What are characteristics of pit viper snakes?
• Large fangs; nonpoisonous snakes have small teeth. • The two fangs of a poisonous snake are hollow and work like a hypodermic needle. • Pupils resemble vertical slits. • Presence of a pit. Pit vipers have a telltale pit between the eye and the mouth. The pit, a heat-sensing organ, makes it possible for the snake to accurately strike a warm-blooded victim, even if the snake cannot see the victim. • A triangular or arrowhead shaped head. • The rattlesnake often shakes its rattles as a warning. BUT NOT ALWAYS! One snake that is not a pit viper snake but is poisonous is the coral snake. The coral snake is highly poisonous and resembles a number of nonpoisonous snakes. Coral snakes, as proteroglyphous elapids, have fixed fangs as opposed to retractible fangs. Because its mouth is so small and its teeth are short, most coral snakes inflict bites on the toes and fingers. They have to chew the skin a while to inject venom. Coral snakes are small and ringed with red, yellow, and black. The ch
