Snakes are such fascinating creatures! I am wanting to learn more about snakes. I would love is somebody could tell me more about the Jacobson's Organ, snake anatomy and physiology, and what species of snakes are found in North America. Anything anybody could tell me about snakes, especially their ability to hear, see, etc., would be great! Thanks in advance.
I don't know that much about snakes, but some you find in North America are; Corn Snakes, Ball Python Snakes, Garden Snakes, and other ones to. If you go to an animal shelter they might be able to tell you about snakes. If you go to a pet store that sells snakes, they will deffinetely be able to tell you about snakes. I know they're good at hearing, excellent in fact, and seeing is good..... Good Luck!
Retired sire/dam or not, no animal should be sold because they can not breed anymore. They'd kill joy of breeding for love.
Well, that's a really broad topic! As far as snakes found in north america, i assume you mean native species, not those found in the pet trade.. So, in response to the previous poster, Ball Pythons aren't from North America. But there are tons... A few examples of the various snakes native to this area are various Rat Snakes, Milk and King snakes, Hognoses, Water snakes, Garter snakes, Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Coral Snakes, there are a ton. If you check out a bookstore, there should be a couple field guides to the Reptiles and Amphibians found here if you want to learn more about all the different species. As for anatomy.. The Jacobson's organ is a special organ at the top of their mouth that they use to sense their environment. When they flick their tongue out, their tongue grabs onto the "smell" particles around them, then when their tongue goes back in, the Jacobson's organ is what takes what the tongue picks up from the air and identifies it. It allows them to sort of smell/taste their environment. Snakes don't have external ear openings, so thy don't exactly "hear" anything in the normal sense.. But, as they are evolved from lizards, they do still have a lot of the basic equipment in their head, which they can use to pick up vibrations. Certain types of snakes, such as pit vipers and pythons, have special heat pits just above their mouth that they use for sensing heat that helps them to find warm-blooded prey. Snakes are the newest type of reptile, because, like i said before, they evolved from lizards and didn't come about until after crocs, turtles, and lizards had been around for awhile. Pythons and Boas actually still have the evolutionary remnants of hind legs, which are called anal spurs. They are most visible with males, and they use them in mating. The longest living species of snake is the Reticulated Python, with the longest specimen that was ever actually measured was 32 feet 9 inches long. The Anaconda, on the other hand, doesn't get as long as the Reticlated Python, but they get heavier. So, the Anaconda is the heaviest species of snake. The longest species of snake ever was the recently discovered Titanboa, which regularly reached lengths of 42 feet, based on the fossils they've found. If you want more information about anything specifically related to reptiles, ask me :) I'm kind of obsessed, and if there's something i'm not sure about i probably know where to find out.
You have access to the internet, google anything you want. there is a ton of information at your fingertips, just type away. I learned alot from books, and enjoyed several snakes over the years. My favorite was a Kenyan Sand Boa. They didn't get very big, and extremly easy keeper.
Have fun in your search, and you can never learn to much about a topic you love.