“Venom” is not a word to use lightly. It is richly suggestive, conjuring thoughts of poisonous snakes like copperheads, water moccasins and rattlesnakes. So perhaps it is not surprising that my reference to eastern garter snakes as “mildly venomous” in a Spring Time post a few weeks ago troubled some readers.
Two years ago, Chaitanya Shukla was visiting family in Konkan, India. During the visit, while out walking around the farm he came across this saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus) with her babies hiding under a rock.
Also known as “The Dance of the Adders”, this is a form of ritual combat between two male adders (Vipera berus). This show of strength will decide who gets the territory and the females!
Coming to an area near you: snakes, and plenty of them. With unusually warm temperatures and plenty of rainfall this spring, experts say this could be a bumper crop year for snakes. While Texas has never been short on the snake commodities list, people and pets should be aware that they are out and about, says a Texas A&M University expert.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) by photographed by Henrik Vind
Illustrations of the zoology of South Africa. v.3. London :Smith, Elder and Co.,1838-1849. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30303849
Dealing with the Short-snouted Vinesnake (Oxybelis brevirostris) from Ecuador, South America may be a risky task – a task you might want to avoid! This is not just because it strikes with amazing accuracy with seemingly very little provocation, but it is also venomous!
The Eyelash Palm-Pitviper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is regarded as one of the most spectacular snakes of the neotropics. A photo by Alejandro Arteaga on Flickr.
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