SLITHERING SCIENCE
This is the organ snakes use to "smell" the air by flicking it in and out.
What is the tongue?
The winter solstice is the day with this distinction related to sunlight.
What is the shortest day (or longest night) of the year?
This Hogwarts house, known for ambition and cunning, has a serpent as its symbol.
What is Slytherin?
This "cult" gaming hardware brand is instantly recognizable by its neon green logo featuring a triple-headed snake.
What is Razer?
2025 is the Year of the Snake in this zodiac system, which repeats every 12 years.
What is the Chinese Zodiac?
This is the scientific term for a snake shedding its skin, a process that happens 4-12 times per year.
What is ecdysis (or molting)?
This ancient stone monument in England is aligned to frame the sunset on winter solstice.
What is Stonehenge?
Samuel L. Jackson starred in this 2006 action film with a very literal title about reptiles on an aircraft.
What is "Snakes on a Plane"?
This brute-force password cracking tool, often used by penetration testers is named after a multi-headed mythological serpent that grows two heads when one is cut off.
What is Hydra?
This noisy viper is found almost exclusively in the Americas, with 32 species known for the keratin segments on their tails.
What is a rattlesnake?
Venomous snakes fall into two main categories based on their fang type: vipers have folding fangs, while cobras and mambas belong to this family with fixed front fangs.
What are elapids?
The word "solstice" comes from Latin words meaning "sun" and this, referring to the sun's apparent pause.
What is "stand still" (sol + sistere)?
In Disney's "The Jungle Book," this is the name of the hypnotic python who sings "Trust in Me."
Who is Kaa?
This Python web framework, named after a jazz guitarist, uses the slogan "The web framework for perfectionists with deadlines."
What is Django?
This ancient Egyptian symbol showing a snake eating its own tail represents infinity and the cycle of life.
What is the Ouroboros?
⭐ DAILY DOUBLE
The Black Mamba can reach speeds up to this many miles per hour, making it the fastest snake in the world.
On the winter solstice, the sun reaches its lowest maximum altitude in the sky. At the latitude of Stonehenge (51°N), the sun only rises to approximately this many degrees above the horizon at solar noon.
What is 15 degrees (accept 14-16)?
In the Metal Gear video game series, the main protagonist is a special ops soldier who goes by this snake-related codename.
Who is Solid Snake (also accept Snake, Naked Snake, or Big Boss)?
⭐ DAILY DOUBLE
If you type 'import antigravity' into a Python console, it doesn't run code; instead it opens a web browser to a comic from this famous "nerd culture" webcomic series.
Discovered in Colombian coal mines, the Titanoboa lived 60 million years ago and is the largest snake known to exist, growing up to this many feet long.
What is 40-50 feet?
The inland taipan of Australia holds this deadly distinction, with a single bite containing enough venom to kill approximately this many adult humans.
What is 100 (accept 80-100)?
This Roman festival celebrating the "unconquered sun" on December 25th influenced many modern winter celebrations.
What is Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (or Saturnalia is also acceptable)?
In the HBO series "House of the Dragon," this Targaryen prince rides the dragon Vhagar and loses an eye in a childhood fight, later becoming known for wearing a sapphire in his eye socket.
Who is Aemond Targaryen?
This terrifying AI thought experiment suggests that a future superintelligence might retroactively punish anyone who didn't help bring it into existence. It is named after a legendary serpent king.
What is Roko's Basilisk?
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was depicted as this type of mythical serpent creature.
What is a feathered (or plumed) serpent?