Snakes

In this article I decide that it would be great to write about snakes. So I decided to research the topic and see what this writer could find out about the many different kinds that share the planet with us. My research was very rewarding and this writer was able to find some great images as well as a large amount of information concerning some of these creatures.
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This snake is very poisonous and was used in ancient Egypt by royalty to commit suicide. You the reader may recall the story of Cleopatra and how she used this venomous snake on herself after experimenting with its poisons on several of her subjects first. The asp was also used as a symbol of royalty by both Romans and Egyptians and in both Egypt and Greece its potent and very toxic venom was used in the execution of criminals that were thought to deserve a more dignified death.
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Most sea snakes are considered to be poisonous like the one in the image above. The Geographical range of these particular spices of sea snakes is the Timor Sea, South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and coasts of Australia. They can also be found in New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Indonesia, southern New Guinea, Indonesia, Vietnam and western Malaysia.
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 Most sea snakes are not considered to be aggressive with exception of a few and will not go out of their way to attack unless threatened or provoked.
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The coral snake posses the second most poisonous venom of any North American snake. The Rattle snake is known to hold first place. Few bites from the coral snake are recorded because they are very reclusive in nature and live in sparsely inhabited areas. When confronted by humans in most cases they will flee. Researchers say that they will bite only as a last resort. So give these snakes their space and do not corner them as they will bite you and you could very well die.
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The neurotoxins from this snake bite causes neurological symptoms, paralysis and often end in death due to respiratory paralysis. Rattlesnakes are also eaten and considered a popular food in some parts of the world; they are sold as a specialty food in some meat stores. Those that have eaten rattlesnake as well as this writer say they taste a lot like chicken.
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If by chance you get bitten by one of these snakes do seek medical attention right away. All rattlesnakes’ bites are considered life threatening. Another interesting fact about rattlesnakes concerning bites is that a young rattler bite can often be very fatal as the young snake has not learned to control the amount of venom it releases and will often empty all the venom in its glands into its victim.
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So if you’re thinking of having one of these snakes as a pet like in an aquarium remember there are pretty obvious risks involved concerning the private ownership of these snakes.
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The Black Mamba is one of Africa’s most poisonous snakes and can be found throughout most of Africa in locations such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, Malawi, South Africa and the Congo.
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The mamba prefers the grassy areas but has also been known to live in bushes and in the trees. It warns by striking out at its attacker several times and has been known to bite and inject its venom into larger creatures several times as well to bring the predator down.
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The Black Mamba average length is about 8.2 feet long and has also been captured and recorded at 14 feet in length on rare occasions. This venomous snake is considered to be one of the fastest snakes in the world, on land in speed. The King Cobra comes in second place concerning the speed factor. This researcher found this to be a very insightful tidbit of information, while doing the researching for this article.
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The males and females mating cycle can last several days once they entwine around each other. Once the two are done mating they part company and the female will often carry her eggs 25-52 days before laying them. Another interesting fact is that once the young snakes hatch they are completely independent of the adult snake. This means they are fully equipped and can survive on their own from the time they are hatched till adulthood. Amazing isn’t it?
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The King Cobra can kill up to five times faster than the Black Mamba with a single bite because of its size it can release a huge amount of venom into its prey with just one strike. The King Cobra’s common enemy and natural predator is known to be the Mongoose. The mongoose has some resistance to its venom so in most encounters with it the snake will try to flee first before fighting or defending its self.
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The bite of the King Cobra can kill a human within a very few minute and another interesting fact I came across concerning this poisonous snake was that it can take down an Asian elephant and kill it within three hours of biting it. The snake usually bites the elephant inside the soft part of its trunk.
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This snake can be found in North and South Carolina although it is poisonous. Like many other venomous snakes, it likes to keep to itself and avoid humans. These snakes are generally non-aggressive and their bites are seldom if ever fatal. Test on lab rats showed its potency to be among the lowest of all vipers and slightly weaker than its relative the cottonmouth.
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Another interesting find while researching this snake was that the venom of the Southern copperhead has a protein called “Contortrostatin” that stops the growth of cancer cells as well as stops tumors from spreading to other areas on the body. This is a truly amazing discovery and will one day help in the cure for the dreaded disease.
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The Geographic range of the Southern Copperhead in the United States is: the lower Mississippi Valley and the states that boarder the Gulf of Mexico, from eastern Texas and the southeastern Oklahoma to southern Illinois. This species has also been found on the South Atlantic Coastal Plain from the panhandle of Florida right up to South Carolina.
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These snakes can be found in the woodlands and swamps of South Carolina and the aggressiveness of them has been greatly exaggerated. Test that was conducted concerning their aggressive behavioral patterns toward human produced some interesting results. Like most snakes of this kind they will try to avoid humans at almost all cost.
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51% of all the test snake subjects first tried to flee and 78% resorted to threat display and other defense tactives. Only when they were picked up with a mechanical hand did they resort to striking. Another interesting find concerning these snakes was that when they become stressed they will often vibrate their tails, coil their bodies and hold their head and mouth open at a 45 degree angle. If you look closely at the image above you’ll see how it got its name of, Cottonmouth. Notice the interior of this snake’s mouth resembles that of a ball of cotton.
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