Fauna | SLCLAWYERS.COM

May 4, 2010

Spitting Cobras

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: animals, Asia, california, exotic, fauna, florida, other, outdoors, pets, reptiles, snakes, Thailand, tropical, Uncategorized, unusual — Owen Jones @ 5:10 pm

The spitting cobra is one of the most peculiar species of snake as it not only has a deadly bite but it also sprays venom into the eyes of prey and aggressors alike. Contact with the eyes can be very painful and even blinding, therefore, if you accidentally get cobra snake venom in your eyes, wash them out immediately so as to prevent permanent damage to the tissue.

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is also unusual in this large family of snakes (elapidae) because it feeds almost exclusively on other snakes with mice and small birds also making up part of its diet.

The King Cobra sets another record in terms of size: it can get to nearly twenty feet long, which makes it the largest venomous snake in the world. The most recent discovery of a new cobra species was made in 2003, when a specimen was identified at a London Zoo as part of an illegal shipment of exotic pets.

DNA studies revealed that this new species of snake is similar to the red spitting cobra but has different genes. It seems to originate from an area between Sudan and Egypt and it has been called the ‘Nubian Spitting Cobra’.

Though highly dangerous when it is threatened cobras will not attack if you leave them alone, although the spit is very accurate for about two meters. Compared to the strike of a rattlesnake, the cobra is fairly slow in its attack and furthermore, many bites prove to be blank, that is without venom.

A study conducted on Malaysian cobra snake victims indicates that only 55% of the wounds involved venom release and the same statistics indicate a mortality rate of 10% for people bitten, since the toxins injected into the blood of the prey devastate the nerves (neurotoxin) inducing respiratory failure half an hour after being bitten, giving you 30 minutes to seek an antidote.

The colouration is variable from light green-grey to black, while juveniles are yellow and black banded. This snake can find a habitat all over south-eastern Asia.

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March 17, 2010

How Do Dogs Get Their Point Across?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: animals, communication, dogs, education, environment, evolution, fauna, happiness, history, how to, mammals, other, Uncategorized — Owen Jones @ 8:53 am

Dogs are just about the most intelligent of domestic pets. If you take the time to look, you will see that they have the ability to communicate with humans, other dogs and even other species. They do this with body language and voice. Their signs are made with the their eyes, ears, eyebrows, head, mouth and tail.

Their voice is clearly not the same as ours, but they use pitch in their barks, whines, whimpers, pants, growls and howls and their gestures are made with their entire body and every part of it.

You can always differentiate a confident and therefore higher ranking dog, because they hold their tails aloft. Dogs, like all other animals, including we humans, have an inborn sense or their position in society. This is because dogs evolved in packs in the wild, just as we evolved in villages. which is why they integrate well into our human society.

There is a pecking order within their group, as within human society. The subservient dogs submit themselves to the stronger dogs, which is why dogs lower their tail when they feel unsure of themselves. When dogs fight for dominance, the fur on their tails stands up and they have this trait in common with other animals. They do it to show that they are being serious in front of their adversary.

A dog that is uncertain what to do will wag its tail slowly. A bit like you or I might give a weak smile, unsure whether to smile openly or glower. They are in a process of working out whether they should accept the status quo or fight. Excited dogs wag their tails very fast and if the dog’s hip wiggles along with its tail, it means that the dog is in submissive mode to a higher ranker. A pet should do that to its owner, as you have become the leader of its substitute pack.

When dogs get aggressive they show their fangs, the same as humans. If all of the teeth are visible, it indicates that the dog is prepared to bite or attack. We do the same unconsciously. People often bare their teeth and snarl insults, before a fight. However, they also show teeth when they smile but this is an indication of submissiveness, again as we do – compliance here meaning a recognition that a fight is unnecessary.

With a dog, the number of teeth on display shows the difference between a smile and a snarl. In a smile, a dog only shows the front teeth, but in a snarl the dog shows all his teeth and gums and makes an aggressive noise.

Ears are a good sign of the dog’s degree of attention. When the ears are vertical and forward facing, it means that the dog is concentrating. But if the dog is relaxed, its ears will lie flat. However, some breeds do not have as much control over their ears.

Dogs bark to defend their territory, which comes to mean their boss’ territory, which should signify your property. However, barking is their usual speech so you will have to learn the difference between friendly play barking and aggression in your dog. It is pretty obvious though.

Study of your pet is the key, because, although all dogs are the same as in all humans are the same, there are small differences. They are not hard to learn, just spend some time with you dog and keep your mind open and it will become very obvious to you.

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categories: dogs,communication,animals,evolution,education,how to,history,evolution,fauna,environment,happiness,mammals,other,uncategorized

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December 17, 2009

The Copperhead Snake.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: America, animals, california, exotic, fauna, florida, other, outdoors, pets, reptiles, snakes, tropical, Uncategorized, unusual, USA — Owen Jones @ 12:36 pm

Though not as venomous as other species, the copperhead snake causes the majority of snake-bites in the US. The copperhead can be recognized by its stubby shape and the clear distinction between the neck and the rest of the body although the cross bands that make up the overall pattern make classification possible too.

Copperhead snakes have pale bellies, which makes it look very similar to its background, but their colourisation also be whitish sometimes. There are obvious spots or pits on the heads of these animals that appear like tiny dark specks. There is also a rather vague stripe on its head behind its eyes; less prominent on the top, the stripe gets a lot darker towards the sides of the snake’s head.

Copperheads live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found under rocks, in woods and on river banks or in pond areas. Their choice of abode is dictated by the presence of prey, as they like to live on frogs, small rodents, cicadas, lizards, caterpillars and anything else that is no match for their size.

The most usual hidey-holes for the copperhead, wood piles, stone slabs, walls, debris and abandoned or ruined buildings are the most common, which explains why people come across copperheads so often in such areas. The active months of the year for these snakes are in the spring and summer for as long as the weather stays warm. After that they go into hibernation.

Copperhead snakes use the dens in which they spend the winter year after year and usually there are large numbers of other individuals in hibernation together. In summer time when it is too hot outside, the copperhead will stay in the shade during the day and hunt at night. On lovely warm days, this snake will lie in the sun on rocks or wood debris. The young of copperheads are born live and are not hatched; their number ranges between one and fourteen, with the mating period extending ’till mid autumn.

The bites of copperhead snakes must have immediate medical care since they are not only very painful but they may also lead to permanent scarring and tissue loss. Avoid copperhead snakes when you come across them, since many people get bitten when trying to kill or handle them.

Snakes will not harm you unless they feel threatened, then, you will become the victim of a fierce attack by a creature that is just as afraid of us as we are of them. Statistics reveal that these snakes have the highest incidence in bite frequency in the United States, because Copperhead snakes attack quite out of the blue without giving threatening warnings like other species.

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categories: snakes,reptiles,unusual,pets,exotic,animals,florida,california,tropical,fauna,America,USA,outdoors,other

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October 14, 2009

Cobras

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: animals, Asia, california, exotic, fauna, florida, other, outdoors, pets, reptiles, snakes, Thailand, tropical, Uncategorized, unusual — Colin Jones @ 2:37 pm

by Colin Jones

The King Cobra is also unique because of its size – it can reach 5.85m (almost 20 feet) in length, which makes it the longest poisonous snake in the world. The latest discovery of a new species of cobra was made in 2003 when it was identified by London Zoo as part of an illegal shipment of exotic pets.

According to DNA studies this new species of snake is similar to the red spitting cobra but different in terms of genes. It appears to have originated in an area between Sudan and Egypt, and it was given the name of the ‘Nubian Spitting Cobra’.

Though highly dangerous when it senses a threat, a cobra will not attack if you leave it in peace, although the venomous spit can travel very accurately for two meters. If compared to the strike of a rattlesnake, the cobra is pretty slow in attack, and many bites prove blank, that is without envenomation.

According to a study conducted on Malaysian cobra snake victims only 55% of the bites involved venom release and the same statistics indicate a mortality rate of 10% for people bitten, since the toxins injected into the blood of the prey destroy the nerves (neurotoxin) , which induces respiratory failure half an hour after being bitten, giving you 30 minutes to get help.

The colouration of this snake is variable from light green-grey to black, whereas juveniles have alternate yellow and black bands.This snake is to be found all over south-eastern Asia.

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