Dangerously Cute

I never thought that I would every find such a dangerous animal so adorable, but the West African Dwarf Crocodile proved me wrong. It's sort of like a teddy bear being compared to a grizzly bear. It is the world's smallest crocodile. They hunt fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, but sit on the lower list of the food chain. I'm sure you can assume where they live. They swim through the many rivers of West Africa. Unfortunately, they are highly hunted by both humans and other predators due to their small stature (about 5 feet). Just for a reference, regular crocodiles can get up to 15 feet in length. If they survive the threats, they can live to be 100. They are indeed endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction, so there isn't much good going for them. They at least have a reproduction age of 5-6 years and can have a clutch of 15 eggs, so hopefully they can repopulate quickly.

Scientific name: O. Tetraspis Tetrapis

Links: http://www.zoo.org/page.aspx?pid=2129#.VK7H2lWJOuY
http://www.tnaqua.org/our-animals/reptiles/west-african-dwarf-crocodile

Rubber Necking

It is an unusual case for me to do a blog on both a snake and a turtle, but the creature feature for today is in fact a fantastic combination of the two. The Eastern Snake-necked turtle is identifiable by one feature: a snake neck. This bazaar turtle spends a majority of its life in the water, feeding on aquatic invertebrates. Its claws and webbed feet provide the adaptability needed to survive in their wet environment, doubling as a great shovel for digging underground. Their main defensive mechanism is not to be expected. It is not their claws or their jaws, but their stench. Eastern Snake-necked turtles will release a pungent liquid from their orifices when startled, giving them the nickname of "Stinky" turtle. These stinkers can be found in certain locations in Australia swimming in rivers. Occasionally, to find a new water hole, they will wander on land.

Links: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Eastern-Snake-necked-Turtle

Don't Get A Big Head

It seems that I've been writing a lot of blogs about turtles lately. I don't why I've taken such a liking to them. Maybe it's the way that they eat lettuce. Today's turtle Tuesday is about a funny little guy with a......large head. Rightly named the Big-headed turtle. This poor guy's head is so huge that he can't even retract his head into his shell like a normal turtle. It measures to be about 7 inches in length, but keep in mind that half that length is taken up by a long, snake like tail. The other half is a little bit of shell with a lot of head. It's not very equipped for swimming. Its stubby, strong legs are better equipped for climbing the rocky streams of Southeast Asia. When those streams dry up, they can then migrate to find another stream.

As I said before, the Big-headed turtle can't pull its head back into its shell. Because of this, the turtle makes up for it by having a very heavily armored face. That huge head is not without its perks. Those strong jaws can deliver a serious bite that can break bone. The tail is less for defense and more for moving through streams. It probably also assists in providing balance would be my guess.
Unfortunately, like many turtles in Southeast Asia, these turtles are endangered. It is believed that this is due to the cuisine. There are more turtles in the market place than in the wild.

Links: http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop16/big-headed-turtle.html
http://www.tnaqua.org/our-animals/reptiles/chinese-big-headed-turtle

Poisonwood Murderer

Over the summer, I read a very popular book by the name of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Throughout her story, Kingsolver uses snakes consistently as a form of symbolism. SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU ARE READING THE BOOK, DO NOT READ FURTHER! Towards the end of the Price's journey in Kilanga, there had been an outbreak of poisonous snakes, green mambas. The local voodoo doctor claims that it is a sign from the gods, we later find that he was the one placing them into the houses and chicken coop. When I was trying to think of another reptile to write about, suddenly the green mamba came to mind.

Matching up with the book's setting of Africa, green mambas live in most of east Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Because green mambas are excellent tree climbers, it is only natural that they live in rain forests and wooded areas. They are the smallest of the mambas, about 1.8 to 3.7 meters, but that doesn't make them any less deadly. They are fast moving (7 mph) and highly venomous, but not as aggressive as their relatives, the black mambas. Though they often hunt in the trees for birds and eggs, they are also suitable hunters on the ground when food cannot be found in the air. Their venom is a neurotoxin that attacks the nerves of the prey and thins the blood, but it also assists in digesting the mamba's prey. Green mambas are generally docile up until mating season. Male mambas will complete a mating dance, a mambo if you will, with the other males until they reign victorious, then follow a scent trail to their lady love. After the couple celebrate with a little you-know-what, the female will lay a clutch of 10 to 15 eggs, each taking three months to grow into baby mambas.
These snakes can live up to 14 years in captivity. Luckily, I suppose, they are not threatened and thrive in their designated areas.

Scientific Name: Dendroaspis Augusticeps

Links: http://whozoo.org/Intro98/kevbrash/greenmamba2.htm

You're Toxic

When doing research on my last poisonous snake, I wondered how many different kinds of venom there really are. Of course I thought this would be a great thing to talk about on a blog. With my research, I found that there are mainly two types of venom among snakes: neurotoxic and haemotoxic. Of course the word nero refers to nerves, so nerotoxin negatively effects the nerves. It may cause random spasms or even shut the nerves down entirely. Without the prey's nerves functioning properly, the prey will not be able to escape. In the same way as nero is to nerves, haemo is to blood. Haemotoxins are actually natural blood thinners. All the snake requires is a minor wound and the prey will bleed out. There are also certain paralytic venoms. These render the prey helpless against their attacker. Here are a few:

Phosphomonoesterase
Arginine ester hydrolase
Phosphodiesterase
Thrombin-like enzyme
Acetylcholinesterase
Collagenase
RNase
Hyaluronidase
DNase
Phospholipase A2 (A)
5'-Nucleotidase
Phospholipase B
L-Amino acid oxidase
Phospholipase C
Lactate dehydrogenase
Adenosine triphosphatase

Snake venom is produced through toxic enzymes. There are about 20 different kinds of toxic enzymes. A snake can carry from 6 to 12 different enzymes, there are no snakes known that have all 20. Some may assist with digestion while others may act like the ones mentioned above. 
Snake venom is actually a common study for herpetologists. At 'milking' stations, snake venom is collected and submitted for research. Anti venom can be produced from these samples for those who are so unlucky as to be bitten by one of these toxic beauties. It is one of the key reasons why no fatalities have come from those bitten by the most poisonous snake of all. Haemotoxins are also very precious to medicine. Those who suffer from blood clots that cause strokes and heart attacks are benefited from snake research. In small amounts, doctors have found the haemotoxins of snakes are crucial to these people's survival. 

Links: http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/stoneley/types.htm

Feathered Snake?!?!?!

When looking at the Atheris Viper, I can't help but be intrigued. If you're not fascinated in giant, vibrant eyes, surly you want to feel its feather-like scales. It reminds me of a snake version of sonic the hedgehog. It can range from olive green, blue, or green in color with a yellow or pale olive stomach. There are rare sightings in the wild of brightly colored -yellow, red or grey- snakes. This snake happens to go by many names due to its appearance: rough-scaled bush viper, spiny bush viper, feathered viper, and hairy bush viper.

It's possible that the sharp looking scales are intended to be a natural warning system, as these snakes are pathetically small. Males (29 in), oddly enough, are generally 6 inches larger than females (23 in), which is uncommon in the animal kingdom. Though, this is not a very intimidating size. However, these snakes have a lethal side. You see, in these tiny firebombs, there is a big punch. The feathered viper, as I like to call it, happens to carry a deadly dose of neurotoxins and haemotoxins. Toxicity can vary greatly among different lengths of snakes, but either way, these snakes are nothing you can shake a stick at. Luckily, bites among humans are uncommon, but highly fatal when not treated immediately.
The feathered viper likes to call Central Africa its home. There, they can often be seen basking in the sun on top of a flower or leafs, because they are really that small. During the night, they grab a nice snack ranging from mammalian, reptilian, amphibian, to avian.

Cool Facts:

• Can hang from the very tip of their tails
• Ambush preditor
• Reach sexual maturity at 2 to 3 years of age
• Can survive in captivity 10 to 12 years

Links: http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/94805-Atheris-hispida
http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Atheris&species=hispida
http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/spiny_bush_viper_facts/920/

A Skinny Snake

What is the picture to my right? Is it an elephant trunk? Nope. It's indeed a snake. Understandably so, It is called the Elephant Trunk Snake. These kooky looking critters are like aquatic boas. Both their head and their tails are physically similar to a boa, aside from some extra skin. They can, amazingly, hold their breath under water for 40 consecutive minutes. When they do need air, like a whale's blowhole, the snake will align with the water and use its nostrils, located at the top of the head, and suck in 15 to 20 seconds of air and submerge. These snakes are crucial to their ecosystem. They are ambush predators, which means that they have a very fast strike speed. Their sharp, triangular scales are intended to keep their slippery amphibian or fishy prey from escaping while they squeeze the life out of them. They also make a delicious meal for a waiting bird or large fish.

These snakes get to be about 7.8 feet -females being typically twice as large as the males. In captivity, they can range from 5 to 20 years of age. However, old ones are rare in captivity, as they are usually easily stressed. They are nonvenomous, but their bites are supposed to be brutal. They are typically a greyish-brown color that coincides with their names. The elephant snake's skin is actually valuable, as well as their meat. Regardless of these two factors, elephant snakes are not endangered, and have an actually high population.
Elephant snakes prefer brackish water and the warm fresh water streams of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. They can be picked out of coastal rivers, streams, canals, lagoons, and estuaries.

Scientific Name: Acorochordus Javanicus

Baby

Links: http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/elephant_trunk_snake_facts/965/
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snake-Species/Elephant-Trunk-Snake