Spanish Word of the Day: Serpiente (snake)

The Spanish word serpiente derives from the Latin word serpent and is taken from the verb serpere, which means to drag oneself. This name is quite fitting, as snakes drag their bodies along the ground.

The word serpiente is a feminine noun and it takes the following definite and indefinite articles.

• la serpiente = the snake
• las serpientes = the snakes 
• una serpiente = a snake
• unas serpientes = some snakes 

Serpientes are reptiles, which include animals such as lagartos, (lizards), cocodrilos (crocodiles), and tortugas (turtles). 

They are animales de sangre fría (cold-blooded animals), meaning they must rely on external factors for heat sources to regulate their body temperatura (temperature).

The main parts of a serpiente include the cuerpo (body), ojos (eyes), and lengua (tongue). They use their forked-shaped lengua to smell the air. Since they don’t have legs, they move their body by deslizándose (slithering). Their body is covered in escamas (scales).

Fun Facts:

Snakes can’t masticar (chew). They don’t have the dentition or muscle power to chew their prey.

Snakes also don’t have external ears but sense vibraciones (vibrations) through the ground. 

Serpientes mudan su piel (molt or shed their skin). They do this to allow themselves to grow and to remove parásitos (parasites). 

They are fascinating creatures that thrive in various environments, or medios ambientes. They can be found worldwide living in places such as desiertos (deserts), bosques (forests), pantanos (swamps), and even water. However, they won’t be found in icy places like Antarctica or Iceland. 

Serpientes are carnívoros (carnivorous) animals. Their diet mainly includes pájaros (birds), insectos (insects), mamíferos pequeños (small mammals), and other reptiles (reptiles). What’s interesting about serpientes is the way they eat. Despite having colmillos (fangs), they swallow their prey whole. They can do this because their mandíbulas (jaws) are flexible and can stretch wide open.

When catching their prey, serpientes either use veneno (venom) or constricción (constriction). 

Below are some well-known serpientes with venom: 

• víbora de cascabel = rattlesnake
• cobra real = king cobra
• víbora de gabón = gabon viper
• serpiente de coral = coral snake
• mamba negra = black mamba
• taipán = taipan
• serpientes marinas = serpientes marinas

Serpientes that use constriction include the following: 

• boa constrictor = boa constrictor
• anaconda = anaconda
• pitón = python

Fun Facts:

The smallest snake in the world is the serpiente de hilo de Barbados (Barbados thread snake). It measures 10.4 cm long.

The most venomous snake on Earth is the taipán (taipan). One dose of veneno (venom) from a bite can kill 100 adult men.

Although people are scared of serpientes, they are good for the ecosistema (ecosystem) because they help control the población de plagas (pest population) by eating rodents and insects. 

Below are some words taken from serpiente and their meanings: 

• serpentear = meander (to move in curves and turns like a snake)
• serpentín = coil (spirally wound tool)
• serpentario = serpentarium (a place where snakes are kept/looked after)
• serpentino/a = serpentine (adjective for something that has a snake shape/or someone that acts like a snake)

In Spanish, snakes aren’t just called serpientes. They have various names, and depending on the region, one name may be more commonly used than another. Here are some other names for a serpiente:

• culebra = usually non-venomous snakes
• víbora = venomous snakes 
• ofidio = scientific name (in English, it’s Ophidia)

Spanish idiomatic expressions featuring ‘serpiente‘

Since snakes are often perceived as cunning or symbols of danger and betrayal, many idioms and colloquial terms involving serpientes reflect these traits. Here are a few: