SNAKES, TURTLES, LIZARDS, CROCODILES 



249 



Other Members of this Class 



Snakes 



Garter snake. — This small, harmless snake is found 

 everywhere in the Unitetl States and will serve as a type 

 of the snakes. It has a long, cylindrical body, tapering 



Fig. 172. — Garter snake shedding its skin. Note the old loose skin 

 just back of the head. 



toward the tail (Fig. 172). The head is fairly distinct, but 

 no limbs are present. The body of the snake is covered 

 with scales that overlap like those of a fish. They differ 

 from those of a fish in being true epidermal structures. The 



