If you’ve ever wondered ‘what do snakes look like?’, you’re not alone. Snakes come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns that can seem endlessly diverse to the unfamiliar eye.
If you’re short on time, here’s the quick answer: snakes have long, legless bodies covered in scales with triangular-shaped heads and forked tongues. Their appearances range from solid black to brightly colored bands, spots, and more intricate designs.
In this nearly 3000 word guide, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the physical characteristics of different snake species, including their size, coloration, scale patterns, head shape, eyes, and other distinguishing features.
Snake Body Shape and Size
Elongated, legless shape
One of the most distinctive features of a snake’s appearance is their elongated, legless shape. Snakes have extremely flexible bodies that allow them to slither and slide through a variety of environments. Their lack of limbs sets them apart from other reptiles like lizards, alligators, and turtles.
A snake’s slender shape enables it to fit into tight spaces like underground burrows and crevices, and move through areas that would be difficult for bulkier animals. This adaptation allows snakes to effectively search for food, evade predators, and find suitable shelter.
Sizes range from a few inches to over 30 feet long
Snakes come in a huge range of sizes, from tiny thread snakes that are only 3-4 inches long, to colossal pythons and anacondas that can grow over 30 feet in length! The extreme diversity in snake lengths and girths allows different species to thrive in their own unique ecological niches.
Small snakes like ringneck snakes and worm snakes can crawl into the tiniest of spaces, sometimes even taking shelter inside of rotting logs and clumps of damp leaves. Larger snakes have the advantage of being able to swallow bigger prey items whole and intimidate many predators.
Thickness depends on species and age
A snake’s girth and thickness is highly variable between species and across ages. For example, while garter snakes and rat snakes typically have very slender bodies, pythons and boas often grow very thick and heavy-bodied.
Another factor is age – young snakes start out much thinner than mature adults of the same species. As snakes grow older and larger through years of steady feeding, their bulkiness increases proportionately. An adult Burmese python can be 12 times thicker than a juvenile!
Understanding differences in snake body shape and size is useful for identification purposes. Spotting a short yet husky viper versus a very long but nimble coachwhip snake provides helpful clues about what type of snake it may be.
Scales and Skin
Covered in Overlapping Scales Made of Keratin
Snakes are covered in scales made of a tough protein called keratin, the same material that forms human hair and fingernails. The scales overlap each other like shingles on a roof, creating a waterproof layer that protects the snake’s body.
These overlapping scales point backwards to help the snake glide easily over rocks, branches, and the ground as they move.
Snake scales come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures that help them thrive in different habitats. Most snakes have smooth, flat scales, while some snakes that burrow underground like the blind snake have small, smooth scales that fit closely together allowing them to move easily even within tight underground tunnels.
Snakes like pit vipers that live in trees can have keeled scales that help them grip branches.
Scales Come in Different Shapes, Sizes, and Textures
Scales come in an incredible diversity of colors and patterns that also assist snakes in blending into their environments. Desert snakes for example like the sidewinder rattlesnake often have tan or light brown scales with darker blotches, creating camouflage against the colors of sand and rock.
Some snake scales also have special properties and modifications. Sea snakes have extra small scales on their bellies that create ridges to help grip prey in the water, while pit vipers have specialized scales on their face called loreal pits that allow them to detect heat and capture warm-blooded prey.
Most Snakes Shed Their Skin Periodically
As snakes grow their scales don’t stretch to fit their increasing size. Instead, most snakes shed their skin or molt periodically , allowing a new, larger skin layer with larger scales to emerge. Snakes typically shed several times per year as younger snakes that are growing rapidly may shed once every few weeks.
Adult snakes that aren’t growing much only need to replace their skin once every two to four months. Before a molt, the snake’s colors will appear dull as their eyes turn a milky blue.
To shed their skin, the snake first lubricates itself by secreting oily mucus between the old skin layer and the emerging new one underneath. The snake then starts rubbing its head against rough surfaces to loosen and peel off the old skin, which comes off like an inside-out sock.
The entire process of shedding takes one to two weeks. Removing their old skin allows not only new scales to emerge, but also is important for snake health as it removes parasites and external bacteria.
Coloration and Patterns
Colors include black, brown, green, red, yellow, white
Snakes exhibit a wide range of colors including black, brown, green, red, yellow, white, and more. These colors help snakes blend into their environments to avoid predators and sneak up on prey.
Some examples of commonly seen snake colors include:
- Black snakes like black rat snakes and black racers
- Brown and reddish-brown snakes like garter snakes and brown snakes
- Green snakes like green tree snakes and green vine snakes
- Red, yellow, and white snakes like coral snakes, milk snakes, and albino snakes
The colors and patterns of a snake’s scales are created by pigment cells called chromatophores located in the dermis layer of their skin. By dispersing or concentrating pigments like melanins and lipochromes, snakes can change their skin color to blend into their surroundings.
Many have bands, stripes, blotches, or geometric patterns
In addition to solid colors, many species of snakes have banded patterns with stripes, blotches, or geometric shapes on their bodies. These patterns are important for camouflage and signaling.
Some examples include:
- Striped snakes like garter snakes and ribbon snakes
- Blotched snakes like pythons and rat snakes
- Geometric patterned snakes like rattlesnakes, coral snakes, and vipers
These bands, stripes, blotches, and patterns break up the snake’s body outline so it blends into the dappled light and shadow of forests, grasslands, deserts, and leaf litter on the ground. They help conceal snakes from potential predators but also hide them from prey.
Color and patterns are used for camouflage or signaling
A snake’s coloration and patterns primarily serve two functions – camouflage and signaling:
Camouflage:
- Snakes rely on camouflage to ambush prey and hide from predators
- Disruptive color patterns match the background environment like leaf litter or sand
- Some species can change color to blend into surroundings as needed
Signaling:
- Bright warning colors indicate toxicity like red, yellow and black in coral snakes
- Distinctive appearances help identify mates for breeding
- Intimidating patterns may scare predators as seen in cobras
Understanding a snake’s coloration and patterns provides insight into its habitat, behavior, evolution and more. For example, brightly colored harmless species often mimic the patterns of venomous dangerous species as a defense mechanism.
Head, Eyes, Tongue, and Sensory Pits
Triangular head shape
Snakes have a distinctly triangular head shape that tapers to a blunt snout. This allows them to swallow large prey items whole. The triangular head houses their brains, eyes, nostrils, tongues, and venom glands (for venomous species).
Their skull bones are linked by stretchy ligaments, allowing them to swallow prey much wider than their own heads!
Most have movable hinged jaws
A snake’s lower jaw is not fused to its skull like other animals. Instead, the two sides are only joined by an elastic ligament, allowing them to open their mouths incredibly wide to consume large prey.
Their upper jaws have flexible quadrate bones that allow the left and right sides to move independently. This lets snakes “walk” their jaws over food.
Forked tongue detects chemicals
A snake’s tongue is thin and deeply forked at the tip. It contains specialized sensory cells that can detect odor molecules in the air or ground. When a snake flicks its tongue, it picks up these molecules and transfers them to two pits on the roof of its mouth called the Jacobson’s organs.
Here the molecules bind to receptors that allow the snake to smell and taste its environment.
Eyes have vertical pupils
Snakes have eyes with pupils that are elongated vertically rather than round like humans. This is likely an adaptation to their burrowing lifestyle – vertical pupils can restrict peripheral vision and help them focus on prey right in front of them as they travel through underground tunnels.
Their eyes also have a large lens and retina adapted for low light conditions.
Some have heat-sensing pits
Certain groups of snakes like pythons and boas have pits on their faces that contain thermoreceptors to detect infrared radiation. This allows them to “see” heat signatures of warm-blooded prey like rodents.
The receptors are so sensitive that they can detect temperature differences as small as 0.003°C! This helps snakes hunt at night or track prey that is hidden from normal eyesight.
Venomous vs. Nonvenomous Appearance
No reliable visual difference between venomous and nonvenomous snakes
Many people believe there are clear physical differences between venomous and nonvenomous snakes that can help determine if a snake is dangerous. However, according to experts, there are no universally reliable visual cues for distinguishing venomous snakes from nonvenomous ones (National Wildlife Federation, n.d.).
Some common myths about venomous snake identification include (AZ Animals, 2022):
- Venomous snakes have triangular-shaped heads – Many harmless species also have triangular heads
- All rattlesnakes are venomous – Some are born without rattles or lose them over time
- Venomous snakes have long fangs – Fang size is not an indicator
- Venomous snakes have slit-shaped pupils – Many nonvenomous species also have vertical pupils
Relying on these physical traits can give people a false sense of security around potentially dangerous snakes. The characteristics that make a snake venomous are complex and have to do with specialized venom glands and hollow, hinged fangs—internal features that are not externally visible (California Academy of Sciences, n.d.).
Pupil shape, head shape, and scale patterns are not accurate indicators
Some people look for certain pupil shapes, head shapes, or scale patterns to determine if an unknown snake is venomous. However, according to experts (AZ Animals, 2022; California Academy of Sciences, n.d.), these visible traits are not reliable methods for identification.
For example, many venomous snakes like copperheads and rattlesnakes have vertical, cat-like pupils. Yet, many harmless species like garter snakes and vine snakes also have similar vertical pupils. In addition, while pit vipers often have triangular heads, nonvenomous rat snakes and other species also commonly have triangular heads with no venom.
Scale patterns are also very inconsistent markers of venom. Corn snakes and milk snakes have color bands that can resemble venomous coral snakes but are harmless mimics. Overall, pupil shape, head shape, scale patterns, and colors vary widely in all types of snakes and should not be used to determine safety.
Assume all wild snakes are potentially dangerous
When dealing with an unknown snake in the wild, experts strongly recommend assuming it may be venomous. Never attempt to capture or kill the snake. Back away slowly and give it plenty of space instead.
“As a rule of thumb, whether in your backyard or out in nature, assume a snake is venomous unless you are absolutely, 100% certain it is not,” says the California Academy of Sciences (n.d.). Trying to decide if certain visible traits signal safety risks life-threatening mistakes.
Many snake bite incidents happen when people try to kill or get a closer look at snakes they deem “safe”. However, even nonvenomous snakes can bite in self-defense and some have mild venoms that cause allergic reactions. Overall, it is never advisable to handle wild snakes.
Ultimately, enlisting help from professional snake removal services or wildlife authorities is the safest approach when encountering unknown snakes rather than trying to identify them oneself based on unreliable visible cues.
Conclusion
As we’ve explored, snakes display an incredible diversity in color, patterning, size and proportions. But they share key physical traits like elongated bodies, lack of limbs, scaly skin and forked tongues.
While there is no foolproof way to determine if a snake is venomous just by sight, being able to identify species in your area can help avoid dangerous ones. When in doubt though, keep your distance!
Understanding what snakes typically look like and their incredible variation helps satisfy curiosity and promotes respect for these fascinating reptiles.
