Snakes and Spiders » biting snake

The Asian Rock Python

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:15:59 +0000

Image Credited to Flickr User mango atchar

The Asian rock python, otherwise known as python molurus, can be found in West Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and in parts of southern Asia and China. The rock python is also one of the biggest snakes on the planet. This snake has been known to eat huge prey that most snakes can not handle. They are not that far behind the reticulated python in size.

The rock python has been known to exceed twenty feet in length, and they are a heavy bodied snake. While they are not venomous, they do have a number of very dangerous teeth that can deliver quite a nasty bite. The real power for this snake, however, is in it’s coils. The Asian rock python is a constrictor in that they squeeze the life out of their prey before swallowing them whole.

They like to live in valleys, heavily forested areas, and even out in wide open clearings where food is available. They always live close to a water source.

The rock python primarily eats rodents, birds, other snakes and reptiles, and small mammals. Once they get larger, they might take much larger prey. Some rock pythons have been known to attempt eating caymen, and even the occasional young jaguar.

While the rock python is not generally considered to be a big danger to humans, they are certainly capable of harming us. Given the opportunity, they can be deadly. Give this snake a wide berth if you come into contact with one.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS. Subscribe here to Snakes and Spiders.com!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Black Snake Story

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:38:48 +0000

The Black Snake Photo Credit to WIkipedia Commons User Patrick Coin

Everybody out there seems to have a story about that black snake that showed up in the backyard and so on. Somebody always has one that rolled down the hill after them and was hell bent on biting them. I always chuckle at the stories, because the black snake is supposed to be one of the least dangerous of the snakes in America. Until today…. I had an experience with a black snake that I thought you guys might get a kick out of, so I thought I would share it here.

My black snake did not roll down a hill (no snake can do that by the way) but it sure did surprise me. In all my vast experience with snakes, I had never actually come across one in the wild so to speak. I had seen them in zoos and the like, but they were always behind glass.

Today I was riding down the road and as I rounded the corner to my home, I came across a snake crawling across the road. It was moving fairly slow, and it was bright black so I pulled over and hopped out to check it out.

I knew what a black snake should look like, and quickly identified it as such. The snake was about three feet long and slender, and it quickly noticed me and went to slither away as most snakes do. I could not leave it at that because I love seeing snakes in the wild.

Just as it was about to slither under a board, I grabbed it’s tail and began to pull it back out into the open. Wham! It spun around and barely missed hitting me on the hand. I jumped about six feet into the air it scared me so badly! This thing was quick and was much more likely to strike than I expected. I had barely even touched it and it was ready to strike.

After a couple more attempts at grabbing the snake, the thing struck again. Again it missed. Fortunately, the black snake is not venomous, so I was in no real danger. Still, I have heard a black snake bite is quite painful. Finally, the snake coiled up and just watched me. It took several attempts but the black snake finally let me watch him for a bit.

My first experience with a black snake was memorable, if for no other reason than the aggressive nature of it. I was surprised and found it to be quite exciting. I would love to hear of any black snake stories you might have had. Leave them in the comments below if you have one yourself.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS. Subscribe here to Snakes and Spiders.com!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Boomslang – Fact and Fiction

admin — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:30:24 +0000

Boomslang Pic Credited to Wikipedia User William Warby from London, England

Are Dangerous?

Where Do You Find The ?

How Big Do Get?

How Do You Identify A ?

What Does The Eat?

Are Generally Biters?

Found throughout the trees of subsaharan Africa, you will find a deadly snake called the boomslang. Boomslang, which is translated to the term “tree snake” is a very apt description. This venomous repitile is noted for being one of the most beautiful and deadly snakes in all of Africa.

Are Boomslangs Dangerous?

The boomslang is quite deadly, and is one of the few colubrids that can actually inject venom rather easily. This is because they have large rear fangs in which they deliver hemotoxic venom when they bite. Hemotoxins disable the blood from clotting, and many people who are bitten will bleed from every opening in their body. This is a gruesome death, but luckily the boomslang is a somewhat reluctant biter. They generally only bite when they are messed with, and the fact that they reside in trees limits their interaction with humans. Still, the bite is so serious that one must leave them alone if they are wise.

Where Do You Find The Boomslang?

The boomslang is found in the trees of subsaharan Africa. They rarely if ever venture out of the trees.

How Big Do Boomslangs Get?

The boomslang is long and slender, but rarely get larger than six feet.

How Do You Identify A Boomslang?

The boomslang is known for their large eyes, and varied coloration. The female is often a brownish color, while the male is usually a light green color with bluish tint around the edges of the scales. They are so commonly found in trees that identifying the boomslang is rather easy.

What Does The Boomslang Eat?

Boomslangs eat birds, insects, lizards, and anything small enough that they can swallow. Occasionally they will take other snakes.

Are Boomslangs Generally Biters?

As stated above, the boomslang is reluctant biters. The problem here is that they are so deadly when they do bite. Because of this, one should never approach a boomslang. The bite could kill you for sure.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS. Subscribe here to Snakes and Spiders.com!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.