Kick off the Year of the Snake with a few fun factsss

🤝 Some form social networks, recent research shows, challenging the long-held stereotype that they're heartless, lone predators.

🌩️ More Americans are killed by lightning strikes and dog bites each year than snake bites.

🤔 "Virgin births" have been observed in zoos and in the wild, including in copperheads and boa constrictors, but what triggers it is still a mystery.

• The offspring are an exact genetic copy of their mother.

👑 The zoo's king cobra, His Majesty, is trained to enter a tube for medical exams. His species is the largest venomous snake in the world.

🏛️ The Reptile Building, in the Shores region, is the oldest building at the zoo.

• Its team cares for 36 species of snakes, 17 of which are venomous.

🎂 Fun fact: People born in the Year of the Snake are said to be wise, observant and resourceful, but can also be possessive, cautious and secretive, per the Chinese Language Institute.

• A few famous snakes: Tom Brady, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling and Taylor Swift.

Go deeper: How the Columbus Zoo is saving Ohio's most endangered snake