Texas Snakes and other reptiles

We are looking at snakes and other reptiles this week. Reptiles include snakes, lizards, crocodiles and turtles. This is also an opportunity to teach them the most common venomous snakes to watch out for in our area. There are Coral, Copperheads, Rattlesnakes, and Cottonmouths. We talk about how snakes are to be observed, not disturbed! The venom in these snakes is in the fangs and is transmitted by the bite.

Some interesting reptile facts are that they have a bony skeleton and scaly skin. Most lay eggs which hatch on the land. The longest living reptile recorded is a tortoise living 152 years. A turtle's shell is actually part of his skeleton and can not be separated. Tortoises live on land/turtles like the water. Our red-eared slider turtles live in our local ponds here/ sea turtles live in the ocean. Frogs are not reptiles, they do not have scales and they lay eggs in the water.

For snake snack we will make a fruit-loops pattern on a licorice string to make a colorful, edible snake.