Spectacular Snakes! Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

The Agkistrodon piscivorus is also known as the cottonmouth. It is a venomous species of pit viper and is the only semiaquatic viper. It is common for people to believe they are safe from being bitten by one of these while they under the water, but that is not true. They can, and will, bite while they are submerged. They prefer slower moving waters and are very strong swimmers.

Answer: keratin

Snake scales are made of keratin, just like human fingernails. One crazy thing I learned while researching snakes is that military commandos in Lebanon actually eat live snakes to show how brave they are. The eating of live snakes is seen as a mark of virility in other countries, too. In India, and other places, snakes are worshipped even today.

Answer: True

Their scent smells just like a red fox and this is the reason for their name. They are not venomous and are known to produce this odor when they are handled. They are commonly mistaken for the venomous massasauga rattlesnake because they look similar and will also shake their tail as if they have a rattle.

Answer: asp

The hognose snake, grass snake, and the spitting cobra are all very good at faking their death. They will flip on their back, open their mouth, and expel a stinky substance from their anal gland to avoid being eaten! I have actually seen this happen twice with grass snakes.

It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen a snake do! Even knowing that they do that, I was convinced they were both very dead.

Answer: True

I think the Asian tiger snake, Rhabdophis tigrinus, is amazing because it can store and use toxins obtained by eating certain species of toxic toads. The toxins that they consume from ingesting these toxic toads are stored in glands in the snake's neck.

When they feel threatened or are in danger, they secrete the toxins they have stored. This is the only snake that can be both venomous and poisonous, as the snake's bite does contain its own venom.

Answer: king cobra

It's common for people to think that most snakes build a nest for their eggs but they don't. The king cobra is the only snake that actually constructs a nest for its eggs. Some snakes are capable of virgin birth too. This is also known as asexual reproduction. Komodo dragons, turkeys, and some types of sharks can reproduce this way as well. I think this is amazing. Any creature who can reproduce without a male, is pretty fascinating!

Answer: False

Boomslangs do have large fangs, but they are actually located in the back of the jaw. They are venomous snakes that have anti-coagulant properties in their venom. The victim can die of internal or external bleeding.

Answer: a hole made in the egg to begin hatching

Snakes are equipped with an egg tooth, which helps them to tear into the membrane and outer shell. After they make this hole in the egg, known as pipping, they don't immediately come out of the egg. They can remain in the egg after they have pipped sometimes a couple of hours or it could take them days.

The reason for this is because they finish absorbing the nutrients in the yolk. If they were to be helped out of the egg too soon, it can harm them or even cause death.

Answer: True

Yes snakes are ectothermic, meaning they are cold-blooded. They need to be in a environment where they are able to regulate or adjust their body heat. This is why it's important for pet snake owners to ensure they have proper temperatures in their tank.

They should be able to move to different temperatures within in their tank. The best way of doing this is to research the type of snake you want to buy and finding out what the proper temperature ranges are of that specific breed of snake. It's important to have the proper temperature and humidity for each kind of snake.

Some need higher or lower temperatures and humidity than others.

Answer: native to Hawaii

The non aggressive rainbow snake, Farancia erytrogramma, spends most of its time in the water. The females are usually larger than the males. Females lay their eggs underground. Their name, erytrogramma, comes from the Greek words meaning red line. It is found in south eastern parts of the USA.