Most snake species lay eggs, but some species give birth to live young. Snakes lay their eggs in a warm location. With the exception of some python species, eggs and young are not cared for by the male or female.Snakes also have forked tongues, which they flick in different directions to smell their surroundings. That lets them know when dangeror foodis nearby.Snakes have several other ways to detect a snack. Openings called pit holes in front of their eyes sense the heat given off by warm-blooded prey. And bones in their lower jaws pick up vibrations from rodents and other scurrying animals. When they do capture prey, snakes can eat animals up to three times bigger than their head is wide because their lower jaws unhinge from their upper jaws. Once in a snakes mouth, the prey is held in place by teeth that face inward, trapping it there.

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Raheem Ali Abdel-Raheem, Pests & Plant Protection, Agricultural and Biological Research Division, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt, 33rd ElBohouth St., El-Dokki.

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