What makes a snake an Elapid?
Elapid, any of about 300 venomous species of the snake family Elapidae, characterized by short fangs fixed in the front of the upper jaw. Terrestrial elapids generally resemble the more abundant colubrids, whereas aquatic elapids may possess paddle-shaped tails and other structures adapted to marine environments.
What is an Elapid snake What is a viper snake?
The two major families of venomous snakes are Elapidae, or the elapid snakes, and Viperidae, the vipers and pitvipers. The snakes in these families are similar in that they have fangs in the front of the mouth. Vipers have long fangs that are hinged and fold back into the mouth.
Is a rattlesnake an Elapid?
Elapid snakes—including coral snakes, cobras, mambas, sea snakes, and kraits—have primarily neurotoxic venom. In contrast, vipers—including rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths—have primarily hemotoxic venom. For example, some elapid snakes have hemotoxins as components of their venom.
Are elapid snakes poisonous?
Elapidae (/ɪˈlæpɪdiː/, commonly known as elapids /ˈɛləpɪdz/; Ancient Greek: ἔλλοψ éllops “sea-fish”) is a family of venomous snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. The family includes 55 genera with some 360 species and over 170 subspecies.
How does an elapid snake protect its prey?
Elapid snakes bite to subdue their prey, and when attempting to protect themselves from their own predators. Three species of elapid snakes have the ability to deliver their venom through the air, by “ spitting ” rather accurately towards the eyes of a predator, in some species to a distance of up to 9.8 ft (3 m).
How many species of elapid snakes are there?
Species of elapid snakes. Elapid snakes and humans. Resources. Elapid snakes are extremely venomous snakes such as cobras, mambas, kraits, tiger snakes, and coral snakes in the family Elapidae. This family, which includes about 300 species, is usually divided into two subfamilies—the Elapinae and the Hydrophiinae.
What kind of animals are in the Elapidae family?
Some scientists split this family into two: the Elapidae encompassing all of the land-living species and a second family, known as the Hydrophiidae, containing the snakes that live in water. Elapids eat small mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, and fishes.
What kind of food does a sea snake eat?
The favorite food of the southern African Rinkhal’s cobra, for instance, is toads. Sea snakes find their meals in the coral reefs where most of them live, and they eat mainly fishes, eels, or squids.
Elapid snakes bite to subdue their prey, and when attempting to protect themselves from their own predators. Three species of elapid snakes have the ability to deliver their venom through the air, by “ spitting ” rather accurately towards the eyes of a predator, in some species to a distance of up to 9.8 ft (3 m).
Species of elapid snakes. Elapid snakes and humans. Resources. Elapid snakes are extremely venomous snakes such as cobras, mambas, kraits, tiger snakes, and coral snakes in the family Elapidae. This family, which includes about 300 species, is usually divided into two subfamilies—the Elapinae and the Hydrophiinae.
Some scientists split this family into two: the Elapidae encompassing all of the land-living species and a second family, known as the Hydrophiidae, containing the snakes that live in water. Elapids eat small mammals, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, and fishes.
The favorite food of the southern African Rinkhal’s cobra, for instance, is toads. Sea snakes find their meals in the coral reefs where most of them live, and they eat mainly fishes, eels, or squids.
