# Do snakes have spines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739 "2015-09-27T19:16:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/1 "2015-09-27T19:16:55Z")
Hello Everyone, Walking my property a few days ago I ran across a decent sized water moccasin. Being the friendly type gut that I am I introduced it to my Mossberg 500 20ga. and some birdshot. The shot got it just behind the head and tore about 3 inches of flesh from him, essentially decapitating it. Wierd thing is it’s body and head remained connected with what looked like a spine. I didn’t know things that slithered had spines. ---
**Author:** ![marking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@marking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marking)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/2 "2015-09-27T19:26:15Z")
Snakes are nothing but spine (and ribs) from head to tail. I don’t know how to link a google image search, but it would prove my point, handily. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/3 "2015-09-27T19:27:53Z")
Snakes are reptiles, and all reptiles have spines. Slow worms (which are a kind of legless lizard) also slither and have spines. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/4 "2015-09-27T19:30:07Z")
> [@marking](#): > > Snakes are nothing but spine (and ribs) from head to tail. > I don’t know how to link a google image search, but it would prove my point, handily. [Photo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_skeleton#/media/File:Snake_skeleton.jpg), from Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/5 "2015-09-27T19:42:42Z")
That mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds are all vertebrates is taught in junior high biology, I should think. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/6 "2015-09-27T19:57:50Z")
Yes, yes they do. They only bend at the joints, but they do have vertebrae and ribs. ---
**Author:** ![marking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@marking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marking)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/7 "2015-09-27T20:09:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [Photo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_skeleton#/media/File:Snake_skeleton.jpg), from Wikipedia. Now that’s wot i’m talkin’ 'bout !!! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/8 "2015-09-27T20:19:24Z")
You didn’t see spines in those [rattlesnakes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654821) you dispatched? (And, if your snake identification skills haven’t improved, you probably killed. . . something else.) ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/9 "2015-09-27T20:34:40Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > You didn’t see spines in those [rattlesnakes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654821) you dispatched? (And, if your snake identification skills haven’t improved, you probably killed. . . something else.) Definitively moccasin. I’ve got a few good pictures of it, I’ll link to layer when I have time. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/10 "2015-09-28T14:58:42Z")
Yes, snakes have spines. Why would you think they don’t? Because they bend so much? That just means a lot more joints. And perhaps a bit different assembly for more flexibility. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/11 "2015-09-28T15:46:59Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > Snakes are reptiles, and all reptiles have spines. > > Slow worms (which are a kind of legless lizard) also slither and have spines. In fact, all vertebrates (which include reptiles, mammals, birds, and fish) have spines, by definition. This is in contrast to _in_vertebrates, such as insects, arachnids, and crustaceans, which do not. Both vertebrates and invertebrates are considered animals. Non-animals, such as bacteria and fungi, also lack spines. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/12 "2015-09-28T16:06:59Z")
Here’s a couple of pictures of said moccasin. I’m positive my id is correct. Either way, I don’t like snakes so no bad feelings on my part. WARNING, dead snake photos. [https://db.tt/onplehkV](https://db.tt/onplehkV) [https://db.tt/2cMbV5Ca](https://db.tt/2cMbV5Ca) ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/13 "2015-09-28T16:17:52Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > Here’s a couple of pictures of said moccasin. I’m positive my id is correct. Either way, I don’t like snakes so no bad feelings on my part. Since you are unfeeling toward snakes, I will have your feelings for you. I feel bad that you needlessly killed that animal. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/14 "2015-09-28T16:32:17Z")
Well, you got the ID right this time. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/15 "2015-09-28T16:54:10Z")
**obbn** , just curious, do you live along the Gulf Coast or Mississippi River Valley? **Crotalus** , [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus) Wiki map shows the Cottonmouth geographic range as extending south only to Central Texas and staying north of the Rio Grande and Mexico. That surprises me as I figured South Texas coastal rivers including the Rio Grande and then into Mexico would be prime habitat for them. Do you think the southern drier terrain is a natural barrier limiting them or is it something else? ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/16 "2015-09-28T17:08:52Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > **obbn** , just curious, do you live along the Gulf Coast or Mississippi River Valley? > > **Crotalus** , [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus) Wiki map shows the Cottonmouth geographic range as extending south only to Central Texas and staying north of the Rio Grande and Mexico. That surprises me as I figured South Texas coastal rivers including the Rio Grande and then into Mexico would be prime habitat for them. Do you think the southern drier terrain is a natural barrier limiting them or is it something else? I live in Central, Florida. We live in what’s called the Green Swamp area. Los of wildlife and lots of snakes. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/17 "2015-09-28T17:12:34Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Since you are unfeeling toward snakes, I will have your feelings for you. I feel bad that you needlessly killed that animal. FWIW, I didn’t particularly find any joy in shooting that snake. But, the fact is it’s a venomous snake that was on our property. We have the kids and dogs and cats. Not to mention two horses and a donkey. That snake was a danger to all of us, so it had to go. Had it not been venomous I would have gladly let it go on it’s way. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/18 "2015-09-28T17:25:04Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > **obbn** , just curious, do you live along the Gulf Coast or Mississippi River Valley? > > **Crotalus** , [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus) Wiki map shows the Cottonmouth geographic range as extending south only to Central Texas and staying north of the Rio Grande and Mexico. That surprises me as I figured South Texas coastal rivers including the Rio Grande and then into Mexico would be prime habitat for them. Do you think the southern drier terrain is a natural barrier limiting them or is it something else? **lieu** - The present-day ranges of species are influenced by a lot of factors, some of which go back to the ice ages and beyond. The dry terrain you mention would certainly be a factor for cottonmouths, which eat fish and frogs and prefer to be near water.The northern edge of their range along the Atlantic coast is in southeast Virginia. There are swamps north of there in Virginia and Maryland that look like ideal habitat and which have the same climate but contain no cottonmouths. In Mexico, there is a snake of the same genus called the [cantil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_bilineatus) which is sort of the mexican moccasin. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/19 "2015-09-28T17:27:54Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > FWIW, I didn’t particularly find any joy in shooting that snake. But, the fact is it’s a venomous snake that was on our property. We have the kids and dogs and cats. Not to mention two horses and a donkey. That snake was a danger to all of us, so it had to go. Had it not been venomous I would have gladly let it go on it’s way. **obbn** - I like snakes, and especially poisonous snakes, more than most people, but if I had young kids at home and found a moccasin or rattlesnake on my land I would probaly bust out the scattergun myself. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739/20 "2015-09-28T17:51:09Z")
_“This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2007).”_ I’d never heard of the **cantil** before. Good to know! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snakes-have-spines/732739.md?page=2)