Snake adaptations worksheet

Name:   Date:  

Part A. Match the structure to its job

Write the letter of the job next to each structure.

1. Forked tongue  
2. Spectacle (brille)  
3. Wide belly scales (scutes)  
4. Heat-sensing pits  
5. Stretchy jaw ligament  

A. Grip the ground to help the snake move
B. Pick up scent particles to smell
C. Let the snake swallow prey wider than its head
D. Protect the eye, because snakes have no eyelids
E. Detect the warmth of prey

Part B. True or false?

6. Snakes live on every continent, including Antarctica.  
7. A snake's jaw really "unhinges" when it eats.  
8. Snakes shed the outer layer of their skin as they grow.  
9. Most snakes have only one working lung.  

Part C. Habitat argument

10. The European adder lives as far north as the Arctic Circle. It survives the long, cold winter by brumating (a rest similar to hibernation). Snakes are ectotherms. Use these facts to explain why most snakes cannot survive in very cold places, and how the adder manages.

Part D. Think like a scientist

11. A gopher snake shakes its tail and hisses, but it has no rattle. Why might looking like a rattlesnake help a harmless snake survive?

12. Why should you never touch a wild snake, even if you think you know what it is?