How Snakes Move and Live
How can a snake move with no legs? Its long body can bend from side to side.
Strong muscles help the snake push against the ground. Watch from far away, and you may see it glide over dirt and grass.
A snake’s skin is covered with scales. These small, flat shapes help protect its body. Scales on its belly help it grip the ground as it moves.
As a snake grows, it sheds, or slips out of, its old outer layer of skin. Fresh skin is underneath.
Snakes live in many kinds of places. Some live in forests or fields. Others live in dry deserts or near water.
A snake needs a place to hide and rest. It may find shelter under a log or in a hole. The kind of shelter it uses depends on where it lives.
A snake also needs food. Some snakes eat mice. Others eat fish, frogs, or insects. The food a snake eats depends on the kind of snake it is and where it lives.
July 16 is World Snake Day. It is a day to notice these animals and the places they live.
If you see a wild snake, stay back and give it room. Never touch or pick up a wild snake. You can watch it safely from a distance.
- muscles:
- Body parts that help an animal move.
- grip:
- To hold on firmly.
- forests:
- Places where many trees grow.
- deserts:
- Very dry places where little rain falls.
- distance:
- The space between two things.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is this passage mostly about?
- 2How do a snake’s muscles help it move?
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About this explanatory article passage for Lower Elementary
“How Snakes Move and Live” is a explanatory article reading passage about Snake adaptations and habitats, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (218 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.