Are Oklahoma Snake Flexible?

This topic is certainly interesting as it is hard to believe that an animal which is so flexible has almost double the bones as compared to humans! Yes, it is true Oklahoma City snakes have around 400 bones. Snakes have a nimble body and are very agile in their movements and it seems that they have no bones at all but that’s not true. Snakes have skull, backbones and jawbones too. Snakes belong to a vertebrate family which means that they have backbone. There are many species of snakes and the bone count may differ depending upon species. This post is to discuss about various facts related to body of the snake. There are some amazing and interesting facts which will make you feel awe! But it is the beauty of nature after all!



How are Oklahoma City snakes amazingly flexible?
After you’ve got to know that snakes have bones, it must have become more difficult to understand how snakes are able to twist and turn in a flexible manner. The shape and the placement of ribs and vertebrates in their body helps them in moving along flexibly. Bones and muscles of the snakes provide protection to internal organs. The throat of the snake leads to long stomach and stretches as per the size of the food. Therefore, snakes like anaconda and cobra can swallow a full human being in one go! Haunting, isn’t it?

Snake skeleton
If you are still surprised, look at the skeleton of the snake. It is complex, and bones are spread all over the body. The ligaments of the snakes are stretchy, and they have got specialized jawbones which are loosely attached to the skull. Due to this stretch, snakes have capability to open their mouth both horizontally and vertically. The tail of the snakes has no ribs but only free ends. Unlike humans, they don’t have breast bones and that is why they are able to expand as much as required while ingesting their prey.

Snake body
Skull, vertebrae and ribs are main parts of snake’s body. Their strong and flexible joints enable flexible movement despite so many bones. The ribs are not attached to each other and just attached to the vertebrae which extends all over the body. This provides flexibility to the snake and allows them to expand while swallowing their prey. Due to loose bones, there are movements are swift and silent. You don’t hear the sound while they are crawling. It’s the sound of leaves or things beneath them which make noise. The skull of the snake is completely closed by bone unlike full body. The bones are not loose towards the brain which gives them a strong grip. It is interesting to know that how placement of bones can play a major part in deciding the agility of the body. Humans have 206 bones and they are less flexible as compared to snakes which have 400-600 bones. Bones don’t make you flexible, it’s their arrangement which does all the magic!

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