Snakes

We recently learned about snakes in school. I always thought it'd be a good idea, since we live in the desert and all, but the perfect opportunity presented itself when a friend invited my kids and me to watch her feed her 2 corn snakes. This is the female, warming under the heater in her tank, even though it was 90+ degrees outside. But of course, snakes are coldblooded......

Here is the male.

This was the lunch. Yum.

I tried to get a picture of the snake receiving the mouse, but she snatched it so quickly that I missed it.

She slowly unhooks her jaws, to fit her meal inside her mouth.

It took about five minutes for her to work it into the whole of her mouth,

but it will take her body about 10 days to digest the mouse.

The male wasn't fed yet, so we could hold him.

Blake thought it was cool (both figuratively and literately)

Grant was a little unsure.....

and Felicity thought it was neat

Of course, because this was a lesson for school, both Felicity and Blake had to pick a snake, make a habitat for it, (depending on where it lives), make the snake and paint them.

This one is Felicity's garter snake living in the desert.

Jani, my friend with the snakes, taught my kids a cute phrase to remind one of the more dangerous snakes, and my kids kept quoting it while painting their snakes. It goes  "Red on black, scratch it's back; Red on yellow, kill a fellow" I'll never forget how to identify a poisonous snake by it's colors again!

Grant's snake. As you can see, Felicity painted the eyes.....

Blake picked a Boa Constrictor, and it lives in the Rain Forest.

All in all, my kids learned a lot! They especially learned that not all snakes are bad, some are useful even! They kill rodents, and I think we can all agree that that is a good reason for a snake to be around!