Snake
A snake is a carnivorous reptile that slithers along the ground, due to a profound lack of visible legs. Nonetheless, biologists classify them as four-legged animals tetrapods (because they are descended from four-legged animals; in fact, boas and pythons have not only vestigial pelvic girdles, but a vestigial claw on either side of their body near the cloaca). Some species of snakes have a venomous bite, while others (constrictors) kill their prey by squeezing them tightly enough that they are unable to inhale.
Snakes loom large in various mythologies and folk beliefs as something bad. Besides being obviously phallic,[1] they are thought to be tricky and sly and lead people into misfortune. And never listen to a talking snake.
[edit] Possibly true story (not!)
When God created all the animals and placed them in the Garden of Eden, He told them to be fruitful and multiply. All the creatures did obey Him except for one. God entered the Garden of Eden to confront this recalcitrant creature and demand to know why it hadn't obeyed His command. The snake answered, "well big G, see, it's like this. We tried to multiply. We really, really tried. But we can't. You see, we're adders." So God grumbled, went off, and fetched some pieces of wood taken directly from trees, with the bark on and everything. He cobbled together a table from them, picked up the snakes, and set them on top of it, saying "Here. Even adders can multiply on a log table!"
[edit] See also
- Ireland -- which has no snakes, allegedly due to the actions of a saint.
- Serpent seed doctrine
- Snake handling
- Snake oil
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Because, as everyone knows, the male genitalia are approximately eighteen inches long, muscular, sinuous, and carnivorous.