Snakes are found in almost all ecosystems on earth except the polar regions, where they would be unable to survive due to the cold weather. From deserts to tropical forests, there is definitely a place you can find snakes on or near your property. They are also able to live in freshwater and brackish swamps, marshes and even in houses, irrigation ditches and pastures.
1. The Rainforest
A rainforest is also known as a ‘green lung’ because of the many different types of plants and animals that can be found. These locations are ideal for finding all sorts of snakes, including boas. As you can imagine, there’s a lot to explore in a tropical rainforest!
This is one habitat where this specific predator is most commonly found, and that includes a variety of brown and gray color morphs. One snake you will likely find in a rainforest is the common boa constrictor.
These snakes can grow up to 13 feet long and can easily pull their prey into their mouth in order to kill it by crushing it with their coils. The boa constrictor is also a livebearer and can have up to 50 offspring at once!
2. In the Desert
Deserts are hot or cold environments in which there is little precipitation. Antarctica has a lot of desert-like qualities, with temperature fluctuations and sand covering the ground.
One of the desert’s most interesting animals is a type of spinning snake called a sidewinder. There are lots of different types of snakes that live in deserts, and the sidewinder is one of them. The name comes from its diagonal horizontal movements over the sand, presumably giving it better traction. Trackers mark where these snakes have been with J-shaped tracks.
3. Wetlands
Snakes are a common animal in the wetlands, and they’re not just confined to humid areas. One type of wetland is the swamp, where the soil is saturated by water. It’s home to many things that thrive in water, like trees and shrubs. Another type is the marsh, which is created when water floods into a bay or low lying area. Marsh vegetation can be herbaceous or woody. Marshes differ from swamps because marshes are more flooded than swamps are and hold fresh and salt water at times.
One snake that lives in the wetlands is the cottonmouth or water moccasin. This snake lives in the southeastern United States with a head comprised of white scales that make it look like ivory when it looks up towards your face.
Though this snake usually doesn’t grow to three feet long, it’s dangerous, bad tempered, and has venom powerful enough to kill a human if it bites you. Besides being found in ponds and marshes, they can be found all over rice paddies, lakes, rivers, and streams where they eat frogs and fish – as well as carrion! They’re also one of few snakes that scavenge for food instead of actively hunting their prey down.
4. In Saltwater and In Freshwater
Sea snakes are truly aquatic snakes that spend their entire lives in the ocean. They are so well adapted to living in the water for long periods that they really can’t function on land.
An exception is the Sea Krait, a sea snake which still has scales around its belly to give it traction on land. Around the Indian and Pacific Oceans, nearly all of them are venomous and they are typical of most coastal areas, though most rarely bite.
Adaptations that allow these snakes to live in saltwater include tails like paddles and compressed bodies that make them resemble colorful or prettily patterned eels but unlike eels, they lack gills. Like whales, sea snakes need to come up for air and expel excess salt from their bodies like they need to periodically eat fish and baby octopuses while they live their happy life as an aquatic snake.
5. The Mountains
In the Himalayan mountains, there is a new discovered snake, the Himalayan pit viper. This small snake only grows to three feet in length and is known to live on the south slopes of the Himalayas at elevations between 6900 and 16,200 feet.
It’s cold and dry in this area so it has had to adapt, finding shelter for example under rocks or fallen leaves. It eats small rodents and invertebrates. It does not have many predators (no larger than its own species) because of its small size.
6. In the Forest and Woodlands
Some places that have trees, but not too many, are called woodlands. These types of areas often support grasses and herbaceous plants that can be found at the feet of the trees. Snakes like woodlands because they provide lots of cover. They are also able to find a log or flat surface to stretch out on and bask in the sun while they hunt for prey, such as rodents.
One snake that inhabits woodlands is the rat snake. This common snake has been seen growing up to 6 feet long with an individual having been found by science who was over 8 feet! Rat snakes are adeptly suited for their habitat and have shown to be very agile when it comes to climbing trees or swimming through water! During the winter, rat snakes den together with rattlesnakes and copperheads in hibernation!
7. Grasslands
As with many habitats, rainforest snakes are dominated by grasses. But because Snake has a very aggressive natured, one that is found just about everywhere on the planet save for the Earth’s polar regions. In addition to having a keen eye for prey, they have lightning quick reflexes, need minimal body fat to survive, and can go without eating for months.
One snake in particular that is often found in grasslands is the anaconda. It’s not big enough to eat humans but it does love capybaras as well as deer, juvenile jaguars as well as caimans and even lagoons and rivers found in the rainforest. When a water-oriented habitat sprouts up, this 17 foot long creature will make its presence known by waiting patiently until a potential victim emerges from the safety of the greenery before striking
8. In and Around Human Habitation
Another answer to the question, “Where do snakes live?” must include houses and outbuildings such as barns. Indeed, there’s a snake called the common house snake. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, this non-venomous snake is from three to five feet long and comes in solid colors but iridescent hues of bronze, brown, black, or red. Though it’s not true that homeowners deliberately bring this snake into their homes, it is infamous for its consumption of rats and mice. Other snakes that might show up in houses in the US include garter snakes, ringneck snakes and rat snakes. Snakes that inhabit farms, pastures and gardens include the northern death adder and several species of cobra including the Indian spectacled cobra.
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Snakes live almost everywhere on Earth. They don’t exist in the Polar Regions because they can’t survive in the cold climate. Snakes can be found in deserts, forests, marshes and grassy areas, as well as on farms, pastures, and even in houses. There are some interesting facts about snakes: Ireland is snake-free, no one knows why.
Greenland has never had snakes, but we can find them at the other end of the planet. New Zealand is famous for also being snake-free and not due to a Saint’s magic. It’s possible that Ireland had never had snakes because there wasn’t any land mass large enough that if connected could have allowed them to get there.
A tropical rainforest is just the right place for a snake, because it’s three things: rich in prey, dense with vegetation to hide in and rich with temperature and humidity that make the lifespan of these reptiles increase.
There are so many types of snakes found in tropical rainforests. One snake that lives there is the common boa constrictor, which can grow between 6 and 13.5 feet long depending on where they’re found and has red tails, especially young boas. The common boa is a livebearer and has 15 to 50 babies at a time. It can also swim and climb trees in search of prey.
Deserts can be hot or cold, and indeed, Antarctica is considered a desert. Desert animals have unique ways of looking for water in the desert. One animal that has adapted to the deserts is the sidewinder. The sidewinder moves in a diagonal, sideways motion over the sand as it hunts for food. It’s called the sidewinder because it has “horns” over its eyes which it uses to defend against sand particles.
