Forked tonguePicks up scent particles from the air and ground. It carries them to an organ in the mouth. The fork tells the snake which way a smell is coming from.
Dorsal scalesThe scales covering the back and sides. A snake's skin is smooth and dry, not slimy.
RattleA chain of hollow, interlocking keratin segments at a rattlesnake's tail tip. They buzz as a warning when shaken.
Ventral scalesThe wide, oblong scales across the belly. They grip the ground as the snake moves.
The head: 6 4
SpectacleA clear scale over the eye, in place of an eyelid. It stays permanently closed. It is also called the brille, and is shed with the old skin.
NostrilThe nostril, near the tip of the snout.
Heat pitA heat-sensing pit between the nostril and the eye. It is found on pit vipers such as rattlesnakes and lets them find warm prey.
FangA hollow fang that delivers venom when a venomous snake bites. Most snakes are not venomous.
Underneath: 3 2
VentThe opening under the body, covered by the anal plate. Here the belly ends and the tail begins. It leads to the cloaca.
Subcaudal scalesThe smaller scales under the tail, behind the vent.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) Wikipedia, Snake, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake : snakes lack eyelids and external ears and have a forked tongue, which gathers scent particles and carries them to the vomeronasal organ, the fork giving direction; the eyelids are transparent spectacle scales, permanently closed; pit vipers have heat-sensing pits between the nostril and eye; venom delivered through hollow or grooved fangs; most species are not venomous; the skin is covered in scales and is smooth and dry; belly scales grip surfaces; the cloaca. (2) Wikipedia, Snake scale, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_scale : the ventral (belly) scales are large and oblong; dorsal scales; subcaudal scales under the tail; the anal plate; the brille or spectacle, shed with the skin. (3) Wikipedia, Rattlesnake, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake : the rattle is a series of hollow, interlocked segments of keratin at the tail tip, a warning to predators; heat-sensing pits. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. Own work, laid out by eye, nothing traced. The forms were checked against three public domain pictures on Wikimedia Commons: Head Scales of Crotalus and Sistrurus (Samuel Garman and Leopold Trouvelot, 1883), Crotalus atrox USFWS (Gary Stolz, US Fish and Wildlife Service) and the rattlesnake rattle figure of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911). Licence: own work
How it works
Label the parts of a snake on three drawings of a rattlesnake: the head with its mouth open, the whole snake from above, and a stretch of the underside. Eleven numbers, and a line for each name.
Read the full guide
Label snake parts: word bank
In alphabetical order: dorsal scales, eye, fang, forked tongue, heat pit, nostril, rattle, spectacle, subcaudal scales, vent, ventral scales. Six numbers are on the head, two on the whole snake and three underneath. On the head, two lines end almost together: one at the eye, one at the clear scale that covers it.
Label-a-snake worksheet for kids: five names first
Under Start from, the five main parts make a sheet of their own, numbered 1 to 5: eye, forked tongue, dorsal scales, rattle and ventral scales. The other six suit an older class: spectacle, nostril, heat pit, fang, vent and subcaudal scales.
Questions and answers
Can you tell a rattlesnake's age from its rattle?
No. Each time the snake sheds its skin a new segment is added, which can be several times a year, and the end segments often break off.
Does a baby rattlesnake have a rattle?
Not one that works. At birth the tail ends in a prebutton, and the button replaces it when the first skin is shed a few days later. The rattle makes no sound until the next shed adds a second segment.
Why do scientists count a snake's scales?
To tell species apart. The arrangement of the scales identifies a species, and counting the ventral scales can help. A shed skin keeps the pattern, so a whole one can usually be matched to its snake.
Is there a snake diagram for kids to label, with the answers?
Yes. The answer key prints the drawing with its numbers and the eleven names in order. Press Named to write every name on the drawing instead: a labeled diagram of the snake.