Watch this if you're scared of snakes - Andrew Whitworth
We get it, not everyone loves snakes.
You may not want to encounter one
in the wild.
To each their own!
That’s why we’re here,
to take you on a world tour
of some of nature’s most incredible snakes
from the safety of your home—
and with your very own intrepid guide.
All the snakes we’ll be visiting
belong to a group called the vipers.
As of 2021, there are 368 species
of viper worldwide.
The name comes from the term viviparity,
which means giving birth to live young.
Unlike most snakes, which lay eggs,
most vipers have eggs
that hatch inside the mother,
who then gives birth
to up to dozens of tiny snakes.
Not glad you’re safe at home yet?
Vipers are also often highly venomous,
with two hollow fangs that fold flat
to the roofs of their mouths.
This allows the fangs to be extra long,
unfolding into imposing weapons
when the viper prepares to strike.
So how about we pay them a surprise visit?
First stop:
the southeastern United States,
where we can hear the viper
before we can see it.
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is
the largest of 36 species of rattlesnake.
Rattlesnakes can shake their rattles
up to 90 times per second
to warn off predators
for hours if needed.
The rattle consists of hollow, interlocked
segments made of keratin,
the same substance that makes
our nails and hair.
When the snake shakes its tail,
these segments hit each other,
creating a shockingly loud noise.
Now onto the mountains of western Iran,
where a spider crawls across a rock,
making easy prey for a passing bird—
or not.
The spider-tailed horned viper is
perfectly camouflaged, almost invisible,
except for its unique bulbous tail-tip
with long drooping scales
that look like a leggy spider.
Spider-tailed vipers
are only about 50 centimeters long,
so they can lure small birds
within striking range
without compromising their ability
to squeeze into narrow rock crevices.
In the rainforests of Latin America
lives a viper
that couldn’t be more different
from the spider-tailed viper—
if you can find it.
It’s one of the most elusive snakes
in the world:
the bushmaster.
The bushmaster is a pit viper.
Between each eye and nostril,
it has a heat-sensing pit
with a membrane covered
in highly sensitive receptors
that respond to temperature changes
as small as one one-thousandth
of a degree Celsius.
These pits gather infrared information
that is integrated with visual information
in the optic tectum.
This allows the bushmaster to “see”
the heat signature
of approaching prey or predators,
helping it decide whether or not to strike
and strike more accurately.
This comes in handy for guarding a nest—
unlike most other vipers,
the bushmaster lays eggs
in hollowed out tree buttresses
or burrows made by other animals.
It must be large enough
to defend its nest—
in fact, the bushmaster is the
largest viper in the world,
reaching lengths of over 11 feet,
with huge fangs and deadly venom.
Meanwhile, in the forests
of sub-Saharan Africa,
there’s a shorter, chunkier viper that’s
even more venomous than the bushmaster.
The African Gaboon viper has
the longest fangs of any snake—
yes, all 3,879 snake species,
not just vipers—
and can deliver 1,000 milligrams
of venom in a single bite—
enough to kill ten adult humans.
Although deadly, Gaboon vipers
have a reputation
for being slow-moving
and placid creatures.
When they do strike, they hold onto their
rodent prey while the venom takes effect,
then quickly swallow it down.
At this point, you may be worrying
about our guide— but never fear,
rodents like our little desert
kangaroo rat have their own skills
to evade the serpent’s tooth.
They stomp their feet at rattlesnakes,
kick sand towards them,
and evade their strikes
with acrobatic leaps and powerful kicks—
helping them live to guide
another snake tour.
