Snakes have no legs, no eyelids and no ears and are covered in scales. They stretch out or curl up and use the surrounding air to regulate their body temperature. There are about 3,000 species, and they are known to help with rodent and pest problems.

As carnivores, they will eat any prey, from ants to antelopes. They hunt for prey by tasting the air and collecting scent particles using their tongues. Snakes eat their prey head first with their loosely attached lower jaw to swallow animals up to 20% their body size whole.

The life cycle is as varied as the 3,000 species; some can even live up to 40 years. Most species lay anywhere from two to 16 eggs at one time, but some are ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to young from eggs that hatch inside the mother's body. Oviparous mothers bury her eggs or wraps her body around them for incubation. In general, the age of maturity ranges from one to three years. Snakes grow their entire lives, shedding their external skin from time to time when they need more room.

Snakes are not usually aggressive but protect themselves using camouflage. Some breeds, like the king cobra, spread the skin around their heads to appear larger to predators.

There are about 3,000 species living on every continent except Antarctica.