pit viper snake

S is for Snake

What can the letter S tell you about snakes? A lot!

Read It!Snake story from the September 2025 issue of Ranger Rick Jr.

➡️ The scales on a snake’s belly are called scutes. These scales are big and flat, and they work like tire treads.

➡️  A snake’s skin is covered with scales. The scales give the snake its color and pattern. They also protect its body.

➡️  As a snake grows bigger, its skin becomes too tight and splits open. The snake then sheds the old skin by wiggling its way out of it.

➡️  A snake has a long spine, or backbone, with hundreds of ribs. With this kind of skeleton, a snake can twist its body into any shape.

➡️  A snake smells with its tongue. It flicks its tongue in and out to catch scents in the air.

➡️  Having a forked tongue helps a snake determine which direction a smell is coming from.

➡️  All snakes are meat eaters. They swallow their food whole.

➡️ Snakes have stretchy jaws that let them eat food that is bigger than their heads.

➡️ Most snakes are harmless to people. Snakes tend to be shy and want to be left alone.

 

Meet Sally the Snake!
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