A Whale Of A Story

Typical Anaconda

Considering I have already done a story on the world's smallest snake, I figured I needed to learn a bit about the opposite end of the size chart. That's right, I'm talking about the world's largest snake: the Giant Anaconda. Anacondas are often used in horror or action movies due to their horribly massive size. The Giant Anaconda truly deserves its title, because the largest of these snakes came in at an extensive 28 feet with a girth of 44 inches. No to mention it weighed in at 500 pounds! While a python measured in at 33 feet, the anaconda's girth won the championship belt.
Anacondas usually spend the majority of their life near rivers to hunt their food. And these snakes don't just cozy up to people on a regular basis. They are actually rather shy and solitary. They are very well camouflaged to their environment in the South American swamps and bogs in which they thrive. Over time, there have been reports of anacondas that exceed the recorded length of 28 feet, some even reported to be 100 feet according to early European explorers, but their claims are taken with a grain of salt. It is believed that they may have found a snake skin that can stretch to monuments lengths. Also, snakes with larger sizes are more likely to be improperly measured. The larger they are, the greater possibility of error.

Titanboa

Now, anacondas are the largest snakes to have lived in modern times, but they are nothing compared to their big brothers of the ancient world. These monstrous snakes (second picture) go by the name of, Titanoboa, and were found by scientists in a coal mine in Columbia in 2008. Paleontologists estimated that the ancient reptile was 43 feet long and weighed as much as 2,500 pounds! They were large enough to prey on crocodiles! It is estimated that, due to snake's cold blooded body makeup, the Amazon would have had to have been an extra six to eight degrees warmer for these giants to have survived.
It is a common misconception to believe that anacondas are venomous. They actually belong to the constrictor family and are non venomous. They are likely to dig into aquatic animals such as fish, but do feast on other snakes, deer, and even the occasional jaguar. These are slow giants, so they rely on strength and the element of surprise to feast. And you can't own one! I get asked this question more times than one may think. Unless you are a zoo keeper, your more likely to fly to the moon than own one of these guys.
But remember, it's not size that matters, it's how you use it.

Link: http://www.extremescience.com/biggest-snake.htm

The Itsy-Bitsy

When I was hanging out with my friend Cocoa, our Red-Tailed Boa, I couldn't help but think, "Wow! these snakes are so huge! I wonder if there are any really small snakes?" I thought it would be difficult for a snake to survive if it was so small, considering that most snake's diets consist of mice which are still rather large critters to cram down a throat. Low and behold, I did some research and discovered that the world's smallest snake can fit on a quarter! Adults of these tiny slitherers average about four inches and as thin as a spaghetti noodle! The scientific name of this thin noodle is, Leptotyphlops Carlae. This snake is actually a thread snake -appropriate name- which lives on the tiny forest leaves on the eastern side of Barbados. The snake was discovered by an evolutionary biologist at Penn State University by the name of Blair Hedges when he realized that this snake differed from others with its different patterns and scales and also managed to point out some misidentified specimens at a museum- opps. This snake is possibly the absolute minimum size a snake can get. Though, this isn't the ONLY small snake. There are other snakes that nearly reach this size, but this was determined to be the smallest discovered thus far. I found the answer to my question on what these snakes can possibly eat. The answer is that they mainly survive off of the larvae of ants and termites. Theses snakes, due to their miniature size, do however have very small clutches. While larger snakes can have 100 eggs in one clutch, this little guy -or girl- usually only has a clutch of one. Though, this is one huge baby. The hatchling is often HALF the length of the adult snake. Scientists often use adults for studies, as juveniles are hard to obtain. Research continues as scientists search for more new species such as this.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804100258.htm
           http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snakes/Wild-Snakes/Smallest-Snake/

Snakes Silently Slither

When holding a snake, you may notice countless things. Many people notice how smooth the scales are, or that they aren't as slimy as expected. The first thing I noticed, however, was the tightening and relaxing feeling of their muscles. Snakes are practically all ribs and vertebrae, mixed with a ton of muscle, that are closely associated to something called their ventral scales. These scales are rectangular and layer on the snake's 'belly' or bottom side. If you look at a Corn Snake, these scales are decorated in a black and white checker-board pattern that deviates from the orange-ish yellow-ish scales that cover the rest of the body. Each of the ventral scales align with the ribs of the snake. They act like treads on a tire, causing friction with the ground that allows forward momentum.

[clearly marked ventral scales on a corn snake]

There are four basic ways a snake can move:

 

[Snake climbing tree using concertina]

Concertina is a special movement, as it isn't used on a horizontal surface like the other four. Snakes that use concertina are climber snakes. A snake will use its head and front of the body to launch forward on the vertical surface, then grips the surface with those all so important ventral scales. After that, the snake will use the middle part of their body to get a firm hold on the by bunching it up and clings to the surface. Then, the snake just pulls its head back and starts again.

Serpentine is the most recognized movement of a snake, and is often the movement that is thought of when a person says 'slither'. Snakes will move their body in the familiar 'S' shape when performing the serpentine movement. Starting from right behind the head, the snake will contract its strong muscles and move its body from side to side. This is the choice movement for water snakes because it is very useful for propulsion above and below the water. You will also see land snakes who find resistance points on the surface for the ventral scales to get a good grip on. These resistance points can consist of branches, stones, or dents in the ground.

[water snake using serpentine movement]

[Snake sidewinding in the sand]

Sidewinding is the locomotion used in an environment that has few resistance points. Snakes that use this movement will also switch between sidewinding and serpentine movements depending on their environments. They contract their bodies, like concertina, and launch themselves forward and continue in a side-ways movement. They also leave a 'S' shape in the sand, like the serpentine, but the 'S' will only have two contact points. That is because, most of the snake's body is off the ground when using this locomotion.

The Caterpillar movement is my favorite out of the four. The slower version of this movement is also called Rectilinear locomotion. If you've ever seen a caterpillar crawl on a log or on the ground, you will already have the concept of this movement. It basically consists of the snake contracting its body into small curves that go up and down, rather than side to side. The top of the curve is lifted off the ground while the ventral scales on the ground push against the surface. Unfortunately, no picture can truly capture this movement, so a link to a youtube video showing all these movements will be listed below.

Links: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/snakes/snake3.htm
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSHzDesFe6U

Red and Black, Stay Back Jack

Some of you may have heard the warning "Red and black, stay back, Jack!" or some variation of it. This warning is of course used as a basis of what snakes may or may not be poisonous, but that isn't always true. When I was presenting the gentle, Nelson's Milksnake, I was asked by a student "Isn't that poisonous?" Of course I knew that it wasn't, but I couldn't fully explain why the rule didn't apply to milksnakes. Lucky for us 'Mericans, most of the snakes that live in the U.S. are nonvenomous. However, the exceptions include water moccasins, copper heads, coral snakes, and rattle snakes. Is there any way we can tell a harmless milksnake from a deadly coral snake?
Here are a few rules of thumb:

1) Snakes that have a broad triangular head, such as Vipers and Cotton Mouths, are likely to be poisonous.
2) If they are large and chubby, they are likely to be dangerous.
3) Most venomous snakes require hot and humid climates (so you won't find many in Michigan). But you may need to be more conscious in warmer climates.

IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET CLOSE:  (Not recommended)
1) Snakes with slit eyes (like cat eyes) are possibly poisonous.
2) Snakes with a raised nose or pointed nose are likely poisonous
3) Heat seeking sensors are common traits of poisonous snakes due to their hunting techniques. These can be found between the eyes and nostrils.

It is important to remember that there are exceptions to all these rules. Snakes like coral snakes are highly venomous, but don't have slit eyes and are usually thin, while the harmless Jungle Carpet Python does have slit eyes, but is nonvenomous. The best thing to remember is to stay away from any wild snakes. While they may not be poisonous, they are still wild and probably have aggressive tendencies.
Links: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/snakes/how-to-know-if-snake-is-poisonous.htm
http://www.snake-removal.com/venomous.html

Deadly Coral Snake

Harmless Milksnake

Beauty Is Deadly

Adult Blue Coral Snake

Young Blue Coral Snake

The other day when I came home from a snake presentation, I happened upon an episode of Naked and Afraid dedicated to *epic music* SNAKES! This episode showed all the snakes the survivalists came across in their 21 day endeavors while giving little snake tid-bits along the way. As I watched, there was one snake that truly caught my eye due to its pure beauty alone. This snake is entitled, Calliophis Bivirgatus, also known as the Blue Malaysian Coral snake. To find out more, I found a fellow blogger's page on this enticing creature. Turns out that the time most people are bitten by this snake is usually at nighttime due to its nocturnal sleeping schedule. Much like a rattle snake shaking its maraca tail, the Blue Coral snake will flash its red striped tail. IE, red means dead. And I truly mean DEAD. These snakes belong to a very poisonous family of snakes. When you're bitten by this gorgeous snake, there are no immediate problems (aside from one hell of a bite). That's because the snake's neurotoxic venom is now riding the fast paced highway referred to as the human bloodstream. After several minutes, the victim will start to feel some numbness and have some problems breathing. Eventually the victim will die of respiratory failure. Apparently, the deadly kiss of this snake is so bad, that it earned the name of the '100 pace' snake. If you couldn't guess, that's how many steps you take before you collapse. These snakes can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. So, you don't really have to worry about running your lawn mower over these things in your backyard.
Article link: http://sakepedia.blogspot.com/2010/10/blue-malaysian-coral-snake.html  

Snakes That Soar

Paradise Tree Snake

If the average American were to see a snake glide through the air, most people would wet their trousers. However, being the snake lover that I am, I am intrigued by this 'Flying Snake'. The most 'advanced' of these flying snakes- that's right, there're more than one- has the scientific name, Chrysopelea paradisi, also known as the 'Paradise Flying Snake'. How does it fly? Glad you asked. First, the snake slithers its way up a tall tree and anchors itself to a tree branch. With the muscles in its tail, it launches itself from the tree. Some have been know to jump up to 21 meters! It then flattens its body like a kite and jumps through the air from tree branches. Oh, but that's not all!

Paradise Tree Snake in flight

It also whips its tail back and forth in the air in an 'S' shape. I seriously encourage you to watch these snakes in action; there are no words to describe what they can do! These snakes have unusually amazing eye sight for snakes. If you were to see it in Singapore (its natural habitat), it would look like any other chubby snake. I suppose that's why you can't judge a book by its cover! :) Luckily, these snakes are not endangered and quite common. So if you want to take a trip to good'ol Singapore, your chances of seeing one are rather decent. 
Article link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/when-snakes-fly

Columbian Red Tail Boa- Girl's Best Friend

Slytheran

Ever since I felt the tight embrace of the Columbian Red Tail Boa, I fell in love. With my interest peeked, I felt the need to find out more about my favorite animal. To learn more, I referred to an article by the name of, Columbian (Red Tail) Boa, from the Black Pine Animal Sanctuary  website. The article tells a story of a Red Tail by the name of 'Slitheran' who is welcomed into their 'snake family'. I was intrigued to find that, while Slitheran only grew to 10 ft in adulthood, the largest Red Tail reached up to 18 ft! Not only that, but they can live up to 20 years and grow continuously throughout that time.I enjoyed that the article explained the common skepticism about snake between people, and later described the absurdity of such a fear , as Red Tails are very docile creatures. However, I was overcome with an overwhelming sadness as I found out that, because of the large quantity of Red Tails in the snake trade, many snake owners buy the wonderful creatures when they are young and small, and release them into captivity when their size becomes to grand. Their ability to multiply has made them an 'invasive species' in places like Florida, which justifies a ban on the kind creatures. I personally would love to purchase this animal due to their docile qualities. The current market price of a Red Tail ranges from $130 to $150 due to their popularity. You can purchase them on websites such as Black Water Reptiles where they are sold for $79.99 or at Underground Reptiles for $74.99. But a word of caution to this; the cheap prices could mean that these animals have diseases or were illegally obtained. That is why it is safest to buy from a snake breeder with high intelligence of snake health. Red Tail Boas have morphs like albinism, which are often bred for captivity because of their interesting morph and go for $350 or more. These snakes are not in

Albino Red Tail Boa

threat of immediate extinction currently. Luckily, you don't need a permit to own this snake.They do require a very large cage due to the extreme size they reach in adulthood. You must not feed the snake an animal larger than the widest part of the snake. The most important factors of taking care of these snake are maintaining a clean and healthy habitat. They are great for beginners as long as they don't have to be force fed. But after all is said and done, these are just fantastic snakes. They are so very friendly and a great companion. I suggest them to anybody