Harvard Museum of Natural History

What Makes a Snake a Snake?

Do you remember which animals were snakes and which were fakes? Test your knowledge in the Escape Room! Answer questions to reveal letters. Then, unscramble the letters to solve the exit code.

Want to learn more about these animals? Check out the 

Snake or Fake Escape Room

Consider the features you learned about in the video. What features can you use to help you identify snakes? Click on each star to learn more about these features and snake morphology.

Snake Morphology

Snake or Fake? Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning

Conclusion

Welcome to the Harvard Museum of Natural History

Here are images of the six specimens you will study.

To learn more about each specimen, explore its MCZ database entry by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page under 

MCZ Specimens

Getting to Know Some Herps

In the upcoming activity, you will use the MCZ database to investigate six museum specimens. You will make observations of each specimen. Record your findings on the 

 (provided by your teacher or available as a pdf at the bottom of this page

).  Do the morphological characteristics suggest your specimen is a snake or a fake? Use the last column on the chart to make your determination. 

How to Use the MCZ Database

It's easy to identify a snake, right? They are long, skinny, and have no legs. But it turns out it's not as simple as that! There are many other animals that are also long, skinny, and legless. 

Using the collections database of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, explore museum research specimens and discover which animals are snakes and which are fakes. Along the way, meet Harvard scientists and learn how museum collections continue to be used in new ways.

Copy of Herps Comparison Chart with traits.pdf

Snake or Fake? - Using Natural History Collections to Understand Evolution

Life Science

Science

Careers

Careers in Museums

Specimen 1 (Herpetology R-176877 Thamnophis sirtalis)

Specimen 2 (Herpetology R-45784 Amphisbaena fuliginosa)

Specimen 3 (Herpetology A-19972 Chthonerpeton perisodus)

Specimen 4 (Herpetology R-166600 Lampropeltis triangulum)

Specimen 5 (Herpetology R-175743 Ophisaurus attenuatus)

Specimen 6 (Herpetology R-145394 Bipes biporus)

Click on the link for Specimen 1 at the bottom of the page under Additional Resources to learn more about specimen R-176877.

Make observations about the specimen. Remember to check the Media section to see images. 

Record your findings on the Herps Comparison Chart. 

Do the morphological characteristics suggest your specimen is a snake or a fake? 

Harvard MCZ database entry for specimen MCZ Herpetology R-176877

Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.png

Thamnophis sirtalis body.jpg

Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

Click on the link for Specimen 2 at the bottom of the page under Additional Resources to learn more about specimen R-45784.

Harvard MCZ database entry for specimen MCZ Herpetology R-45784

Amphisbaena fuliginosa bassleri.png

Amphisbaena fuliginosa bassleri body.jpg

Amphisbaena fuliginosa bassleri

Click on the link for Specimen 3 at the bottom of the page under Additional Resources to learn more about specimen A-19972.

Harvard MCZ database entry for specimen MCZ Herpetology A-19972

Chthonerpeton perisodus.png

Chthonerpeton perisodus body.jpg

Chthonerpeton perisodus

Click on the link for Specimen 4 at the bottom of the page under Additional Resources to learn more about specimen R-166600.

Harvard MCZ database entry for MCZ Herpetology R-166600

Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum.png

Snake.jpg

Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum

Click on the link for Specimen 5 at the bottom of the page under Additional Resources to learn more about specimen R-175743

Harvard MCZ database entry for specimen MCZ Herpetology R-175743

Ophisaurus attenuatus .png

Ophisaurus attenuatus body.jpg

Ophisaurus attenuatus

Click on the link for Specimen 6 at the bottom of the page under Additional Resources to learn more about specimen R-145394.

Harvard MCZ database entry for specimen MCZ Herpetology R-145394

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Snake or Fake? - Using Natural History Collections to Understand Evolution

MCZ Specimens

Guiding Question

Specimen 1 - Herpetology R-176877 Thamnophis sirtalis