Editing 1398: Snake Facts

{{comic
| number    = 1398
| date      = July 23, 2014
| title     = Snake Facts
| image     = snake facts.png
| titletext = Biologically speaking, what we call a 'snake' is actually a human digestive tract which has escaped from its host.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the first comic using [[:Category:Facts|Facts]] in the title, but only the second to use a fact that is not a [[:Category:Fun fact|Fun fact]].

The comic lists a few ''{{w|Lie|factoids}}'' about snakes, ranging from the mildly informative to the strictly {{w|tongue-in-cheek}}.

The first factoid references the hypothesis that {{w|snake venom}} {{w|Evolution of snake venom|was an evolutionary development of}} {{w|saliva}} that, over time, gradually became more toxic as snakes with saliva that was able to assist in subduing their prey possessed an evolutionary advantage. It then posits that the evolutionary branch that developed into venomous snakes began with a snake whose mutation gave him a mouth that was 'slightly more gross than usual', probably in reference to {{w|bad breath}}.

Additionally, the comic illustration accompanying the second factoid colors in a '{{w|habitat}} range' on a map of South America that is snake-shaped, implying that when it states 'The longest snake is found in {{w|Brazil}}, {{w|Peru}}, and {{w|Chile}}' that this snake is so long that it literally stretches from Brazil, across part of Peru, into Chile, and that the 'habitat' shaded on the map is, in fact, this mammoth snake's {{w|silhouette}}. The age, length and location of the snake are so exaggerated that they are obviously untrue, but may be a reference to the {{w|green anaconda}}, one of the world's largest snakes, which inhabits this region.

The final factoid is entirely tongue-in-cheek. Many factoids come in the form "If you laid all the X end to end, Y would occur" (e.g. "If you laid all the veins and arteries in the human body end-to-end, they would stretch 60,000 miles"). The Y portion of the factoid is supposed to be surprising; therefore, it is ironic that the factoid in the comic, "If you laid all the bones in a snake end to end, you would have a snake.", is obvious and not at all exciting. Clearly, you would not have an entire snake, literally, but you would have a skeleton that was recognizably that of a snake and could reasonably be referred to as 'a snake'.  A common example that pokes fun at this format is, "If you laid every elephant from end to end between the Earth and the Moon, then you'd have a lot of dead elephants."

The title text presents the amusing idea that 'snakes' as we know them are not, in fact, a suborder of reptiles but are instead human {{w|digestive tract}}s that, rather than being a system of organs, are creatures capable of escaping from their 'host' human and living independently. The idea seems to follow from the superficial resemblance between snakes and the human digestive tract as long, roughly tubular collections of animal matter, which can process the food entering the top end, and get rid of the waste through the other end.

[[Randall]] had previously posted an [[Media:snake facts old.png|incorrect map]], that included the snake's habitat in {{w|Bolivia}} instead of Peru.

==Transcript==
:'''Snake Facts:'''
:Snake venom evolved from saliva, which means it all started with a snake whose mouth was slightly more gross than usual.
:[Picture of a snake below the text above.]
:Snake: Hi guys!
:Off-panel voice: Eww, it's Frank.
:[Map of South America with gray shade in the form of a snake. Text to the left of it.]
:The world's longest snake is found in Brazil, Peru and Chile. It is believed to be over 60 years old.
:[Picture of a snake skeleton between the first and the second of the lines below.]
:If you laid all the bones in a snake end-to-end,
:you would have a snake

==Trivia==
Given the habitat listed for the second factoid, it is likely the comic is referring to the Green Anaconda ''({{w|Eunectes murinus}})''.
*The Green Anaconda's habitat range includes Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, the island of Trinidad, and Paraguay.
*The Green Anaconda is one of the longest snakes in the world reaching more than 6.6 m long.
*Anacondas generally do not live beyond 20 years in captivity, and likely less in the wild.
*Since anacondas are reported to continue growing throughout their lives, a 60 year old specimen would likely be the longest snake in the world.
*The Reticulated Python ''({{w|Python reticulatus}})'' is recognized as the longest, but not heaviest, snake and grow to more than 6.95 m.
*The Reticulated Python's habitat is in Southeast Asia.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Facts]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]