Snake - LC

Snakes
Snakes are classified as elongated, legless reptiles covered in overlapping scales. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Snakes are ectotherms and therefore cannot fully control their temperature by physiological means; their temperature changes with the environmental temperature. As snakes obtain most of their heat from outside their body they need less food than endotherms as they don't use it to generate heat.

Snakes can raise their body temperature to maintain a preferred body temperature by absorbing radiant heat reflected off the ground or surrounding objects. For example to keep warm snakes bask in the sun, on pathways, open rock areas or in clearings and at night seek shelter under warm rocks.

Conversely, when snakes need to lower their body temperature they use cool ground or cool water to rest in, to allow the conduction of the cooler surface to cool them down.

Some snakes have heat sensitive pits between their eyes and nostrils hat allow them to detect heat from surrounding objects. This enables snakes to detect hot surfaces and move towards these areas to absorb the thermal radiation. This thermal imaging also allows them to detect the warm body of a prey animal and thus enables them to hunt even in complete darkness.

During the winter snakes often brumate to conserve heat, which means that they remain awake but are inactive. Snakes may brumate in burrows, under rock piles or inside fallen trees.