Snakes World

Did you know that the snake is said to be one of the first reptiles on Earth? Snakes played a major role in mythology. The common snake is called the ’snake’, and any mythological snake is often referred to as a ’serpent’. Many people think of snakes as generally poisonous, dangerous and even a threat to mortality. This is certainly not true in all cases. There are several types of snakes. Many snakes are not poisonous.Venomous snakes use their fangs to either kill or immobilize their prey, using venom and saliva to achieve this. Poisonous snakes are classified into four families. There are the Elapids, Viperids, Colubrids and Hydrophiidae.

Do you know what the most poisonous snakes are? It is the Elapidae family, also known as elapids. The black mamba and the fierce snake are two examples. All elapids are poionous. They are found mostly in the tropical parts of the world. They have hollow fangs that are used to inject venom into their prey. Doesn’t that sound frightening? The Elapidae snake produces neurotoxic venom. What does neurotoxic venom do?  It goes straight to the nervous system of its prey. Other elapids are the Australian copperheads, kraits, king cobras, coral snakes, and of course, the cobras. They are the most lethal of all snakes.

What is the biggest snake? This question comes up more than any other regarding snakes. Let’s face it, people are fascinated with size. Add to that the curiosity and the mystery surrounding snakes, and you have the ever persistent question. So the answer to the question is that it depends on whether you are referring to the length of the snake or the weight. If you look in the records there is some controversy over which snake holds the world’s record for size. The dimensions that have earned the anaconda the title of king is its total body weight The sheer physical bulk of it is amazing. The other snake that competes with the anaconda for the title of World’s Biggest Snake is the Asiatic Reticulated Python. The python holds the world’s record for length of a snake, with the longest ever measured at 33 feet. Even though the longest python is longer than the record-holding anaconda, the girth of the anaconda is far bigger. Anacondas in the jungles of South America can grow as big around as a grown man! So there you have it. The anaconda is the heaviest, and the reticulated python is the longest.

LAHORE: The Reptiles Hunting Club, in collaboration with the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Veterinary Sciences (UVAS), arranged a snake show on the college campus on Monday. According to a press release issued by the UVAS, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Nawaz inaugurated the show, which exhibited various species of snakes, including the rat snake, the cobra, the krait, the carter and the viper.

The vice-chancellor, speaking on the occasion, said that the show had been arranged to create awareness among students about the safety precautions that should be taken when handling snakes. He encouraged research into antidotes made from snake venom. The show also included instructions on how to identify and safely handle venomous snakes. Both students and teachers attended the show and it was well received by all.

Watch this video of a big snake. But be careful, there is a surprise at the end.

A new snake species was  found in Australia, a country renowned for its unusual and often venomous animals. A single specimen of the central ranges taipan, a snake, was discovered crossing a dirt track in the scorching-hot, central desert region. After being bagged, it was sent to the Western Australian Museum where it was identified as a new species. This toxic Aussie reptile is related to the Fierce Snake (also known as the inland taipan), which is the world’s most venomous snake.