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Where do snakes live? Do more snakes live in urban areas or wild areas?



Snakes are elongated, flexible and limbless reptiles. There are about 2,900 snake species in the world, of which around 375 are venomous. Snakes can survive in a lot of places all over the world with the exception of some of the coldest regions like Antarctica.

Many snakes are found within the areas that have tropical climates. Mammals are able to regulate body temperatures internally, but this is not the case for reptiles such as snakes. Snakes are cold blooded and therefore they depend on the environment to remain warm and to maintain a temperature that is suitable. When they feel too hot, the snakes will move to a shed and when they feel too cool, they move to an area with sun.

This is one of the reasons as to why the serpents thrive in tropical climates. This is because the temperatures never or rarely go below 10 degrees Celsius. Snakes are able to survive in temperatures that are very close to the freezing point but will rarely survive when their body temperatures go below freezing. Snakes are much more efficient when the weather is warm. In tropical areas, snakes remain active all the year through.

Snakes can also live in temperate climates, but in such a case, they usually go through hibernation referred to as brumation when winter falls. In such a state, the reptile usually remains inactive or awake. The reptile doesn’t eat during this time and it can go for many months without having any food. However, the snake usually emerges to drink some water.

When a snake is in brumation, it remains hidden in a good place that is protected from frost. The places it can hide include leaf piles, burrows in sand or soil, caves, tree stumps and even trunks. In such places, there is decaying matter that offers some form of heat that makes certain that the snake’s body temperature doesn’t fall below the freezing point.

Snakes are able to adapt very easily and so they can survive in water bodies, deserts, prairies and forests. Snakes love to be within an area that has an abundance of water and food.

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