the emerald tree boa (South American) in appearance and habits, especially the way it coils on tree branches when resting.

Answer: Elapidae.

The different families are Elapidae, Viperidae, Boidae, Colubridae, Hydrophiidae, Typhlopidae (Blind snakes), Acrochordidae (File snakes), Anilidae, Leptotyphlopidae, Uropeltidae and Xenopeltidae (Sunbeam Snakes).

ELAPIDAE (Also known as elapids). All elapids are venomous and include the cobra, the mamba and taipans. They have a venom known as a neurotoxic (attacking the central nervous system of the prey making breathing difficult).

They have short fixed fangs in the front of their mouths.

Answer: Viperidae.

VIPERIDAE (Also known as viperids) includes vipers, rattlesnakes, the American copperhead and adders. All Viperidaes are venomous.

These snakes have long, curved fangs and deliver a venom that is hematoxic (attacks the tissue and blood of their prey). Their long hollow fangs fold back inside their mouths.

Answer: Boidae.

BOIDAE (Also known as boids).

Boids are non-venomous, powerful constrictors. They don't have fangs, but their teeth are curved and sharp.

Answer: Colubridae.

COLUBRIDAE (Also known as colubrids) are the largest family.

Nearly two-thirds of the world's snakes fall into this category. The majority of these are non-venomous. There are a few colubrid species capable of producing venom, but most of these are considered harmless to humans. The African boomslang is one colubrid that has powerful venom, capable of killing a human.

Colubrids are rear-fanged snakes and some species are: The king snake, the corn snake, the green tree snake, the brown tree snake and garter snakes.


Corn snakes and king snakes are popular pets.

Answer: The mulga snake.

The mulga snake (also known as the king brown snake) is a dangerously venomous snake of South East Australia.

The king snake is a commonly kept pet snake in the United States, along with corn snakes and milk snakes.

Pythons are also very popular as pets. The ball python, the Children's python, carpet pythons and many others are all kept as pets.

Snakes are easy animals to keep in captivity. They are low maintenance, and although they are not "cuddly" animals, they are fascinating to watch and handle. Pythons are generally placid and many kids, especially boys, love snakes.

There are many websites online that can provide information about the care and keeping of snakes in your area. Once you have handled a python and see that they are not as horrible as you first imagined, you will learn to respect snakes for what they are.

Answer: Concertina locomotion.

Side winding is used on sand, mud and other unstable surfaces. The head and neck are lifted off the ground and are "thrown" forward with the body following. The snakes move on a 45 degree angle while they do this. Vipers are sidewinders.

Rectilinear locomotion is where the belly scales are lifted up, and the edges of the scales hook into the ground surface pulling the snake forward. This is a slow means of travel and used to stalk prey.

Terrestrial & aquatic lateral undulation (serpentine locomotion) is used for rapid movement, and is the most common type of movement. The snake pushes against objects such as rocks, twigs, and other irregularities. It is also the type of movement used in water.

Concertina locomotion is where the snake grips with the rear part of the body onto an object, reaches forward with the head, and then holds onto an anchor point in front. The back end is drawn up and the cycle starts again.

Answer: Snakes are only slimy when they shed their skin.

Snakes from North America move fast but strike slowly. Australian snakes move slowly, but strike very quickly. So yes, snakes from different countries have to be handled differently.

A snakes urine is solid and it comes out with the faeces. It looks a lot like bird droppings.

A snake will shed its skin several times per year, and it mainly comes off in one piece. Prior to shedding, the eyes of the snake will turn a cloudy colour and the skin markings will go dull. When the snake is ready to shed the skin it will rub its nose on rough objects to break the old skin. It will then slither around slowly, pulling the old skin off like a sock being turned inside out. Once the old skin is gone, the snakes colours (markings) are a lot more brighter and vibrant.

Answer: Seek medical treatment

Unless you are 100% positive that the snake is not venomous, treat ALL snake bites as lethal.

-Try to reassure the victim.
-DO NOT cut the wound, DO NOT touch it. DO NOT wash it (it is extremely important to retain traces of venom for identification).
-DO NOT put ice or any lotion on the wound.
-DO NOT try to catch and kill the snake. Take note of what it looks like ONLY.