Snakes World

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.

Is The 55 Foot Snake in China Real?

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:21:04 +0000

Is the photograph showing a 55 foot snake found in a forest in China a hoax? It was initially posted on the website of the People’s Daily, the official China Communist Party newspaper. It claimed the snake was one of two enormous boas found by workers clearing forest for a new road. I have to question whether it was a boa at all. A reticulated python, maybe. They apparently woke up the sleeping snakes during attempts to bulldoze some mounds. Here’s how the post read:

“On the third dig, the operator found there was blood amongst the soil, and with a further dig, a dying snake appeared. At the same time, another gold coloured giant boa appeared with its mouth wide open. The driver was paralyzed with fear, while the other workers ran for their lives. By the time the workers came back, the wounded boa had died, while the other snake had disappeared. The bulldozer operator was so sick that he couldn’t even stand up.”

They claimed the digger driver was so traumatized that he suffered a heart attack on his way to hospital and later died. Now this is getting to be a bit far fetched. It also said the dead snake was 55 feet long, weighed 300kg and was estimated to be 140 years old. 140 years old is a little much for me to believe. Giant boas are not even native to the area.

Snake Care and Feeding

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:28:18 +0000

I just recently finished my 3rd book. It’s called “Snake Care and Feeding: 52 Tips For Healthy Pet Snakes.” It’s intended for snake enthusiasts who are interested in doing things the right way and taking good care of pet snakes. This information will prepare you with everything you need. All of the basic requirements are covered including picking out the right snake, buying a cage and accessories, how to treat a sick snake, shedding, and more. I also discuss the costs of owning a snake as well as my recommendation for the first snake you should get. These tips will provide you with the information you need to be a successful snake hobbyist. It all comes in a simple yet informative guide full of tips that you can apply immediately. Most people will be able to read it in an hour, since it’s only 66 pages. There is no fluff. I get straight to the tips. It is available through Amazon.com by clicking HERE.

U.S. Geological Survey Wants to Ban Exotic Snake Sales

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:44:41 +0000

It looks like things are being put into motion that could eventually lead to making exotic snake sales illegal. A U.S. Geological Survey just released a report stating that exotic snakes pose a serious risk to natural wildlife. The study specifically mentioned Burmese pythons, boa constrictors, yellow anacondas, reticulated pythons, and others. Their belief is that these snakes are a risk to the wildlife in national parks. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to declare these snakes as “injurious species.” This would in turn prohibit imports and cross-state sales. I know I am not alone as an advocate for snakes who feel that banning the sale of these wonderful snakes will cause many snake owners to buy and sell them them illegally or release them into the wild.