We understand, not everyone loves snakes. You don't want to encounter one in the wild. To each their own!
That's why we're here, to take you on a world tour of some of nature's most incredible snakes from the safety of your own home—and with your own intrepid guide.
The snakes we will visit belong to the Vipers group.
As of 2021, there are 368 species of vipers worldwide. The name comes from the term viviparity, which means giving birth to youth.
Unlike most snakes, which lay eggs, most vipers have eggs that hatch inside the mother, who then gives birth to dozens of smaller snakes.
Not glad you're still safe at home?
Vipers are also often highly venomous, with two hollow fangs that are flat on the roofs of their mouths. This allows the fangs to be extra long, opening to impale the weapons when the viper prepares to strike.
So how do we give them a surprise visit?
First stop: the southeastern United States,
where we can hear the viper before we see it. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest of the 36 species of rattlesnake.
Rattlesnakes can rattle up to 90 times per second to warn predators for hours. The cuticle is made up of hollow, interconnected layers made of keratin, the same substance that makes up our nails and hair.
When the snake moves its tail, these parts collide with each other, producing a surprisingly loud sound. Now in the mountains of western Iran, where a spider crawls over a rock, making easy prey for a passing bird.
The spider-tailed horned viper is completely camouflaged, almost invisible, except for its unique bulbous tail tip with elongated scales that resemble spider legs.
Spider-tailed vipers are only 50 cm long,
so they can attract small birds within killing range without compromising their ability to squeeze into tight rock crevices.
In the rainforests of Latin America lives a viper that couldn't be more different from a spider-tailed viper—if you can find it. This is one of the most exciting snakes in the world: the Bushmaster. Bushmaster is a pit viper.
Between each eye and nostril, there is a heat-sensing pit with a membrane containing highly sensitive receptors that respond to temperature changes as small as one-thousandth of a degree Celsius.
These pits collect infrared information that is integrated with visual information in the optic tectum. This allows the bushmaster to "see" the heat signature of approaching prey or predators, helping him decide whether to attack and strike more accurately.
This is useful for protecting the nest—unlike most other vipers, the Bushmaster lays its eggs in hollow tree bark or burrows made by other animals.
It must be large enough to defend its nest—in fact, the Bushmaster is the world's largest viper, growing to over 11 feet in length, with large stings and deadly venom.
Meanwhile, in the jungles of sub-Saharan Africa,
there is a small, chunky viper that is even more venomous than the Bushmaster.
The African gibbon viper has the longest fangs of any snake—yes, all 3,879 snake species, not just vipers—and can deliver 1,000 milligrams of venom in a single bite—enough to kill ten adult humans.
Although deadly, gibbon vipers have a reputation for being slow-moving and calm creatures. When they attack, they grab their rodent prey while the poison takes effect, then quickly swallow it.
At this point, you might be worried about our guide—but never fear, our little desert kangaroo rat-like rat has a knack for avoiding snake bites.
They stamp their feet on the rattlesnakes, kick sand at them, and avoid their attacks with acrobatic jumps and powerful kicks—helping them live to guide another snake visit.
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