Death Adder
The Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus), is a specie of Death Adder native to Australia. It is one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia and the world. Unlike its sister species of Death Adders, the Common Death Adder is common and is not under major threat.Common Death Adders have broad flattened, triangular heads and thick bodies. Reaching a length of 70-100 centimeters, they are light brown with dull, darker brown-black stripes running horizontally across their bodies. Their fangs are longer than most of Australia’s venomous snakes.Common Death Adders are found in forests, woodlands, grasslands and heaths of the Eastern Coast of Australia. It is a master of camouflage, due to its band stripes, hiding beneath loose leaf litter and debris in woodland, shrubland and grassland.
Russell's Viper
The Russell's viper is one of the most dangerous snakes in all of Asia, accounting for thousands of deaths each year. Once bitten, people experience a wide variety of symptoms including pain, swelling, vomiting, dizziness, blood incoagubility and kidney failure. We will examine the effect of the venom on the blood clotting mechanism and the kidneys in order to better understand how the venom kills and the best way to treat envenomed patients.They are mainly found dangerously close to human territory.
Indian or spectacled cobra
INDIAN MYTHOLOGY: Importance is given to almost all types of snakes in Indian mythology. The intent may be to conserve and preserve the balance of nature. The cobra stands out as one among the most revered and highly worshipped snakes. Lord Shiva is often portrayed with a protective cobra coiled around the neck and Lord Vishnu is usually represented as resting on the coiled body of sheshnag, a snake deity with a number of cobra heads. Cobras are also worshipped during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami. There are numerous myths about cobras in India, including the idea that they mate with rat snakes. This is a fallacy.
DISTRIBUTION: The spectacled cobra is widely distributed across the length and breadth of the country from sea level up to 4000 m (in the Himalayas). The colour varies from black or dark brown to yellowish white. The famous spectacled markings are but a pair of connected rings. In some cobras, the spectacled markings are altogether absent. The cobras of North West India are more blackish in colour and have barely distinguishable spectacled markings.
HABITAT: No fixed habitat like dense jungle or scrub lands. With unchecked habitat destruction, cobras can be found in open places and very close to dwelling places too. Cobras are active both during the night and day.
BEHAVIOUR: Cobras are shy by nature and under most circumstances try to avoid human beings. They would rather hide or flee than fight. But their shyness or timidness should not be taken for granted, because they are hostile when provoked. All cobras are intelligent and provide three distinct warnings before they strike human beings.
It is important to realize that most snake bites from cobras are not life threatening, for the simple reason that the cobra injects very small amounts of venom or no venom at all depending on the severity of the threat. This is called a DRY BITE. (Not life threatening)
DISTRIBUTION: The spectacled cobra is widely distributed across the length and breadth of the country from sea level up to 4000 m (in the Himalayas). The colour varies from black or dark brown to yellowish white. The famous spectacled markings are but a pair of connected rings. In some cobras, the spectacled markings are altogether absent. The cobras of North West India are more blackish in colour and have barely distinguishable spectacled markings.
HABITAT: No fixed habitat like dense jungle or scrub lands. With unchecked habitat destruction, cobras can be found in open places and very close to dwelling places too. Cobras are active both during the night and day.
BEHAVIOUR: Cobras are shy by nature and under most circumstances try to avoid human beings. They would rather hide or flee than fight. But their shyness or timidness should not be taken for granted, because they are hostile when provoked. All cobras are intelligent and provide three distinct warnings before they strike human beings.
It is important to realize that most snake bites from cobras are not life threatening, for the simple reason that the cobra injects very small amounts of venom or no venom at all depending on the severity of the threat. This is called a DRY BITE. (Not life threatening)
Bamboo Pit Viper
Common Name: Asian lance-headed vipers, bamboo vipers
Size:
Appearance: They are typically green in color, but some species also have yellow, black, orange or red markings
Venom: Their venom varies between species in toxicity, but all are primarily hemotoxic and considered to be medically significant to humans
Nature: Most are relatively small, primarily arboreal species, with thin bodies and prehensile tails
Distribution: Southeast Asia from India to southern China and Japan, and the Malay Archipelago to Timor
Size:
Appearance: They are typically green in color, but some species also have yellow, black, orange or red markings
Venom: Their venom varies between species in toxicity, but all are primarily hemotoxic and considered to be medically significant to humans
Nature: Most are relatively small, primarily arboreal species, with thin bodies and prehensile tails
Distribution: Southeast Asia from India to southern China and Japan, and the Malay Archipelago to Timor
Red Diamond Rattlesnake
The red diamond rattlesnake, also known as the red diamondback, is a large, venomous snake that lives in an area ranging from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. It takes its name from its distinctive coloring and the pattern along its back.
- Name
- According to the San Diego Natural History Museum, the red diamond rattlesnake's scientific name, Crotalus exsul, comes from the Greek word for a rattle and the Latin word for exile. It was called an "exile" because the holotype specimen, the specimen used when the species was first described scientifically, was found on Isla Cedros, an island off the coast of Baja California.
The snake was once also called Crotalus ruber, with ruber referring to its red color. However, when scientists learned that the Crotalus exsul and Crotalus ruber were the same animals, they dropped the name Croalus ruber.
- The red diamond rattlesnake has a red color that varies to shades of pink and tan, though young snakes start with a gray color before gaining their reddish tint. Diamond-shaped blotches extend down the adult snake's back to a tail adorned with black and white rings.
The longest red diamond rattlesnake recorded measured 5 feet, 5 inches. According to the California Living Museum, adults average 2 to 4-½ feet long, though the San Diego Natural History Museum says adults are more likely to top out at 3-½ feet.
"The Red Diamond Rattlesnake's size and beauty make it a very impressive animal, especially when seen in the wild," the San Diego Natural History Museum says.
- According to an October 2002 story in National Geographic Today, researchers at the University of California at San Diego began tracking red diamond rattlesnakes in 1990 using implanted radio transmitters. Data collected over several years showed that the snakes generally travel no more than a few miles in a lifetime and that they maintain a mental map of their surroundings that helps them return to the same bush or rock---the snake's preferred habitat.
In addition, the study showed that the snakes hole up communal dens during the winter, with as many as seven males and females sharing a den. During this period between November and March, the rattlesnakes don't hunt and rarely emerge from their den.
- Once they emerge from the dens, the red diamond rattlesnakes begin a breeding season that runs through April. Five months later, the females give birth to as many as 20 babies measuring 11 to 14 inches in length.
The snake's diet consists of rodents such as rats and ground squirrels, rabbits and birds. During the hot summer months, they hunt mostly at night. They have been known to live as long as 19 years in captivity.
- The California Living Museum says, "This rattlesnake normally displays a non-aggressive demeanor," while the San Diego Natural History Museum notes that "This particular rattlesnake is noted for its mellow disposition, but individuals vary." The U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center is more cautious, saying of the red diamond rattlesnake: "venomous; don't handle or use extreme caution."
- According to the San Diego Natural History Museum, the red diamond rattlesnake's scientific name, Crotalus exsul, comes from the Greek word for a rattle and the Latin word for exile. It was called an "exile" because the holotype specimen, the specimen used when the species was first described scientifically, was found on Isla Cedros, an island off the coast of Baja California.