Snakes
Latest about Snakes
![Western rattlesnakes emerging from a winter den.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vSETY57bFJNT8Ak7penQJ8-320-80.jpeg)
Why these rattlesnakes are declining at an alarming rate
By Karl Larsen, Marcus Atkins published
Rattlesnakes are threatened in British Columbia in Canada, and many populations are declining at alarming rates.
![Several water snakes wrap around each other in a "mating ball" in Ohio. A similar ball is being thrown in Florida right now, officials say.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/R3S3nwmzuXeYnRxKfqzokf-320-80.jpg)
Florida officials cordon off park for annual snake orgy
By Brandon Specktor published
Spring is the annual mating season for water snakes in Florida. This year, lakegoers saw so many coiled couples that the state's parks department had to shut down part of the area.
![Jeff Fobb holds a Burmese python as he speaks to the media at the start of the 2013 Python Challenge in Davie, Florida.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UCu2vWZfTGdH8N23tyd6UK-320-80.jpg)
Hunters Set to Round Up Giant Burmese Pythons in Florida Challenge
By Stephanie Pappas published
The state of Florida is preparing to host the Super Bowl in January … and to wipe out as many invasive pythons as possible.
![Life restoration of Najash rionegrina through the dunes of the landscape of the Kokorkom desert that extended across Río Negro (Northern Patagonia), Argentina during the Late Cretaceous (100 million years ago).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FrdaAu3VVqLSYPKjb7Da7N-320-80.jpg)
Beautifully Preserved Skull of 'Biblical Snake' with Hind Legs Discovered
By Michael Caldwell, Alessandro Palci published
Scientists have unearthed an amazingly preserved skull of an ancient snake with hind limbs, revealing more about the origin of snakes and how they lost their legs.
![California kingsnake with snake fungal disease](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eYBc92FR3BPCec4HJ7tCPV-320-80.png)
This Fungus Makes Snakes Look Like Mummies. It Just Turned Up in California.
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A fungal disease is infecting snakes across the nation, and now, it's reached California.
![A golden tree snake (Chrysopelea ornata) is eating a butterfly lizard (Leiolepis belliana).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kiUBcMbnqPuXk9Ahr7CYKJ-320-80.jpg)
What's The Biggest Animal That a Snake Can Swallow?
By Grant Currin published
A complex network of skull bones, ligaments and muscles allows a snake to swallow prey with bodies much larger than the sinuous predator's own head.
![Western Rattlesnake coiled and ready to spring](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2YXEesik3v2niEiLwLG8tM-320-80.jpg)
Photos: How to Identify a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
By Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher published
The western diamondback rattlesnake is the largest of the 32 known species of rattlesnakes found in North America. Here's how you can tell it's the western diamondback.
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