It’s a common belief that snakes are ‘wet’ or ‘slimey’ to touch.

In actual fact snakes do not secrete any oils or sweat onto the surface of their skin, unlike us. Therefore we are actually slimier than snakes. (Pleasant thought isn’t it)  ;o)

Snakes only feel wet if they have just come out of water, even then the water quickly runs off their body.

This picture is a close up of a Royal Python’s skin which I misted with water. As you can see, the water sits in droplets on the surface of the skin. Much like it would on the bonnet of a highly polished car.

As for the actual feel of the skin, most snakes feel very smooth to the touch but some have ‘keeled’ scales which means that they have a raised ridge down the centre of each scale. These snakes feel rough to the touch.

All snakes have a smooth underside, even the ones with keeled scales.

Jim Lind