Introduction
The tropical rain forests of the world are home to numerous species of snakes. In fact there are more types of snakes in the world's tropical rainforest than in any other biome (area). Tropical rainforest provide the perfect habitat for snakes to survive and flourish; these regions are warm, wet, shady, and have plenty of prey for snakes to feed on. On this page is a list of interesting facts about tropical rainforest snakes including how they survive, where they live, and the different types of snakes that live in these regions. This information is written for both adults and kids.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about tropical rainforest snakes.
Interesting Tropical Rainforest Snake Facts
- The shade provided by the thick rainforest canopy protects numerous animals including snakes from the blistering tropical sun.
- Snakes are cold-blooded animals, and like all cold-blooded animals their body temperature depends on the temperature of their environment. Cold-blooded animals prefer warm weather and are sluggish in cold weather; therefore the constant warmth of the tropical rainforest is ideal for them.
- Although most tropical rainforest snakes live on the floor (ground) of the rainforest there are many that live and hunt in the trees. They have developed long thin bodies and scales that help them grip onto branches.
- Rainforest snakes are usually green or brown; this along with patterns that match the vegetation in their environment make for excellent camouflage. This camouflage helps protect them from predators and disguise them when hunting.
- Rainforest snakes are all carnivores and are either venomous or nonvenomous; most are non-venomous. Venomous snakes bite their prey and eject their venom which paralyzes the animal. Nonvenomous snakes often kill their prey by grabbing it and then swallowing it or as in the case of constrictors grabbing prey and squeezing it to death before swallowing it.
- Unfortunately, as is the case with many tropical rainforest animals, numerous species of rainforest snakes are threatened with extinction. This threat is caused mainly by destruction of their habitat by humans.
Types of Tropical Rainforest Snakes
- There are numerous tropical rainforest throughout the world; including the famous Amazon Rainforest in South America, other tropical rainforest can be found in Africa, Southeast Asia, Costa Rica, and Australia just to mention a few. These various rainforest host a variety of different snake species; depending on the region.
- There are hundreds of species of snakes living in the world's tropical rainforest including the green anaconda, Reticulated Python, king cobra, black mamba, green mamba, coastal taipan, and coral snake; just to mention a few.
- The most common types of snakes found in tropical rainforest are pythons and boa constrictors.
- The Green Anaconda (also called anaconda or water boa) which inhabits the tropical rainforests of South America is the heaviest snake in the world and also one of the longest. They can grow to over 17 feet (5.2 meters) long and can reach weights exceeding 154 pounds (70 kg).
- The Reticulated Python, which inhabits the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia, are the longest reptiles in the world and have been known to reach lengths of over 19 feet (5.8 meters).
- In the Tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia there are snakes that actually glide through the air from tree to tree or to the ground like the well-known flying squirrels. They leap from a branch and then catch air by bending their body into a C shape allowing them to glide. They can even navigate quite accurately while in the air.