Discover 12 Snakes That Do not Eat Mice or Rodents

While it’s true that a variety of snakes eat rodents — they’re nearly the proper measurement for many snakes to unhinge their jaws and wrap their mouths round to swallow entire. But some snakes don’t eat rodents or eat them provided that their standard prey isn’t round. In some instances, rodents simply aren’t a part of its weight loss plan, or the snake is just too small or the snake lives in a place the place rodents don’t. Here are 12 snakes that don’t eat mice or rodents.

1. Sea Snakes

As sea snakes not often or by no means go away the ocean, they’re merely not going to have rodents on their menu. These snakes, that are shut kinfolk of cobras, are extremely venomous however not often chew people. Found within the heat oceans off the coasts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Central and South America, they’re nonetheless reptiles regardless of their pelagic life-style. Most eat fish solely and have even been identified to steal fish from fishing traces.

2. Egg-eating Snake

As their title says, these snakes eat eggs. Most of them dwell in Africa although there’s one species in India. The frequent egg-laying snake is smallish, and solely grows to about 2.5 toes in size. Yet it could possibly simply eat a nice-sized rooster egg. How it does that is fascinating. First, the snake flicks its tongue over the egg to verify it’s not rotten. Then, it braces the egg towards part of its physique, unhinges its jaws, and works its mouth round it. This can take so long as 20 minutes.

As the egg strikes down the animal’s throat, the snake’s pores and skin is stretched till it’s translucent. Finally, the egg finds a constriction within the reptile’s gullet proper beneath its vertebrae. These vertebrae have projections that maintain the egg in place. Other projections pierce the egg when the snake arches its neck. The contents can’t return to the snake’s mouth as a result of valves in its intestine push it into the snake’s abdomen. After this, the snake spits out the damaged eggshell.

3. Blindsnakes

Blindsnakes are primitive snakes discovered within the hotter components of the world. They don’t eat rodents and mice as a result of they’re just too small. These snakes not often develop to eight inches in size, although one species can develop to 2 toes lengthy. Their eyes are tiny, as are their scales. They usually have a backbone on the tip of their tail that helps them dig. Blindsnakes burrow into the bottom and eat bugs.

Similar snakes embody the shieldtails, who eat worms and different soft-bodied invertebrates. Thread snakes are even smaller and thinner than blindsnakes. Many have pelvic bones and even vestigial hind legs that blindsnakes lack. Thread snakes specialise in termites.

4. Black-headed Python

This sturdy snake is native to Australia. It grows between about 4.9 to six.6 toes lengthy and weighs about 35.24 kilos. Females are significantly bigger than males. The snake’s head is small in proportion to its physique however evolution strengthened the world of its nostril and mouth. This makes the snake a superb digger and permits it to catch and maintain on to prey. That prey is generally different reptiles, together with skinks, monitor lizards, and geckos. Black-headed pythons additionally eat venomous snakes, despite the fact that the snake shouldn’t be venomous itself.

5. Slug and Snail-eating Snakes

The frequent slug-eating snake is present in South America. The sides of its physique are compressed, and although it’s nonvenomous, it has giant, cat-like eyes with vertical pupils like many venomous snakes. Its head is blunt. These bodily traits permit the snake, which grows between 24 and 31 inches lengthy, to journey simply by means of vegetation because it hunts for prey throughout the evening.

You’ll discover snail-eating snakes in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and nations of the Malay Archipelago. These snakes not often develop over 3 toes in size, they usually differ from the slug-eating snake in that they’ve the issue of getting the animal out of its shell. These snakes can accomplish this as a result of their higher jaw is brief and has just a few tooth, however the decrease jaw is lengthy and will be manipulated in order that it initiatives previous the snake’s nostril. The snake bites the snail when it sticks its head out of the shell, and whereas the higher jaw grips the snake the decrease jaw works its approach into the shell and ultimately twists the remainder of the snail out.

Like the slug-eating snake, snail-eating snakes are nocturnal and are notable for his or her giant, bulging eyes.

6. Boomslang

Found all through Africa, this snake is about 5 toes lengthy and very venomous, with rear fangs that fold again within the mouth after they’re not getting used. Boomslangs have enormous eyes and are fairly slender. Male and feminine snakes have completely different colours. Females are greenish brown whereas males generally is a vary of colours, together with vivid, leaf inexperienced. This coloration helps camouflage the snake, which spends a lot of its time in timber. Boomslangs are ambush predators, and their essential weight loss plan is made up of lizards that dwell within the timber, together with chameleons. Once shortly, they could catch a small mammal, a chook, and even one other boomslang. Their venom is a hemotoxin, and the prey bleeds to dying after being bitten.

7. Water Snake

These snakes belong to the Nerodia genus and get their title as a result of they spend a lot of their time in or near a physique of water. Unlike the ocean snakes, the entire water snakes are native to North America and non-venomous. They’re sturdy snakes that may develop to about 4 toes lengthy. They have flat heads and keeled scales on their backs, and their eyes are small and have spherical pupils. They are available in slightly impartial colours comparable to brown, black or cream, although many have engaging patterns. The mainstay of their weight loss plan is fish and amphibians, although, granted, if a mouse comes close to the water they might take that as effectively.

8. Sri Lanka Green Vine Snake

The vine snake will get its title as a result of, very slender and often inexperienced, it hides from potential prey by pretending to be a vine within the forests of Sri Lanka. Ahaetulla nasuta is barely present in Sri Lanka, and it’s the solely identified snake whose pupils are horizontal. It can develop to six.25 toes and can be notable for its lengthy and pointed snout. The snake is energetic throughout the day however could go to floor to search for prey. Its essential prey are animals known as calotes, a kind of lizard, and their eggs. After calotes, the vine snake takes geckos, frogs, and slugs.

9. Common Garter Snake

Garter snakes belong to Thamnophis, the commonest genus of snakes discovered within the United States. They dwell principally in all places: on farms, in forests, in wetlands, in gardens, and meadows. For many Americans, the garter snake is the archetypal snake. They are available in a wealth of colours, however almost all have spherical eyes with spherical pupils, stripes, and keeled scales. Garter snakes was once thought of nonvenomous, however they do have some venom that’s not significantly dangerous to individuals.

It’s true that if a garter snake is giant sufficient, and a few can develop to 4.25 toes in size, they’ll take a mouse, however the weight loss plan of most garter snakes is overwhelmingly invertebrates. They embody earthworms and bugs and aquatic animals comparable to toads, frogs, and their tadpoles, salamanders, and crayfish.

10. Lancehead

This stunning however lethal snake is discovered solely on Brazil’s Ilha da Queimada Grande, additionally known as Snake Island. This island is closed off for the safety of each the snake, which is critically endangered, and other people, who may get bitten by it.

The golden lancehead will get its title from its pale golden floor coloration and the form of its head, which is frequent to snakes from the Bothrops genus. The snake grows to round 28 inches in size. Because the island has been remoted for the reason that final Ice Age, there aren’t any small rodents, and the snake has developed to eat birds, lizards, and even smaller lanceheads.

11. Common Coral Snake

The frequent coral snake, Micrurus fulvius is barely discovered within the southeastern a part of the United States. It’s often lower than 3 toes in size, although there are snakes which have reached 4 toes. Females are longer than males. The snake is fairly, with purple, black, and yellow rings and a black snout, nevertheless it’s dangerously venomous. Found in hammocks, scrub oak forests, and flatwoods, this snake dines on birds, bugs, frogs, and lizards. It has no drawback consuming different snakes, together with these of its personal type. The frequent coral snake bites its prey’s head, waits until its venom paralyzes it, then swallows it entire.

12. Peringuey’s Adder

This small snake, which grows to not more than 13 inches in size, is notable for a flat, wedge-shaped head with keeled scales. Its physique has sand or brownish-colored floor with darkish and pale spots. The snake’s eyes are on prime of the top, which permits it to see when it buries a lot of the remainder of its physique within the sand of the desert. It’s solely present in south Angola and Namibia.

A venomous snake, Peringuey’s Adder waits beneath the sand for prey to occur by. The prey consists of desert lizards and the barking gecko. These reptiles is perhaps lured by the adder’s tail, which it sticks up from the sand. When prey is shut sufficient, the snake seizes it.