These slithering creatures
can live in the smallest corners
of your home and the darkest places
you don't dare visit.
Well, not anymore,
because today we're killing
every single snake on Earth.
The time for war has come.
Humanity has decided
that the snakes' reign of terror
on our planet is over.
But what are we up against?
First, don't assume these animals
will be easy to take down.
These cannibalistic carnivores
may not have ears
but can sense sound waves
through their skin to know
what's around them.
Don't think their poor eyesight
will help you, either.
While they can't perceive colors
and have fuzzy vision,
some can see heat sources
as if they were wearing infrared goggles.
See that flickering tongue?
It can pick up odor particles from the air.
The muscles in that jaw can open wide
and devour prey larger than them.
That could be your fate if you fail.
But if you did succeed on your mission,
There are about 3,400 recorded species of snakes slithering around Earth.
According to the World Health Organization,
snake bites kill over 100,000 people every year.
How are you going to take
those numbers down to zero?
To start,
you'll have to visit the warmer regions of the planet.
You'll also have to search trees,
fields and even underground spaces,
like sewers.
Remember, these are literally cold-blooded killers.
Snakes need a place that allows them
to hunt and regulate their body temperature.
So maybe you could freeze them out.
Well, they're more resilient
than you might think.
Burmese pythons are an invasive species
that have been found in the Florida wilds since the 1980s.
After a record cold snap in 2010,
these predators adapted to the climate
and started breeding like crazy.
So the cold air might not work.
Maybe you could create a bioweapon instead.
Snake fungal disease has already
been spreading globally.
It causes painful lesions on a snake's skin
which can lead to death.
Some snakes can shed their skin
to get rid of it,
but others aren't so lucky.
And once it infects one snake,
it can easily spread to others nearby.
If humans could distribute this fungus
to every snake on the planet,
we could wipe them all out quickly.
OK, so now these reptilian menaces
are gone for good.
But did you just doom the planet?
Without snakes eating them,
rodents, birds and amphibians like frogs
would rise in numbers.
While these animals might be happy
for the moment,
that feeling would be short-lived.
That's because they would all be competing
for the same resources to feed,
eventually creating a scarcity of food for all of them.
And if you're a farmer,
you'd have to deal with an increased rodent population on your land.
You'd have to use more pesticides
to fight for your crops.
And as a consumer,
you'd have to pay more money for your groceries
because the same food
would now cost more to produce.
But the biggest price you'll pay
won't be at the register.
All the rodents scurrying around
could spread diseases across the globe.
You might even see a resurgence
of the bubonic plague.
Yeah, the plague could come back,
and in a big way.
And snakes weren't even on the top of the food chain either.
Boars, mongooses and birds of prey
like owls and eagles depend on snakes for their diet,
If you killed every snake,
many of these species would decline in numbers.
Some might even become extinct.
Not to mention,
humans rely on snake venom
for medicinal purposes.
Potential treatments for diabetes and cancer have been derived from it.
With no further access to snake venom,
we could endanger even more human life.
Like all things in nature,
snakes have their place among us.
And that place is not near me,
so keep your distance.
But is every animal the same?
What if we killed all ticks instead?
Well, keep watching,
because that's a story for another WHAT IF.