Uncoiling secret lives of snakes
Nor is the New Testament kind to snakes; ‘ye brood of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell’ etc. Serpents were denied Irish citizenship; St Patrick signed their deportation order. Even Shakespeare did some snake-bashing; ‘how sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child’. Why did God create such unwelcome creatures and when did he do so? Were the serpent’s ancestors land or sea based? Yale University scientists are trying to answer these questions.
Snakes are found on all continents except Antarctica. They can’t generate their body-heat the way we do, so they rely on the sun for warmth. Sea serpents live in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Adders are among the few reptiles able to survive inside the Arctic Circle.
