49 Snake Quotes Exploring The World of These Limbless Reptiles
Over 3,000 snake species exist everywhere except New Zealand, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland, and Antarctica. As several snake quotes talk about, people attach negative connotations to these slippery limbless reptiles due to their dangerous nature - probably because their bites kill between 81,000 to 138,000 a year, and thousands more get permanent disabilities.
However, in actuality, they have diverse backgrounds across cultures. For example, two snakes coiled around a winged staff have been a symbol of medicine. Another is their representation of rebirth and eternity due to the shedding of their skin.
Run through our curated list of snake quotes to uncover the mysteries and beliefs attached to these reptilians, or read our complete rundown of all the snake facts you ever wanted to know.
Quick links to our selection of snake quotes:
Best Snake Quotes
Snakes may lack limbs, external ears, eyelids, and a lung to complete a pair, but this makes them distinctive. In addition, they compensate for lacking these features with another unique quality. Compared to our spine, which only has 33 stacked vertebrae, snakes have a whopping 100-450 vertebrae.
Discover more about serpents' anatomy after you read our best snake quotes that sum up society's perception of them.
Quotes About Snakes Slithering In Nature
Scientists hypothesize that snakes first appeared 128.5 million years ago. Fossil evidence suggests they descended from lizards. Researchers theorized they evolved from either burrowing terrestrial lizards or aquatic lizards. A study in 2015 concluded snakes are likelier to have originated on land1.
Evolution is a curious thing that makes our planet complex and beautiful. Track the ancestry of other animals after you read the following snake quotes about their slippery and slimy nature in the wild.
Read more: Types of Snakes.
More Quotes To Remind You To Be Careful Of Snake Bites
Aside from strangulation, snakes are dangerous because of their bites. The most venomous snake in the world is the Inland Taipan, which resides in South Australia; its venom can attack the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
King Cobras is another famous snake to be wary of due to their impressive hunting and defense mechanisms2. And also Black Mamba with their fast-acting venom.
Read the following quotes about snakebites' dangers and how we should treat these animals kindly.
Metaphorical Quotes About Snakes You Can Use Every Day
To eat their prey, snakes devour them whole. In 2018, Floridians saw a Burmese python swallowing a young deer. This shocking sight is possible due to their jaw anatomy. Snakes can unhinge their jaw with the help of the surrounding ligaments. Unlike us, who can only open our mouths to 26 degrees, snakes can extend their jaws to an incredible 160 degrees.
Swallow these metaphorical quotes about out slithering friends you can use daily in your conversations.
Snake Quotes About Lies And Betrayals
Snakes in many cultures and literature have become synonymous with lies and betrayals. This averse definition likely stems from their hunting tactics. Snakes are ambush predators that stalk and give their victims slow, agonizing death. Thanks to Jacobson's Organ, they can "smell" their surroundings through their tongues. In addition, some snakes have pit organs that allow them to detect infrared waves from their warm-bodied prey, making them effective hunters at night.
Continue to respect these legless carnivorous reptiles while remaining cautious as you read the following snake quotes.
Were you always such a snake… or did you grow into what you are?
~ Dean Koontz
“A relationship is like being in a forest, where snakes lurk awaiting the chance to entice.”
~Anthony Liccione
Noteworthy Snake Quotes From Various Authors And Poets
The recurrence of snake symbolism is evident in literature dating back to ancient times. Satan famously disguised himself as a snake in the bible. In Hindu mythology, snakes represent freedom since people cannot tame them. Also, Eastern Asian mythology links snakes to lucky fortunes and dragons, which they treat with high regard.
Check out these interesting snake quotes from the arts and literature.
Philosophical Snake Quotes To Think About
Snakes, in general, are not extinct. However, human activities- habitat loss, climate change, snake disease, and human persecution- still threaten their population. As of the time of writing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List lists 88 critically endangered and 186 endangered snakes.
After reading the rest of the snake quotes, let us recognize their purpose in our natural ecosystems and respect their existence no matter what beliefs are attached to them.
"We instinctively fear snakes, but we appear not to be afraid of fast cars, which are a real danger now. This suggests our emotions were shaped by our evolutionary environment not the one we grew up in."
~ Steven Pinker
If a rich man ate a snake, they would say it was because of his wisdom; if a poor man ate it, they would say it was because of his stupidity.
~ Saudi Arabian proverb
When the snake decided to go straight, he didn't get anywhere.
~ William Stafford
1 | Hsiang, A.Y., Field, D.J., Webster, T.H. et al. The origin of snakes: revealing the ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history of early snakes using genomics, phenomics, and the fossil record. BMC Evol Biol 15, 87 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-015-0358-5 |
2 | Versluis, M., Schmitz, B., Von Der Heydt, A., & Lohse, D. (2000). How Snapping Shrimp Snap: Through Cavitating Bubbles. Science, 289(5487), 2114–2117. |
Isabela is a determined millennial passionate about continuously seeking out ways to make an impact. With a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors, Isabela’s research expertise and interest in artistic works, coupled with a creative mindset, offers readers a fresh take on different environmental, social, and personal development topics.