· A snakes heart is a three chambered heart made up of two atria (receiving blood from the lungs and the body) a large ventricle (pumping blood into arteries)
· This heart is evolutionarily but more basic then a mammals, four chambered hear. However, because the valves within the ventricle the snake’s hear still functions as a four chambered heart.
· Snakes and other reptiles have adapted in an interesting way that mammals have not, known as the renal portal system.
· This type of system, blood from the animals tail passes through the kidneys first before returning to circulate in the rest of the body.
· This could be very useful, especially for sick reptiles. Since many of the drugs used to treat infections are eliminated from the body through the kidneys, with certain drugs injected in a reptile’s tail or legs, the renal portal system could cause the medication to be less effective.