Reptiles Pet Snakes 
Snakes are the only creatures which are able to 
swallow objects larger than themselves. This is 
made possible because the body walls are elastic, and 
because there is an extra bone hinging the upper to 
the lower jaw allowing the jaws to spread widely; the 
lower jaw also parts at the middle of its front edge, 
and spreads sidewise. In order to force a creature 
into a bag-so manifestly too small, a special mechan- 
ism is needed; the teeth supply this by pointing 
backward and thus assist in the swallowing. Some 
species of snakes simply chase their prey, striking it 
and catching it in the open mouth; while others, like 
the black snake and the milk snake, wind themselves 
about their victims and crush them to death. In our 
northern climate snakes hibernate in winter, going to 
sleep as soon as the weather becomes cold, and not 
awaking until spring. Some species of snakes lay 
eggs with shells like parchment, while with others 
the young are born alive. Most snakes give off a 
secretion when attacked and frightened, which smells 
very disagreeable, and the odor persists on the hands 
of the captor despite much washing. 
The garter snakes are among the most common and 
harmless of all our snakes. We once had a handsome 
black, yellow-striped garter snake that lived under 
our piazza for several years. He was unafraid of the 
family, and loved to bask in the sun on the doorstep, 
to the horror of callers who were not educated to 
appreciate the beauty of snakes. However, the 
children of the neighborhood made him frequent 
visits, and were particularly interested when he 
lifted his beautiful head and darted out his tongue, for 
they knew that this was his way of trying to get 
acquainted. 
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