Their skin is unusually elastic, which allows it to stretch when large prey items are swallowed. Snakes are rather unique because of these features and because they lack moveable eyelids and external ear openings. Snakes may be only a few inches to several yards long. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. No native snakes are found on the islands of Hawaii, Iceland, New Zealand and Ireland.
Some snakes are rare, endangered and protected by law.
These snakes may only be kept by zoos and legitimate herpetologists with the appropriate permits. This is also the case with venomous snakes, which should not, under any circumstances, be kept by the average hobbyist. The husbandry and dietary requirements for these types of snakes vary considerably. If you intend to enjoy your snake primarily by observing it within its enclosure and rarely by handling it, this becomes a less important consideration. If you intend to regularly handle the snake, however, you must be able to do so with minimal stress and injury to both the snake and yourself.