Reptiles, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 14, 2022

Cobra bites boy, boy bites it back (the boy was fine, the snake wasn’t)

A venomous snake has died after being bitten by a small boy. No, you didn't read that wrong. In a bizarre reversal of nature, an 8-year-old boy in India killed a cobra after biting it in retaliation. The child bit back at the dangerous animal after receiving a rare venom-free...

Nov 16, 2022

Gruesome video reveals the moment a 5-foot alligator corpse was cut from the gut of a dead python

A team of veterinary pathologists recently extracted a 5-foot-long (1.5 meters) alligator corpse from the body of an 18-foot (5.5 m) Burmese python that was euthanized in Florida. The necropsy, or animal autopsy, was captured in a jaw-dropping video and recently went viral on Instagram. The chunky python was the...

Dec 30, 2022

7 strange snake stories from 2022

There's no denying that snakes are some of the most fascinating, bizarre and, yes, frightening reptiles on the planet. From an eastern kingsnake swallowing a timber rattlesnake nearly twice its size to a nasty battle between a venomous cobra and an 8-year-old boy, there was no shortage of strange snake...

Jan 30, 2023

Cottonmouth snakes: Facts about water moccasins

Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus), also called water moccasins, are venomous snakes found in the southeastern United States. They're called cottonmouths because of the white coloration on the inside of their mouths, which they display when threatened. Cottonmouths are semiaquatic, so they're comfortable both swimming in water (hence their other common name...

Feb 2, 2023

'Leonardo DiCaprio' snake with bright orange eyes discovered in Panama jungle

Slithering among shrubs in the foothill forests of Panama, there is a snake the color of burnt embers, with round eyes like glowing coals. The snake, soon to be named DiCaprio's snail-eating snake (Sibon irmelindicaprioae), is one of five newfound species living in the jungles of Central and South America....

Apr 26, 2023

The biggest snake in the world (and 9 other giant serpents)

With exquisitely patterned bodies, predatory strikes that accelerate faster than a fighter jet, and even a capacity for flight, snakes are a fascinating group of reptiles. Some deserve attention for one feature in particular: their enormous size. From boa constrictors to reticulated pythons, we share the planet with some incredible...

Sep 19, 2023

Snake choking on invasive fish the size of its head saved by scientist

A herpetologist in France has captured a remarkable photo of a snake choking as it attempted to eat a fish the size of its own head. While many snake species eat fish — and many can open their jaws wide enough to gulp down large prey — the fish species...

Oct 20, 2023

Ancient Egyptian papyrus describes dozens of venomous snakes, including rare 4-fanged serpent

How much can the written records of ancient civilizations tell us about the animals they lived alongside? Our latest research, based on the venomous snakes described in an ancient Egyptian papyrus, suggests more than you might think. A much more diverse range of snakes than we'd imagined lived in the...

Nov 10, 2023

200-pound 'monster' Burmese python finally captured in Florida after 5 men sit on it

The second-largest Burmese python ever discovered in South Florida has been captured after give people sat on the enormous snake, which was found stretched out across a road in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Initially, the python-hunters thought the female snake was an alligator due to its size. It was...

Nov 18, 2023

Arabian sand boa: The derpy snake that looks like it's got googly eyes glued to the top of its head

Name: Arabian sand boa (Eryx jayakari) Where it lives: Sandy deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and southwestern Iran What it eats: Short-fingered geckos (Stenodactylus), Baluch rock geckos (Bunopus tuberculatus) and worm lizards. Why it's awesome: These derpy-looking snakes have eyes that seem like they've been glued onto the top of...

Nov 26, 2023

Why does Australia have so many venomous animals?

Australia hosts a dizzying array of venomous creatures — including spiders, snakes, jellyfish, octopuses, ants, bees and even platypuses. But why do so many Australian animals wield this bioweapon? Many of these beasties predate Australia as a continent. But it's another story with venomous snakes, which arrived after the continent...

Jan 17, 2024

Slow-motion footage of snake attacks reveals surprise discovery about how they kill

Video footage of the moment snakes launch themselves at their prey reveals that the reptiles are either strikers or lungers — and the difference between the two is rooted in their teeth, new research has found. Strikers attack at lightning speed from above, impaling their prey with needlelike teeth at...

Feb 21, 2024

How we found the northern green anaconda, a new species of the heaviest snake on Earth

The green anaconda has long been considered one of the Amazon's most formidable and mysterious animals. Our new research upends scientific understanding of this magnificent creature, revealing it is actually two genetically different species. The surprising finding opens a new chapter in conservation of this top jungle predator. Green anacondas...

Feb 22, 2024

Snakes are built to evolve at incredible speeds, and scientists aren't sure why

Snakes have a supercharged evolutionary clock that enables them to adapt at far faster rates than other reptiles, scientists have discovered. This ability has helped them become evolutionary winners and spread across the planet. Snakes are like the Big Bang 'singularity' in cosmology — a dramatic expansion of diversity in...

Mar 8, 2024

Giant ball of Burmese pythons having sex discovered in Florida Everglades in record-breaking catch

An enormous mound of Burmese pythons entwined in a 7-foot-wide (2.1 meters) mating ball was recently found in Florida's Everglades after conservationists followed several tagged males that were out looking for sex. The mating ball contained a 14-foot-long (4.2 m) female and five males, and two additional males were found...