Do Snakes Have Bones

Tallahassee snake

Snakes’ flexibility makes you wonder a lot about them – biggest is whether they have bones. Snakes can squeeze into areas and will slither all around, looking like an animal with no bones at all. There is also their unique body shape. It is not something you see often with other animals, and you may not know much about how they work or whether they have bones because of their body. Luckily, there is a lot known about snakes and their bodies. It is not some big mystery and anyone can understand more about them, their makeup, and the basic biology of snakes.

Snake Bones
Snakes do, in fact, have bones. They have hundreds of them, with the exact number depending on the type of snake. Every snake has a skull, jaw, vertebrate, and ribs. The structure of the snake and their bones is unique to them, yes. They still have bones, though, even if their bodies look different from most other animals. You can see this in skeletons of snakes online or in museums. There are skeletons of snakes of all sizes, including massive snakes that are the size of multiple adults. All the bones work in the same way they would on any other animal. There is nothing terribly different, though some functions of the snake are not on most other animals. The way their jaws detach, as an example, is not something you are going to find commonly.

Oddities of the Snake
The reason some people believe that snakes have no bones is the snake’s slithering, ability to unhinge its jaw, and ability to squeeze into tight spaces. These make for an animal that seemingly has no bones. It does, but it is easy to see why it would trick people. Snakes set themselves apart in a lot of ways. Having a body that is almost entirely vertebrate and ribs is a major part of that. Their bodies are tubes, with some being bigger than others are. They slither and move fluidly, and they can open their mouth much wider than their bodies. With the ability to eat animals far larger than them, all of this makes them look boneless.

Of course, snakes do have bones. While they may appear to have none, at least to some, they have an entire skeleton in there. It is a strange and unique body, with capabilities beyond most other animals, but it does have bones.

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