Monday, March 29, 2010

Danger in Green....


The black mamba (D. polytheism) is the longest venomous snake in Africa, with a potent neurotic venom that attacks the nervous system, and Cardiod toxins which attack the heart; the bite is often fatal to humans without access to proper first aid and subsequent ant venom treatment, because it shuts down the lungs and heart. Prior to the availability of antivenin, envenoms by members of this genus carried a high fatality rate. However, with ant venom being much more available today, fatalities have become much rarer.
The black mamba is not named for the color of its body (which is usually a shade of Grey or charcoal), but for the highly pigmented interior of its mouth, which it will display to the predator in hopes it will leave it alone. Many people believe that the black mamba will actually chase and attack humans. This is a myth, and is probably fueled by the great speed with which this species can move — although the black mamba uses this speed to escape from threats rather than for hunting. Humans are actually their predators, rather than their prey. For that reason, mambas generally avoid contact with humans. However, if a mamba feels threatened or trapped, it may defend itself fiercely, and it has the ability to attack repeatedly.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Anaconda....


Anacondas live in South America, east of the Andes, mainly in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, and in the Guianas. Their habitat is marshes, brushes, and swamps. They are never found far away from water. The swamps are their favorite spots. When kept out of the water, an anaconda's body becomes infested with ticks.
The anaconda gives birth to live young. The gestation period is 6 months. A female can have up to 20-40 babies and sometimes as many as 100. The young are usually 2 feet long. A couple hours after they are born, the young can swim, hunt and care for themselves. After mating, the anaconda grows longer but slower.
Snakes have a special jaw attachment that lets them swallow large animals whole. An anaconda's diet in the wild is: deer, wild pigs, birds, ocelot, other snakes, tapirs, sheep, dogs and large rodents like agouti, paca, and capybara . Its diet in the zoo is thawed rats once or twice a month. Anacondas act fast to catch their prey. When the anaconda strikes it will squeeze its prey to death, but it prefers to drown its victim. Although the anaconda is slow on land, it is quick and deadly in the water. The anaconda has been known to attack jaguars, and a 26 foot anaconda was reported to have killed a 6-and-a-half-foot caiman. A huge anaconda is capable of surviving for months and even years without food. One captive snake fasted for two years.