Snakes World

Big Freeze in Florida Proving Python Experts Right

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:39:07 +0000

Humongous pythons have invaded South Florida and the race is on to capture them. Many snake experts have been recruited to the front lines of Florida’s war on pythons. Eradication is a government priority. Special licenses have been issued to python assassins. Bounties have even been debated. Scientists have implanted transponders inside female snakes in the hopes of enticing males that could be captured. Many snake enthusiasts have said for awhile that the solution to the python problem in Florida is a big cold spell. And now after Florida’s coldest winter in recorded history, there’s evidence that they may be right.

Nine of the 10 pythons carrying transmitters died during the winter. Although the pythons took a major hit from the cold, they definitely were not wiped out. Teams found many live snakes during the time after the cold spell. No one knows how many snakes were out there before the temperature plummeted, nor does anyone know how many survived. This summer will be very telling since hot weather makes the snakes active. Reptile traders say the cold killed so many snakes that the government should stop worrying about it. The Interior Department wants to ban sales of Burmese pythons and other large constrictors, such as boas and anacondas. Many snake lovers agree that pythons are bad news for the Everglades ecosystem but also say that if breeders are banned from selling their snakes, they’ll simply turn them all loose.

An Amazing Fossil Sheds Light on Snake’s Beginning

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:51:04 +0000

Ancient snakes used to feed on dinosaur eggs. And the proof is in the fossils. Fossilized remains of a 67 million-year-old snake found coiled around a dinosaur egg provides insight into the snake’s habits as well as evolution. The snake was an estimated 11 1/2 feet long. Amazingly, the snake’s remains were nearly complete and well preserved. Findings in this week’s issue of PLoS Biology provide evidence that the snake fed on eggs and hatchings of sauropod dinosaurs. These dinosaurs were the largest animals ever. Some weighed as much as 100 tons. This means the snake was one of the few predators to prey on the long-necked herbivores. Also 100 million years ago, snakes were developing mobile jaws similar to those of vipers and boas. The fascinating history of snakes continues to amaze.

U.S. Moving Towards Banning “Alien Snakes”

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:11:26 +0000

This is not good news for all of us snake lovers, especially those who like Burmese Pythons and Boa Constrictors.

Federal officials would like to prevent nine types of constrictor snakes from entering the USA, stating they fit in with invasive types which present the one largest danger to the country’s ecosystem. This would be the tale of the invasion of the snakes in the United States of America. The Burmese python and also the some other “alien snakes” are thought to present a risk of the country’s most cherished and most delicate ecosystems. New York may be the largest place of access in the U.S. regarding imported exotic animals, the secretary said. The actual ban includes any type of import of invasive snakes to the U.S. Last year, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Inspectors at Kennedy dealt with in excess of twenty seven thousand individual wildlife shipments valued at greater than $1 billion, or sixteen per cent of all U.S. animals imports. This past year, 54,000 live reptiles came into the country through the New York airport.

The actual proposed ban covers 9 varieties of large constrictor snakes such as Burmese, North African as well as South African pythons, the boa constrictor, along with the anaconda, green, yellow and Bolivian, as detailed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Around a million such snakes were actually imported during the past thirty years as well as much more carefully bred domestically.

These types of snakes are common as pets but dangerous whenever released into the wild, particularly in vulnerable ecosystems like Florida’s Everglades National Park and also the Florida Keys. Experiencing no natural predators, the adaptable snakes reproduce and feast on alligators as well as other imperiled species whose remains are often found in their stomachs.

Eleven Snakes Saved in Fire

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:33:33 +0000

Firefighters in St. George, Utah, had much more to deal with in addition to fire flames when they answered a call inside a neighborhood trailer park. Turns out, the flames had been the simple part. The difficult part of their job was rescuing the trailer owner’s nineteen pet pythons from the fire. Apparently the owner had such a massive collection of pet snakes that they may have been consuming too much electricity. The good news is that incredibly, of the nineteen snakes captured inside the fire, eleven of them pulled through, which included an 18 foot giant serpent. Sadly, that means that eight of the snakes were killed. The reason for the fire is thought to be a malfunctioning heat lamp fixture for one of the numerous, snake terrariums within the trailer. If all of the heat lamps were plugged into the same breaker, then it’s surprising that a fire didn’t start sooner. A little common sense always comes in handy.

Cambodian Officials Confiscate Snakes

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:18:26 +0000

Cambodian polіce confiscated an incredible twο tons of livө snakes and tortoises. Yes, that’s right. Two tons! They arгested two мen trying to smuggle the slithөring cargo υp а rivөr from Cambodia to Vietnam. Acting on a tіp, pοlice intercepted the boаt Wednesday on the Bаssac Rivөr in southeastern Cаmbodia just before it crossed іnto Vietnam. They found 3,640 pounds of snakes, mοstly pythons, and 263 tortoiѕes tһat weigһed а combined 697 pounds, said Col. Chan Savouen, deputy police chіef of Kandаl province.

Snakes and tortoises arө rare reрtiles in that countrү and are ѕtrongly prohibited froм being hunted and trafficked. Police arrested tωo Cambodians, agөd 17 аnd 20, whο sаid theү wөre hired to tгansport the cargo but did nοt know the identities of thөir employers. Nοw whү dοn’t I Ьelieve theіr story? They saіd sοme of the reptiles had been illegally hunted in Cаmbodia and othөrs werө traffickөd from neighboring Thailand. I аm glad to report that the snakes and tortoises were rөleased into the wild οn Wednesday. Vietnam iѕ often used аs a transit рoint for trafficking illegal wildlife from Southeaѕt Asіa to China to feed its мarket foг exotіc pөts and foods.