In many cultures, snakes have been symbols of evil, from the Biblical serpent in the Garden of Eden to the snake demons of Indian mythology. To the ancient Egyptians the emblem of judgment and death was a snake. Snakes are found in most habitats worldwide except in extreme northern and southern regions. Snakes come in multitudes of sizes and colors with as many varied lifestyles, from deadly King cobras whose bite can kill a human in 15 minutes, to the world's tiniest West Indies thread snakes, about the size of a pencil lead.
Snakes are reptiles, the group of animals that also includes crocodiles, lizards, and turtles.
The now-legless snakes evolved millions of years ago from prehistoric lizards that lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. The Indian python is a highly arboreal snake, once fairly common throughout the jungles of India, Sri Lanka, and the East Indies. Like the boas and anacondas of the Americas, the python is a constrictor, a snake that kills its prey by squeezing. Pythons drape across tree branches, camouflaged by their light and dark patterned skin, waiting to ambush their next meal. They grab their prey with a quick lashing out of the head, then wrap themselves around the prey so it cannot breathe.