Snakes – either love them or hate them – are carnivorous reptiles, elongate and legless. Covered in overlapping scales, which contrary to popular belief are not slimy, snakes consist of many different species. They have skulls with many joints, which allow them to swallow their prey (often much larger than their heads) with highly mobile jaws. Snakes are found on every continent across the world, except Antartica, Ireland and New Zealand, and there are around 3500 species. Many of the deadlier species have venom poisonous to kill humans, or at least cause a painful injury.