Though they’re often unfairly maligned, snakes contribute a good deal to the environment. They help regulate pest populations, they’re an integral part of the food chain, and they keep their ecosystems in check. Every July 16, their importance is honored on World Snake Day. Celebrate the occasion by learning about 10 unique species!

Barbados Threadsnake

The Barbados threadsnake is the tiniest snake species we currently know of. It doesn’t grow any longer than four inches, is about the width of a spaghetti noodle, and weighs in at a hefty 0.02 ounces. When they’re born, though, young are half the size of their parents. They’re found only in forested areas of Barbados, where forest cover has shrunk substantially, down to about 2% of its former volume in eastern Barbados. Scientists believe this species may only live in a few square kilometers of secondary forest. Such conditions have put these burrowers, who eat insect larvae, into critically endangered designation on the IUCN Red List.

Blue Malayan Coral Snake

The blue Malayan coral snake is among the beauty queens of the reptile world. It stands out for its red head, tail, and belly and its blue-black body with lighter stripes on the side. This venomous snake is found in the leaf litter of primary and secondary forests across Malaysia, Singapore, and neighboring countries. Its preferred meal is other snakes, and it uses its red tail as a decoy for its head.

Eastern Indigo Snake

We go from beauty queens to other aristocracy. The scientific name for the eastern indigo snake includes drymarchon couperi, which means “lord of the forest” in Greek. This nonvenomous snake, found in certain Southeastern U.S. states, eats venomous snakes, along with its other less toxic cousins. They’re five to six feet long with semi-iridescent black scales and a dark red chin and throat. The species was once more common, but it’s now threatened, due largely to declining populations of gopher tortoises, which they rely on for shelter by using their burrows.

Flying Snake

When we think of flying animals, snakes don’t usually come to mind – and the thought may actually be a bit alarming. Some of them do “fly” to some extent, though. Flying snakes are found in rainforests in India and Southeast Asia. The name isn’t completely accurate, as what they really do is glide. They accomplish this by pushing off trees, flattening their bodies, drawing up their ventral scales, and undulating through the air. Some of these glides can take them up to 100 meters. Their “flights” are how they get from branch to branch. They spend most of their days up in the trees, which makes sense, when you can pass the time flying between branches.

Green Tree Python

The brightly hued, sometimes yellow-and-blue-spotted, green tree python is also a pretty specimen. Its diamond-shaped head and white and yellow stripes just heighten its beauty. Found in New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia, this species spends most of its time in trees. It navigates branches with its prehensile tail, which it also dangles to attract prey. When they’re younger, these snakes hunt mostly in the day but pivot to night-hunting by adulthood. That hunting goes by the wayside for females sometimes, though, as they don’t eat during their 70- to 90-day gestation, searching for a suitable nest instead.

Louisiana Pine Snake

Species that stick to one particular area are common in the animal kingdom, and some snakes fall into this category, too. The Louisiana pine snake relies on mature longleaf pine forests, with each requiring about 82 square acres for survival. Unfortunately, this habitat has shrunk from more than 90 million acres in the Southeast to about three million acres today. This is among the reasons why the Louisiana pine snake is threatened, along with declining numbers of Baird’s pocket gopher, which is their primary food source and whose burrows they use.

Northern Water Snake

There are snakes that prefer forests and those that thrive in the water. The northern water snake is found in wetlands in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. They’re non-venomous, but people often confuse them for their venomous cousin, the water moccasin. They’re not generally dangerous to humans, preferring to dive in the water when they see people approaching. They can remain submerged for long periods of time, as well. They enjoy swimming, basking along the shore, and eating amphibians and fish.

San Francisco Garter Snake

We mentioned beauty queens before, and the San Francisco garter snake is the pageant queen of North American reptiles. In fact, it’s been called the most beautiful serpent in North America. Found only around the San Francisco Peninsula, this endangered snake has striking markings: A green-blue or blue belly, red on the top of its head, and a light stripe down the back with red and black stripes on the side. Its favorite food is frogs, and it can grow up to four feet long. Its limited range means habitat loss and destruction have had significant impacts on the species.

Turtle-Headed Sea Snake

Sea snakes are usually venomous, with permanently standing fangs at the front of their mouths. There are some without a powerful bite, though, including the turtle-headed sea snake. It has fangs and venom, but its venom is weak. This means it usually hides in self-defense. Despite this, though, it has physical characteristics that provide some protection at sea. Sea snakes have specialized sensory organs on their scales that can detect water-borne vibration.

Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake

Sea snakes tend to stick closer to shore, but one species in particular is a little more adventurous. The yellow-bellied sea snake isn’t a coward, as the name might imply in old western lingo. It goes far out to sea and eats fish near the water’s surface. It has a paddle-like tail and narrow belly scales to help it log all those miles. It’s also very widely distributed, found in almost all tropical waters in the Pacific and Indian oceans.