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July 24, 2010

Poisonous Florida Snakes

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 11:41 am

Florida snakes, together with the turtles, lizards, alligators and other reptiles are part of a complex wildlife structure that plays a marvelous role in the maintenance of Florida’s ecosystem. There are many species of Florida snakes. There are actually forty-four species living in unbelievably different habitats, ranging from salt marshes and fresh water marshes to dry uplands and coastal mangrove swamps to residential areas.

Only six Florida snakes are venomous, and they happily coexist with their non-poisonous cousins, even venturing into towns and cities too. The best way to stay out of trouble with snakes is to care enough to learn about their morphology and therefore become able to distinguish between the Florida snakes. A relaxed attitude of avoidance is the wisest thing a person could show in relation to snakes.

The Coral snakes and pit vipers are by far the most dangerous of the Florida snakes. They are identifiable by quite a range of mutual characteristics. Pit vipers which include the Rattlesnake, the Cottonmouth and the Copperhead all have in common: vertical eye pupils, a v-shaped head and facial pit sensors: one between the eyes and nostrils and the others along each side of the head.

The poison of these Florida snakes is haemotoxic, which means that their venom attacks the red blood cells, destroying the wall of the blood vessel and causing uncontrolled hemorrhage. Coral snakes on the other hand use neurotoxic venom, with the toxins in the venom acting on the body nerves and inducing paralysis.

Most of the snake bites reported every year in the United States are attacks by Florida snakes or by rattlesnakes to be precise. As their venom spreads very quickly throughout the body, the victim will die within thirty minutes without the immediate administration of anti-venom.

A big exception in this group of Florida snakes is the copperheads, the venom of which rarely requires an antidote. Their toxins are the least potent and so they are considered t be the least dangerous of the poisonous Florida snakes.

It is precisely because of the danger that they present that poisonous snakes get the most attention, although the most widespread of Florida snakes is the Black Racer, which is a non-toxic species that depends on its sharp fangs to capture its prey.

Although home owners usually try to remove snakes from their gardens, specialists point out that, without them, rodents would soon multiply out of control giving us an even more cause for alarm.

Therefore, unless there are any special reasons for worrying, like snakes nesting in large numbers in your garden or outhouses, there is no reason to interfere with the lives of these usually shy, useful animals.

Interested in the Florida snakes? To learn more about snakes visit Caring for Snakes our new web site.

categories: snakes,reptiles,pets,exotic,animals,poison,venom,florida,toxins,tropical,USA,advice,outdoors,other

May 26, 2010

The Copperhead Snake.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 11:50 am

Copperhead snakes are the snakes that cause the nastiest and most frequent snake-bite problems in the United States. The copperhead can be distinguished by its stout shape and its neck, which is distinct from the body as well as by its pale cross-band tan pattern that gets darker in the middle and on the sides.

Copperhead snakes have pale bellies, similar to the ground on which they live, but they sometimes appear pretty whitish. There are visible spots or pits on the heads of these snakes that look like darker tiny specks, but there is also a rather discolored stripe on the head area behind the eyes; this stripe looks very diffuse on top but it gets brownish towards the edges.

Copperheads live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found under rocks, in woods and on river banks or in pond areas. Their choice of abode is dictated by the presence of prey, as they like to live on frogs, small rodents, cicadas, lizards, caterpillars and anything else that is no match for their size.

Among the best hide-outs for the copperhead, wood piles, stone slabs, walls, debris and abandoned or ruined buildings are the most common, which explains the possibility of a human encounter with them in such areas. These snakes are most active in the spring and summer months and as long as the weather stays warm, after which they enter the hibernation period.

The dens into which copperhead snakes retreat during winter are their homes year after year, and usually there are more specimens living in the same place. In summer time when it is too hot outside, copperhead snakes will stay in the shade during the day and go out to hunt at night. On pleasantly warm days, the copperhead will simply bask in the sun on rocks or wood debris. Copperheads do not hatch eggs, but give birth to live young. The number of young varies between one and fourteen. The mating period extends untill mid autumn.

The bites of copperhead snakes require immediate medical care since they are not only very painful but they may also lead to permanent scarring and tissue loss. Avoid copperhead snakes when you come across them. Many people get bitten when trying to kill them or pick them up.

Snakes will not attack you unless they feel threatened, then, you will see how fiercely they can defend themselves. Statistics reveal that these snakes have the highest incidence biting in the United States, because Copperhead snakes attack immediately without giving warning signs like other species do.

Interested in the Copperhead snake? To learn more about snakes visit http://caring-for-snakes.the-real-way.com our new web site.

categories: snakes,reptiles,unusual,pets,exotic,animals,florida,california,tropical,fauna,America,USA,outdoors,other

April 19, 2010

Stalking Snakes And Reptiles

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Colin Jones @ 5:54 pm

There are not many places in the world that haven’t been colonised by snakes and other reptiles. Snakes are even found in towns, although it is only the friendlier ones that usually survive our wrath. However, if you want to find a few of the more uncommon snakes, you could look in parks and fields, on beaches or in rivers and ponds and even in the sea, depending on where you live, naturally, as sea snakes are inclined to swim in warmer, tropical waters.

You will have to be alert and train your eyes to spot even the slightest movement. Wear clothes of dull, drab colours and move slowly, stopping often to listen for movement in the grass or bushes. In the beginning, you will have many false hopes, until you learn to tell the difference between the sounds of the different animals that live or hunt in the grass.

Snakes are difficult to find. Most of the adventurous snakes get killed by frightened (and often ignorant) humans, but a good tip is to look for relatively damp areas in arid regions and, conversely, dry spots in damp areas. Look for where their prey might congregate. For example, near water for toads and frogs. Watch for frightened lizards or birds fleeing for their lives. And listen for geckos warning each other of the presence of a predator.

If you must disturb anything, at least don’t wreck it and furthermore, ensure you put it back as you found it. Two useful tools to have while out looking for snakes and other reptiles are binoculars (for tree snakes) and a snake-hook, which should also be used for moving bits of debris so that you don’t risk getting bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion. A camera, a torch and a notebook and pen are quite, depending on how seriously you take your hobby of herpetology.

You could also take a rule or tape to measure your specimens and a few plastic bags and boxes to hold them while you are doing it. However, do not kill anything and do not take anything away with you either! Besides it not being right to wander into their territory and cause mayhem, it is often against the law too. Be very wary of picking up any snake that you cannot definitely identify as non-poisonous. You could be miles from anywhere and will probably not have any anti-venom with you. Since many snakes can kill within 30 minutes, you would probably die.

To summarize, go looking for snakes by all means. However, take it calmly and slowly and wear inconspicuous clothing. Furthermore, wear strong, hiking boots to give you some protection where you are most vulnerable and do not disturb anything you don’t have to. Take a snake-hook to move things if you have to; a tape, torch, camera, notebook and pen to record your experience and/or findings and a couple of clear plastic receptacles just in case you feel that you have to pick something up.

I hope you enjoy your search for snakes and other reptiles, but remember that they are not friendly and they are certainly not pets and be wary of bites especially when your search is not taking place in the gardens of a hospital!

If you are interested in snakes and reptiles, you should go to our website entitled Caring for Snakes

categories: snakes,reptiles,herpetology,pets,hobbies,interests,animals,poison,blood,family,recreation,walking,outdoors,other

April 7, 2010

Cobras

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 7:17 pm

The snake called the spitting cobra is one of the most peculiar species as it not only has a venomous bite but it also sprays venom into the eyes of its prey and aggressors. Contact of this venom with your eyes can be very painful and even temporarily blinding, therefore, if you get cobra venom in your eyes, irrigate them immediately in order to prevent permanent tissue damage.

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is also unusual in this large family of snakes (elapidae) because it feeds almost exclusively on other snakes with mice and small birds also making up part of its diet.

The King Cobra is also unique because of its size – it can reach 5.85m (almost 20 feet) in length, which makes it the longest poisonous snake in the world. The latest discovery of a new species of cobra was made in 2003 when it was identified by London Zoo as part of an illegal shipment of exotic pets.

Going by DNA reports, this new species of snake is similar to the red spitting cobra but differs in genes. It apparently originates from an area between Sudan and Egypt and it has been named the ‘Nubian Spitting Cobra’.

Although they are highly dangerous when threatened cobras will rarely attack if you keep your distance from them, although the spit can travel very accurately for two meters. Compared to the strike of a rattlesnake, the cobra is rather slow in its attack and besides that, many bites prove to be non-venomous.

A study conducted on Malaysian cobra snake victims indicates that only 55% of the wounds involved venom release and the same statistics indicate a mortality rate of 10% for people bitten, since the toxins injected into the blood of the prey devastate the nerves (neurotoxin) inducing respiratory failure half an hour after being bitten, giving you 30 minutes to seek an antidote.

Their colouration varies from light green-grey to black, although juveniles are yellow and black banded.This snake is widespread throughout south-eastern Asia.

Are you interested in the Cobras? To learn more about snakes visit Caring for Snakes our brand-new web site.

categories: snakes,reptiles,unusual,pets,exotic,animals,florida,california,tropical,fauna,Thailand,Asia,outdoors,other

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