The four species of bushmaster, found in the rainforests of Central and South America, are the world’s longest vipers. Naturalist Dan Eatherley tells the captivating story of Lecky, “the Mahatma Gandhi of reptiles”...
World’s largest viper: “Six feet long and vicious”
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El Nino brings venomous sea snakes to California's coast
(CNN)El Nino is bringing more than just rain to California. A highly venomous sea snake was spotted in Ventura County on Thursday evening. By Friday, a surfer had captured footage of the sea snake lying on the beach. "It looked lethargic when I approached," Bob Forbes told CNN. "I touched it lightly and it started to move." Fearing that children might come across the aquatic snake, Forbes placed it inside a five-gallon bucket with some ocean water and alerted local wildlife experts. The discovery is a rare Southern California...
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Scientists survey an Orange County neighborhood's nonnative lizard populations
Some of the highest densities of lizards in Southern California are found in portions of Orange County, where nonnative anoles and geckos have established thriving populations among the palm trees and rose gardens of ranch-style homes. On Monday, three biologists ventured into a tidy neighborhood in the City of Orange to better understand the distribution and breeding behavior of these fast and agile invaders, as well as their effects on native species. During the eight-hour expedition, the team led by Greg Pauley, herpetological curator at the Natural History Museum of Los...
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Now, a project to breed king cobras
Kannur: The Parassinikkadavu Snake Park in the district, run by the Pappinissery Visha Chikilsa Kendram founded by CMP leader M V Raghavan, has launched a new programme to breed king cobras at its mini zoo. The research initiative is part of the efforts taken to protect the endangered species, institute director E Kunhiraman...
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DNA Test Links Snakebites to Species
To treat victims of snakebites, it's important to know which type of snake did the biting. Now, a new test looks at the tiny bits of snake DNA that are left in the fang marks on victims, to identify the species, a new study shows. In the study, researchers collected 194 DNA samples from the bite sites on snakebite victims in Nepal. In 21 cases, the patients actually brought the dead snake that had bitten them to the treatment center, and the researchers were able to verify the source of the bite. In all of those cases, the results of the DNA test agreed with the dead-snake species identification conducted by independent experts. "You need to know...
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2nd time unlucky! Mumbai teen dies after snake stunt goes awry
A file picture of Avez Mistry with a cobra Remember the old adage ‘once bitten, twice shy’? Had a 19-year-old given it some thought, he wouldn’t have to pay with his life. Barely three months after having a narrow escape from death following a snakebite, Avez Mistry was killed when he was attacked in a similar...
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Another Extremely Rare Venomous Sea Snake Washes Up On California's Coast
For the second time in just two months, an extremely rare venomous sea snake has made a surprise appearance on Southern California's coastline, suggesting that the abnormally warm temperatures of the local waters are attracting species that would have once given the area a miss. A dead yellow-bellied sea snake, of a type commonly found throughout the warmer Pacific and Indian Oceans, washed up Friday along Bolsa Chica State Beach, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles, according to the Natural...
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Florida Museum to host 40th annual herpetological conference (Florida Museum of Natural History)
(Source: Florida Museum of Natural History) February 20th, 2017 GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Snake, frog, turtle and lizard enthusiasts from around the world will gather at the Florida Museum of Natural History's 40th annual herpetological conference in March. The symposium will bring together amateurs and professionals for talks, workshops and exhibits on the latest herpetology research March 25-26 at the Wyndham Garden Gainesville, 2900 SW 13th St. The alligator snapping turtle is an example of endangered wildlife. Florida Museum of Natural History photo by Eric...
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Poachers using science papers to target newly discovered species
Journals begin withholding locations after warnings the data is helping smugglers drive lizards, snakes and frogs to ‘near-extinction’...
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Papua New Guinea's Snake Man
It’s a fearsome creature cloaked in superstition. The Papuan Taipan kills about 1,000 people in Papua New...
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Save snakes, say environmentalists on World Snake Day
As snake bites claim a number of human lives and at the same time countless snakes are killed in Odisha every year, conservationists on the occasion of World Snake Day have called for comprehensive strategy to prevent destruction of the reptile habitats. The Odisha government says as many as 302 persons, mostly in rural pockets, have died after being bit by snakes during 2015-16. Annually, on an average 300 persons lose lives to...
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New species of Gecko discovered in Chhattisgarh forest
RAIPUR: A new species of gecko "EUBLEPHARIS SATPURAENSIS" (reptile) has been discovered for the first time in Chhattisgarh's rich biodiversity forest at Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary in Kawardha district. The population of the new species looks quite dense and indicates that the eco-system suits it for further conservation. Earlier found only in Madhya Pradesh, the species was spotted during tiger census being conducted in the sanctuary on the hills of Satpuda range. Forest department now plans to write to Zoological Survey of India...
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Snakes bare fangs at youths' photo op craze
NASHIK: Nineteen-year-old Jalandhar Govind from Nashik Road had a close shave when trying to catch a poisonous snake to impress his friends with a photograph on Independence Day. Jalandhar is at present undergoing treatment at the Nashik Civil Hospital, while his friends, who were recording his misadventure on their cellphones, are still busy forwarding his photographs with the venomous snake. Similar is the case of Subhash Bhalerao, a resident of Berwadi in...
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Rare death from snake bite in Australian home
A man has died a week after being bitten by one of the world's deadliest snakes in his living room in Australia's tropical northeast, officials said. The 77-year-old, named in local media as David...
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Rattlesnake exhibit aims to set record straight (State of Nebraska)
(Source: State of Nebraska) OMAHA - Walk into a slim canyon off the main path of the Desert Dome and listen closely. If you're lucky, you might hear the rattling of venomous snakes. Thirteen rattlesnakes slither around a silver mine-themed exhibit. Three inches of slightly angled protective glass separates spectators from what the Henry Doorly Zoo says is the world's largest indoor rattlesnake exhibit. Built where a hummingbird exhibit once stood, the newly opened 1,500 square-foot Rattlesnake Canyon features a 150 square-foot main attraction, two smaller displays of snakes and lizards and the lone remaining hummingbird display in the zoo. In total, 12 species of rattlesnakes and...
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Weird Animal Question of the Week: What's the Most Toxic Snake?
Snakes are sneaky-even questions about them can wiggle right out of your grasp. When Arocha Musa of Kampala, Uganda, wrote in asking, "What makes the cobra the most dangerous snake?" we quickly realized two things: Cobras aren't considered the most dangerous snake, and finding out which is poses a challenge. (Learn more about the world's deadliest snakes on Nat Geo WILD.) "If you're playing Trivial Pursuit, the answer is the inland taipan," quips Kate Jackson,...
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Doesn't Make Scents? Snakebite Causes Man to Lose Ability to Smell
In an unusual medical case, a man in Australia lost his sense of smell for more than a year after he was bitten by a venomous snake, according to a new report of his case. The man has since regained some of his sense of smell, but he is still unable to fully detect smells the way he did before his encounter with the reptile, called the mulga snake, said the doctors and other experts who examined the man's neurological condition about a year after he was bitten and who wrote the report of his case. "As far as I know, he is still affected but somewhat improved," said Kenneth D. Winkel, a toxinologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, who co-authored the report. The...
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More snakes out and about due to rainy spring, hot summer, experts say
After a snake was spotted swimming between the flags at NSW beach, experts have warned to expect to see more snakes out and about thanks to the rainy spring and record heat. On Wednesday, a 1.5 metre long brown snake was seen in the water at One Mile Beach in NSW, while in Queensland a pregnant mother of three was hospitalised after being bitten by a king brown snake in her home. NSW Ambulance paramedics provided emergency medical assistance to 241 patients bitten by snakes across NSW in 2014, up from 234 the previous year. "The warmer temperatures increase the risk of snake...
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Researchers discover new species of burrowing snake in Western Ghats
Kolhapur: Researchers have discovered a new snake species in the Western Ghats in Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts. It is a burrowing snake of the Melanophidium genus and belongs to the Uropeltidae family of snakes. All species of this group are burrowers that live mostly underground. The species has been named after Pune-based herpetologist (one who studies snakes) Neelimkumar Khaire to pay tribute to his contribution to the knowledge, appreciation and conservation...
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October 06, 2016—Beautiful and deadly: Live reptile exhibition opens on October 7 (Canadian Museum of Nature)
(Source: Canadian Museum of Nature) Home About Us Museum News For Media Press Releases Beautiful and deadly: Live reptile exhibition opens on October 7 OTTAWA, October 6, 2016 - The mystery and wonder of live lizards, snakes, turtles and other reptiles around the world are revealed in the Canadian Museum of Nature's (CMN) newest exhibition, Reptiles: Beautiful and Deadly, which opens October 7. 'This is the largest travelling reptile exhibition in the world and we're very excited to showcase it at our Museum,' says Meg Beckel, President and CEO of the CMN. 'The experience is meant to explode common myths and instill a new appreciation for these...
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