Understand once and for all the difference between a snake and a serpent. The suggestion is that it has nothing to do with the production of venom: snake is a broader term
Have you ever stopped to think about the difference between a serpent and a serpent? Many people believe it is just a synonym. Although these terms have a direct relationship, in fact, they do not have exactly the same meaning, and can be used with different intentions.
- What is the difference between toad, tree frog and frog?
- What is the difference between snail, slug and slug?
What is a snake
The term “snake” is used more technically and comprehensively, with the purpose of describing all members of a suborder. The suborder Serpentes belongs to the order Squamata, which includes all scaly reptiles, including snakes and lizards. In other words: this is a large group of animals, and the snake is just one member of this group.
A snake is characterized by having an elongated body without limbs. Within this suborder there are many different families and species, which can be found in different types of environments, both aquatic and terrestrial, buried in the ground or even in trees.
Members of the Serpent suborder
The suborder includes the families:
- Elapidae, which includes sea snakes and mantle snakes (najas);
- Viperidae, which includes vipers;
- Boidain the family to which boas belong;
- Colubridae, the large family of real snakes, which we will talk about later.
So, to adapt the term “snake”, it must be a reptile without legs for walking, equipped with scales and some specific abilities, such as that of dilating the stomach.
What is a snake
While snakes represent a broader term, cobras are a family within the suborder of snakes called Colubrids. In other words, all snake species are also snakes.
It is worth remembering that in most contexts the two terms are interchangeable, that is, they can function as synonyms – in fact in the Portuguese language dictionary they are indicated as such. But, scientifically speaking, there are taxonomic differences between them.

Taxonomy is the branch of biology that classifies animals into kingdoms, phyla, class, order, family, genus and species. |
What happens is that the family Colubrids It is the largest subgroup of all snakes, which ends up confusing the terms and making people believe they are the same thing. To give you an idea, there are around 1800 species of snakes! Most of them have no venom, and the few venomous species do not have an effective device to inject the substance when they bite.
Some examples of known snakes are:
- Caninana (Spilotes pullatus);
- water snakes (Helicops modestus and Liophis miliaris);
- Pantanal Surucucu (Hydrodynastes gigas);
- vine snake (Chironius exoletus).
Are snakes poisonous and snakes are not?
A very common mistake is to believe that the distinction between snake and cobra comes from venom. Many believe that the the snake is capable of producing venom and the snake does not. However, the distinction in terms of poison is not precise.
This confusion occurs because most venomous snake species belong to this family Elapiswhile many snakes in the family Colubrids they are not poisonous. But it would be a mistake to say that this is a rule. While they don’t have an injection device as effective as snakes, there are many of them venomous snake species.Which
So one trick to telling the difference between a snake and a snake is this: every snake is a snake, but a snake isn’t necessarily a snake (even though, in most cases, it is).
Have you seen? Now you know the technical difference between the terms! To recap: snakes are a suborder of the order Squamata, and snakes are a family within the snake suborder! Every snake is a snake, but the opposite is not true.
Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Nature
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Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.