Alchemy blogs: Stupendous Serpents!

Snakes are one the weirdest creatures that live on this earth - feared in some cultures and revered in others, these slithering serpents are phenomenal beings that inspire fascination as well as dread. Enthusiasts keep them as pets while some countries experience them as deadly pests. From harmless grass snakes to crushing pythons, you can also find the most astonishing ones from around the globe that look as if they have come straight from Grimm's fairytales! Let's take a look:

Tentacled Snake

Firstly, the Tentacled snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) is an extremely strange serpent that seems like a peculiar hybrid! This snake has two tentacle-like appendages on it's head that aid it when hunting it's prey as well as servicing as an element of disguise. As an aquatic snake, the tentacles serve to mimic water plants and foliage and they can even develop a fuzz of algae on their skin to add to the camouflage so that unsuspecting fish will enter their space. But this snake doesn't just use it's unusual attributes for hiding, the "feelers" are also excellent sensors for detecting prey especially in low-visibility so that they can deploy a signature move with flex-like agility to capture their dinner. This skill involves bending itself into an arc like a stretchy boomerang around the back of their prey as they attempt to flee, and thus confuse fish into their open jaws - this all happens within 30 milliseconds! Not only that, but this snake also has a venom which excretes from it's grooved teeth to disarm fast-swimming prey. A creature of many talents!

Malagasy Leaf-nosed snake

Another curious-looking snake is the Malagasy Leaf-nosed snake which has an additional pointy or leaf-like nose which it uses within it's tree environment. The creature will use this unusual trait to blend into the natural foliage as a clever way to avoid predators or lay in wait for prey. This animal is particularly long (up 1.20 m long) and slender so that it is easily mistaken for a branch and it has even adapted to swaying with a tree if it is rocked by the wind! It will wait until it's prey is only centimetres away before attacking, therefore keeping up it's ingenious illusion. It is still not fully understood what the full properties and purposes are of this extra leafy appendage, but it definitely seems to work to the snake's advantage and serves as an excellent , if slightly creepy, pretense. A true master of disguise.

Brazilian Rainbow Boa

As well as odd physical characteristics, there are also some really stunning snakes that have almost magical qualities! The aptly named Brazilian Rainbow Boa is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful snakes around the world. Blessed with an iridescent quality, much like an oil-spill, this creature shimmers due to the incredible quality of it's scales that create tiny prisms which refract light! As well as the living-rainbow glimmer, it also has exquisite markings and a deep rich colour - this can vary from reddish browns to oranges. A mesmerising serpent that you could almost imagine appearing as a witches' familiar!

Desert Horned Viper

The Desert Horned Viper looks like it could be a demon in disguise - the horns and a sinister countenance give it a very uncanny appearence. The horns themselves are actually upturned scales and these serve to protect their eyes from sand in their natural desert habitat. They are quite short snakes (average 30cm-60cm) and are light-bright, yellow or sand which ensures they blend spectacularly into their environment. Typically they submerge themselves in the sand to hide from predators but also to ambush their prey! This horned serpent is also one of the snakes that rattles when threatened by rubbing together their serrated scales so you may even hear them before you see them. If that wasn't enough, they are considered very poisonous with their venom causing blood clotting, however this is only deadly to humans in rare cases - phew!

Spider-tailed Viper

Now we come to a snake with a truly freaky feature - the Spider-tailed Viper. If snakes weren't already scary enough, this creature possesses an extraordinary tail accessory that looks like a spider! This snake flicks it tail around to mimic a scurrying arachnid and therefore catch the attention of birds and draw in it's prey. This species was only discovered as recently as 2003 - many scientists before were unable to confirm it was actually a species of it's own and not just a tail deformity. Found in western Iran and Iraq, these snakes also have colours that perfectly match their rocky habitats so they can truly deceive and create this terrifying (and tempting) facade. This performance has got to be one of the most remarkable of snake tactics and definitely makes it one of the most exceptional serpents.

And just for fun...the Two-headed snake!

Is this even real? The answer is ...yes! However, this isn't some new abnormal species, this is actually a genetic mutation that on rare occasion occurs in reptiles and animals. This anomaly is known as bicephaly which is an unusual condition that happens during reproduction, but it is more likely to happen to creatures who gestate within an egg as they are more vulnerable to environmental exposures. That being said, it only occurs in 1 of every 100,000! So it has to be the weirdest and rarest serpent of all!

If you didn't already have a love for snakes before, perhaps now you have a new found respect for them. At the very least you can appreciate them for what amazing creatures they truly are! And Alchemy captures their otherworldly beauty and ferocious nature in their designs:

https://www.alchemyengland.com/pendants/1982-behemoth-opvs-contra-natvram.html