Snakes World

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.

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.

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

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 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 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.