Snakes

By: KT

Introduction
Snakes are cold blooded, carnivorous reptiles that live on every continent apart from Antarctica, showing that they exist in a variety of ecosystems and environments. Therefore it is essential for snakes to be able to maintain homeostasis in a variety of conditions, in order to survive.

Ectotherms
Snakes are ectotherms, meaning that they cannot regulate metabolic functions internally, and thus rely on behavioural changes to maintain their body temperature. Typically snakes like to have a body temperature of between 20 and 35˚C. Snakes are known to be more tolerable in cold temperatures, rather than warm. If a snake gets too hot, it can suffer tissue and brain damage. However when it gets colder, their movement slows down due to the decrease in speed of metabollic reactions.

How do Snakes Regulate Body Temperature?
Snakes are active during the day, and spend time in the sun, mostly hunting for food. The heat increases the rate of metabollic reactions, which provides the snake with a lot of energy. When the weather is too hot (usually around midday) they take rest in patches of shade or burrow underground. During the winter snakes tend to hibernate, as their metabollic reactions are very slow due to the cold. This means that they can go without food for weeks.