snakes

=﻿__Snakes__= Snakes are very beautiful creatures

=__﻿Size__= = __ Venom __ = See also: [|Snake venom], [|Venomous snake], and [|#Bite]

Origins
The origin of snakes remains an unresolved issue. There are two main hypotheses competing for acceptance.

Evolution
The fossil record of snakes is relatively poor because snake [|skeletons] are typically small and fragile, making [|fossilization] uncommon. Fossils readily identifiable as snakes (though often retaining hind limbs) first appear in the fossil record during the [|Cretaceous] period.[|[7]]

[|Milk snakes] are often mistaken for [|coral snakes], whose venom is deadly to humans. Cobras, vipers, and closely related species use [|venom] to immobilize or kill their prey. The venom is modified [|saliva], delivered through [|fangs].[|[][|9][|]]:243 The fangs of 'advanced' venomous snakes like viperids and elapids are hollow to inject venom more effectively, while the fangs of rear-fanged snakes such as the boomslang merely have a groove on the posterior edge to channel venom into the wound. Snake venoms are often prey specific, their role in self-defense is secondary.[|[][|9][|]]:243

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Trapping
The //Irulas// tribe of [|Andhra Pradesh] and [|Tamil Nadu] in [|India]have been hunter-gatherers in the hot, dry plains forests, and have practiced the art of snake catching for generations. They have a vast knowledge of snakes in the field. They generally catch the snakes with the help of a simple stick. Earlier, the //Irulas// caught thousands of snakes for the snake-skin industry.