Awesome Snake Science!: 40 Activities for Learning About Snakes
ocWhirters DONT TREAD ON ME www Gadsden info Snakes are fascinating reptiles that have long been both feared and revered by humans People have hunted snakes drawn snakes written about snakes built snake statues and even created snake jewelry for millennia with the oldest snake artwork being made well over 10 000 years ago People eat snake meat wear snake leather keep snakes as pets milk snakes for their venom use snakes for religious cere monies visit snake museums and line up to touch live snakes Even with all this interest for many years most snake studies focused on the anatomy parts of the body and the physiology how the body systems work of snakes Scientists knew a lot about snakes but not much about what they needed to live and reproduce in the wild Only recently have a growing number of scientists started concentrating their studies on the natural ecology and conservation of snakes During their studies ophiologists off ee all uh
jists snake scientists came to a shocking realization Just as they were starting to do more field studies about snakes it was becoming harder to find snakes Many species of snakes are in danger of becoming extinct There are many reasons snake populations are declining their habitats are being destroyed too many of them are captured for food and the pet trade sometimes new animals that are introduced into snake habitats either hunt the snakes or eat their food and snake roundups contests to find and kill as many snakes as possible are just a few If snakes were to disappear there could be a huge increase in the populations of their prey from insects to mice and even slugs Scientists are concerned that most people don't understand how vital snakes are to the health of our environment All these factors make it more important now than ever for people to learn all they can about snakes Snake Science Many people know the word herpetol ogy but very few know the word ophiol ogy Herpetology is the study of all reptiles and amphibians a large group of animals that includes turtles
snakes tuataras crocodiles frogs toads salamanders newts and efts Ophiology is the study of just one of those groups of animalSSnakes Saving Snakes SHAKES Most scientists consider the Antiguan racer to be the rarest snake in the world It is only found on Great Bird Island off the coast of Antigua a small island in the Caribbean Scientists rediscovered the snake in the early 1990s and have been working ever since to repair the snakes habitat remove the alien species and help the snakes breed In just 15 years the population of the racer has gone from 50 to over
