Snake...
They inspire fear and loathing...
Fascination and awe.
To some cultures,
they are pure evil.
Others worship them as gods.
The snake is a creature like
no other a spellbinding
seductress a killing machine,
Now, high-definition cameras
capture the breathtaking spectacle
of snakes in action
like never before.
This is the beauty of snakes.
Snakes are perhaps the most
mesmerizing creatures on earth.
Beneath a mosaic of
shimmering scales,
their slim, supple bodies move
with elegance
They glide over the planet
with speed and stealth.
Their sleek,
powerful curves are dressed
in some of nature's
most magnificent
colors and patterns.
We will explore every aspect of
their mysterious lives.
How they mate, give birth,
hunt and feed, move and sense
the world around them
all in startling detail.
Snakes live almost
everywhere on the planet.
They thrive on land,
in trees, and in water.
Almost three thousand
different species .
And all of them natural
born killers.
From a newly
hatched garter snake,
just 6 inches long,
to the 30-foot anaconda,
they all must kill to survive.
Their hunger satisfied,
most snakes prefer peace
and solitude
until it's time to mate.
Deep in the rainforest
of Latin America,
a female rainbow boa is ready
to breed
But first,
she needs to shed her skin.
Unlike most animals,
snakes grow until they die.
Their skin does not grow with them.
Uncomfortable in a coat that
has grown tight and dry,
the boa moves restlessly,
trying to release her
old skin.
It's a process she'll go through
three or four times a year.
To ease shedding, snakes secrete
a highly scented oil between
the old skin and the new one.
Still moist, the boa's scales
glimmer and shine.
Here, the clarity of high
definition video shows how the
rainbow boa got its name.
Each scale acts like a prism,
refracting light in
a colorful glow.
But it is
the smell of her new skin,
rather than the color
that will attract a mate.
Aroused by her scent,
the male boa follows
the female's trail
on the night air.
When he finally reaches her,
he coils around her
and begins his seduction.
Garter snakes have one of
the most dramatic mating
rituals in the world.
In Eastern Canada, a female,
red-sided garter emerges
from six months of
winter hibernation
Soon after leaving her den,
she emits a scent through her skin.
This potent perfume attracts
the attention of male garters
up to twenty miles away
One by one, they come.
The larger female is soon
inundated with suitors,
driven to frenzy by her smell.
In an hour, she is lost beneath
a tangle of over 100 squirming
bodies known as a mating ball
Within the riving math, each of the males pushes and
shoves his rivals out of the way,
trying to be the first to mate
with the female. Only one of
them will succeed.
The struggle can go on for a week
After mating, the victorious
male inserts a plug inside
the female, preventing other
males from breeding with her.
Eventually, the exhausted
males unscramble themselves
and go their separate ways.
Three months later,
the female will be ready
to give birth.
This checkered garter snake
is feeling restless.
And no wonder. She is about to
give birth to 30 wriggling babies.
Each tiny snake takes only
seconds to break through its
transparent egg sac.
The babies must emerge
quickly in order to breathe.
The entire brood is born
within half an hour.
Then, mothering duties over.
The newborns are on their own.
Only two of these babies will
make it to maturity.
The rest will fall victim
to predators, starvation,
and the elements.
To survive, they must hunt
Tiny curved teeth clamp onto
prey like this earthworm
with a fierce grip.
Swallowed alive,
the worm will die from acids
in the snake's stomach.
Barely thirty minutes old,
and already an instinctive killer
Not all snakes have live
births. Most species lay eggs.
In the American Midwest,
the Corn Snake lives close
to farmyards and crops,
where it feasts on a
plentiful supply of rodents
This female mated a week ago
and has just laid eight eggs
in a nest of rotting leaves.
Parenting is now over.
She will not be back.
Three months later,
the unborn snakes twist and
wriggle within their shells.
A tiny tooth on the end of
their snouts helps them slit
an opening in the surface.
After breaking through,
they often retreat back into
their shell for several
hours' rest
It may be two days before
they leave the shell for good
Slipping away from their nest,
the odds are stacked against
the hatchlings.
Like all snakes, they will have
to rely on a powerful array of
senses to survive.
Snake sense the world
differently from humans
Eyes on either side of her head,
gives this eyelash pit viper
a wide field of vision.
Lash-like scales protect her
eyes from pointy branches in
the dense rainforest.
Snakes have no eyelids.
It's impossible to know
if they're sleeping
or just lying in wait.
The viper's unblinking stare
may seem ominous,
but she has relatively poor vision.
Snakes are best at
detecting motion.
They have difficulty focusing
in on still objects.
She can understand her world
better by using her tongue.
Snakes use their tongues to smell
When a snake wants to
investigate its surroundings,
it flicks its tongue collecting
scent particles from the air.
This tiny instrument is 10,000
times more sensitive
than the human nose.
Forked tongues allow snakes
to smell in stereo, picking up
different scents from
different directions.
As this mouse moves,
it leaves behind a trail
of scent particles.
As scent particles are collected,
the snake presses the tips of
his tongue into an organ in
the roof of his mouth.
There, particles are identified
and analyzed, translating
the matrix of smells into
a precise image.
This allows the snake to pinpoint
the location and size of his prey,
even in total darkness.
With such an extraordinary
tracking device,
snakes rarely miss.
In the unforgiving desert
of Arizona, a Western Diamond
back Rattlesnake must use
all his senses to survive.
This male has just emerged
from winter hibernation and
has not eaten in five months
But as a cold-blooded reptile,
he needs to warm his body in
the sunshine before he'll
have the energy to hunt
A mouse would make a good meal.
The rattlesnake's hearing won't
help him locate his target.
He has no external ear,
nor any eardrums.
Like all snakes he is deaf
to airborne sounds.
But he can hear sounds that come
through the ground. His long,
slack belly, in constant contact
with the earth, picks up even
the smallest vibrations.
When hunting, the snake adds
this information to the smells
gathered by his flickering tongue
As the mouse comes closer,
yet another extraordinary
sense comes into play.
Certain snakes,
like this rattler,
have deep pits beneath their eyes.
These pits are lined with
heat-sensitive cells that can
detect a temperature change as
little as two thousandths of
a degree Fahrenheit.
This thermal image represents
what the snake senses.
Warm-blooded creatures make
easy targets, even on
the darkest of nights.
Keep his distance and the
unsuspecting mouse is safe.
Step any closer and he'll be
in striking range of a heat-seeking missile.
The strike is so quick that
the mouse doesn't know what hit it.
Though the rattlesnake can
draw on venom to kill
three hundred mice, he injects
just enough for a lethal dose.
Once the mouse has stopped moving,
the rattlesnake slowly
swallows his meal.
It will take 15 minutes
for the mouse,
still emitting heat,
to disappear into the
cold body of the snake.
It will take several days for
the snake to fully
digest his meal. Then,
he will be back on the move,
sliding over the rocky
landscape with ease.
A snake in motion is
a thing of wonder
A limbless body surging
with power and agility
Without arms or legs,
Snakes have adapted to wider
range of environments than any
other species on the planet.
The most common way for a snake
to move is the serpentine method
in which the body follows
a series of S curves.
The snake uses the lower back
edges of its body to push
against any roughness
on the ground.
Viewed from beneath,
each belly scale is
seen moving and sliding
With up to 500 vertebrae
in their spines, snakes are
the most flexible creatures
in the world. There are few
obstacles they can't navigate,
few hiding places they can't
wriggle into.
A camera mounted on the back
of a Cape Cobra shows how
the snake undulates through
its domain. It¡¯s a way of
moving that has taken millions
of years to perfect.
Snakes are believed to have
evolved from prehistoric lizards,
at least 100 million years ago.
Theory has it that these ancient
reptiles sought safety by
burrowing in the soil.
To move through the earth in a
more streamlined fashion,
they gradually lost their limbs.
Their eyesight diminished
since it served no
purpose underground.
Once they re-emerged above ground,
snakes developed different
ways of moving over
varying terrains.
The desert sands of Namibia
are searing hot, but this
sidewinder has adapted to
the harsh environment.
There are two parts to the
side-winding motion. First,
the snake lifts his head and
front half of his body off
the ground and throws
them sideways.
Then he repeats the motion
with his back half.
Seen from underneath and
in slow motion, his body makes
a continuous series of thrusts.
Very little skin is left in
contact with the hot
sand at any time.
This effective technique
allows sidewinders to cover
large distances and climb
the world largest sand dunes,
1000 feet high.
Snakes move most
elegantly in water
The Cape Cobra, like many snakes,
flourishes near human beings.
In South Africa they are often
found in ponds and pools,
where they can show off their
graceful swimming skills.
Using serpentine motion,
the cobra's body sweeps
from side to side.
She slices through the
swimming pool unnoticed.
Some species spend their whole
lives in the water.
In the Amazon Rainforest
this green anaconda makes his
home in the river shallows.
He can remain submerged
for up to ten minutes.
Reaching weights of
over 500 pounds, anacondas are
the heaviest snakes in the world.
They can grow up to 30 feet in
length, 3 feet in girth.
Despite his bulk, the anaconda
is an agile swimmer.
Buoyed by the water,
he moves in a serpentine pattern.
On land, the anaconda and other
big-bodied snakes like this puff
adder are too thick for
serpentine curves. Instead,
they move in a straight path,
using their belly scales
like bulldozer treads.
Seen from underneath the belly
skin contacts the ground
in waves,
inching the body forwards much
like a caterpillar.
A snake-mounted camera shows
the puff adder's remarkable
control and smooth pace
This caterpillar motion helps
the adder make a stealthy
approach before ambushing its prey
This 12-foot bushmaster also
uses the caterpillar motion to
slink through the South
American jungle.
He is the
deadliest snake on the continent.
Antidote to his venom is
unreliable and hard to come by.
These caterpillar movers have
a triangular shaped body
with a wide, flat belly
that hugs the ground.
When he has chosen the position
for his ambush, the bushmaster
curls up at the base of a tree,
waiting for prey to pass
Snakes are masters of the kill.
Victims rarely hear them coming.
One of the most feared and
respected species is
Africa's black mamba.
Long and slender,
the black mamba is the fastest
snake in the world.
It is also one of
the most aggressive.
When disturbed,
this short-tempered creature
will often attack. It can outrace
a human in the bush striking
swiftly and accurately in
any direction, even when
moving at top speed.
It can launch itself from
up to six feet away.
The mamba's venom almost
always delivers a speedy death.
In shorts bursts black mambas
can reach 12 miles per hour,
nearly the speed of
a cantering horse
As it gives chase,
the Black mamba holds up to
a third of its 12-foot body
above the ground. It likes to
face its enemies eye to eye.
With its coffin-shaped head
and jet black mouth, it's
no wonder that Africans call
this creature
""the shadow of death.""
Unlike most snakes,
it bites repeatedly.
Just two drops can kill a
human within twenty minutes.
Deep in the Amazon River Basin,
another notorious killer is
on the hunt
the anaconda
He doesn't poison his victims.
He kills by constricting.
Unlike the impulsive black mamba,
the anaconda is a methodical
and deliberate stalker
He slips into the shallow
water to hunt.
He surveys the surface for
prey then retreats underwater.
His principle weapon is surprise
The ducks are unaware of
what lies beneath.
The anaconda's powerful jaws
snatch the duck,
dragging it underwater.
With each outward breath,
the duck is squeezed just
a little bit more.
Suffocation does not take long.
Like all snakes, anacondas
unhinge their jaws to swallow
meals several times larger
than their heads.
A big anaconda is capable of
consuming a crocodile.
Legend has it they can
even kill and swallow a human.
Where humans go, snakes follow.
Human food attracts rodents,
which in turn attract snakes.
Farm animals are also a temptation.
In the late afternoon,
this African village comes to life.
The cobra moves in, unnoticed.
A chicken would satisfy his hunger.
He cautiously makes his
way deeper into the village.
But his sneak attack
has been foiled
With sharp claws and
powerful teeth, the dogs
are formidable enemies.
The snake spreads his hood to
look bigger and more intimidating.
The dogs are undaunted.
But this cobra has a secret weapon.
As a last resort, he spits
venom from his fangs directly
into his enemy's eyes.
The pain is instant.
lf not treated,
blindness could follow.
The venom must be washed
from the dogs' eyes right away.
In the ensuing panic,
the snake slips away,
hungry but unscathed.
Snakes will always avoid
humans if possible.
But if confronted,
or accidentally stumbled upon,
they can be aggressive.
And in defense, they will always strike out.
In central and South America,
the Fer-de-lance Kills more
people than any other snake
over 2000 deaths a year.
Camouflaged in earthen-toned skin,
they lie across walking trails
where they often catch
people off guard.
They are also attracted to
buildings where the sun has
warmed the floor during the day
lf the mother or child puts
a foot down now,
they could be dead within hours.
She has enough venom to kill
both of them twice over.
She can sense the presence
of warm-blooded creatures.
She knows they are much
bigger than her.
She flicks her tail...
A warning...
Rattlesnakes sound a more
blatant alarm when
people get too close.
The older the rattlesnake gets,
the longer its rattle.
Each time the snake sheds,
a small part of its skin is left
behind on the base of the tail,
hardening into a new
band of the rattle.
Another fierce snake intimidates
enemies with a loud hiss
of exhaled air.
This is how the
puff adder got its name.
The saw scaled viper rubs its
scales together in
a dramatic warning.
Bright colors are a signal
to stay away. They also keep
some species hidden
from human eyes.
But sometimes,
the camouflage is too good
Eyelash pit vipers have been
known to fall asleep in a banana
tree only to wake up in
a fruit stand,
halfway around the world.
Since snakes and humans are
the two most adaptable
creatures on the planet.
they increasingly
come into contact.
The African house snake
likes the food, shelter,
and comfort that
a home can provide.
Humans are often unaware of
their silent houseguests.
As night falls and humans
go to sleep, the snake has
the house to himself.
He repays his host by ridding
the home of unwanted pests.
But for the presence of snakes,
humankind would be overwhelmed
by rats and mice.
Rodents would wreak havoc on
agricultural land and
raid homes for food.
Soon the whole world
would be infested.
Though snakes may inspire
dread in many people,
the world cannot do without
these magnificent creatures
And from a safe distance,
we can truly admire the elegance,
prowess, and mystique that
is the beauty of snakes.