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Snakes

Serpentes

Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles in the suborder Serpentes (order Squamata). Unlike most lizards, snakes lack movable eyelids (their eyes are covered by a clear “spectacle” scale) and lack external ear openings. Many snakes have a highly flexible, kinetic skull: several skull and jaw bones can move independently, and the two halves of the lower jaw are not fused at the chin. This allows snakes to “walk” their jaws over prey and swallow animals that may be larger than the width of their head. Living snakes occur on every continent except Antarctica and are absent from some islands.

Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles in the suborder Serpentes (order Squamata). Unlike most lizards, snakes lack movable eyelids (their eyes are covered by a clear “spectacle” scale) and lack external ear openings. Many snakes have a highly flexible, kinetic skull: several skull and jaw bones can move independently, and the two halves of the lower jaw are not fused at the chin. This allows snakes to “walk” their jaws over prey and swallow animals that may be larger than the width of their head. Living snakes occur on every continent except Antarctica and are absent from some islands.