06/07/2023
Wye aren’t snakes slimy?🐍
There’s a misconception that snakes are slimy, but in reality they are quite dry and smooth! So where did this misconception come from, and why isn’t it true? Reptiles look wet and shiny but are actually dry. The shine in snakes is from the way that their scales are keeled. The smooth scales reflect the light to look very wet, but this is just an optical illusion.
Reptiles are covered in scales which don’t produce oil, and they also don’t have sweat glands. This means there are no natural processes to produce ‘slime’. Snakes’ scales are heavily keratinized making them tough. Keratin is the same protein that makes up your fingernails and hair. Due to the fact that snakes are so dry, their skin isn’t able to support very much germ life. This means that snakes are very clean as well, even relative to humans.
We hope you learned ssssssssssomething cool! 🐍🐍
