Tag: Snakes

Christmas tree shipment in Hawaii contains slithery, alarming surprise

The discovery of a gopher snake underscores the heightened concern regarding invasive species as holiday deliveries ramp up.

It’s illegal to possess and transport snakes in Hawaii because if the non-native reptiles were to gain a foothold it could be devastating for native wildlife.

So when a gopher snake was discovered Saturday in a shipment of Christmas trees being unloaded at a store in Hilo, it sounded alarm bells.

“Store staff unloaded about half the container before they spotted the snake, then closed the container and called the Hawaii Department of Agriculture,” the agency stated in a news release. “Inspectors in Hilo responded and captured the two-foot-long snake. The inspectors checked every Christmas tree and the inside of the container.”

No other snakes were found, but the discovery underscored the high level of concern as Christmas trees begin to arrive for the holidays.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCnKX86SDNq/

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture stated that an estimated 135 shipping copntainers holding thousands of trees and wreaths will unload at Hawaiian ports this season. So far, about 46,450 Christmas trees have been delivered.

But for the Department of Agriculture, trying to control the presence of snakes, which have no natural predators in the wild, is a yearround effort.

Last April, a wellness check at an eldery resident’s home in Honolulu resulted in the discovery of a live python that measured 3-1/2 feet.

Last January, a 20-inch gopher snake was found in a shipping container that was being unloaded at a Molokai hardware store. Police arrived and killed the snake with a pellet gun.

Possession of illegal animals in Hawaii is a Class C felony. Violators face fines up to $200,000 and up to three years in prison.

‘Would you have stepped on it?’ Deadly snake ridiculously hard to spot

The puff adder is nearly impossible to spot until the narrator zooms in and reveals the venomous snake hiding in the bushes.

The puff adder is one of the deadliest snakes in Africa, and also an expert at camouflage.

Can you spot the puff adder in the accompanying image, or in the footage before the narrator zooms in? (Footage posted below.)

Or, as asked by Watamu Snake Farm in Kenya: “Would you have stepped on it?”

As for the image, look just left of the dangling gold leaf and good luck. The answer is best provided in the footage as the narrator discusses the snake’s ability to remain hidden while it “lies in wait.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCHH8gSoBrO/

A few facts about puff adders, courtesy of Siyabona Africa:

–The puff adder gets its name for its propensity to inflate itself and hiss when threatened.

–The puff adder’s venom causes swelling, blisters, and tissue damage. Snake bite victims are urged to seek medical help as quickly as possible. (Most fatalities occur because of a secondary infection or improper medial care.)

–The puff adder is extra dangerous because it typically holds its ground when danger approaches, relying on camouflage. It will not retreat from footsteps and it will bite if stepped upon.

From Siyabona Africa: “The Puff Adder is responsible for more bites and fatalities in Africa than any other snake due to its habit of not moving away from approaching footsteps, instead blowing out air as a warning, hence the name.”

Burmese python in Florida tries to swallow 77-pound deer; video

Biologists studying the invasive reptiles’ impacts on Florida wildlife recently documented the extraordinary predation event.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida on Thursday shared images and video showing a Burmese python attempting to “ingest” a 77-pound white-tailed deer.

The adult female python, photographed in South Florida by conservancy biologist Ian Bartoszek, measured 14 feet, 8 inches.

Bartoszek stated: “Watching an invasive apex predator swallow a full-sized deer in front of you is something that you will never forget.

“The impact the Burmese python is having on native wildlife cannot be denied. This is a wildlife issue of our time for the Greater Everglades ecosystem.”

(Click here to view video footage showing the extraordinary predation event.)

The imagery, showcased via Facebook, was used in a collaborative study “to better understand the ecological impacts of the invasive Burmese python.”

https://www.facebook.com/ConservancySWF/posts/pfbid0W1ipaYfxoaTfKZcXV7YhBrRyaQnneRcFauyZ4hPdSu7qy17BzgG28rMYNKxEkaj3l

The study was published recently in the journal of Reptiles and Amphibians.

Burmese pythons, which can measure nearly 20 feet, are native to Southeast Asia. They have established populations throughout South Florida, including the Everglades region.

They have no natural predators (besides humans) and continue to expand their range, posing a growing threat to native wildlife.

Because of this, they are not protected and the state allows the humane killing of pythons without a permit or hunting license.

The largest python captured in Florida measured 18 feet.

No mistaking fabled ‘king’ after close encounter in India

Folks quizzed about the identity of a large snake photographed recently in India did not require much time to form a consensus.

An Indian Forest Service employee this week shared an image showing a large snake pausing in a clearing with its head and neck raised in a classic cobra posture.

Parveen Kaswan stated via X: “This beauty. Let’s see who can guess the species.”

Responses quickly formed an overwhelming consensus that the snake in question was, as one commenter remarked, “The King himself.”

King cobras, which can measure 15-plus feet, are the longest venomous snakes on earth. They inhabit rainforests and plains in northern India, southern China, and Southeast Asia.

(Click here to view Kaswan’s post on X.)

Although rarely encountered, king cobras are revered in India, where they’re considered the national reptile.

King cobra. Photo: Wikipedia

They’re not typically aggressive toward humans, choosing to escape rather than bite in most cases. But a king cobra bite, if not treated immediately, can kill a person in less than 30 minutes.

MORE: CAN YOU SPOT THE RATTLESNAKE HIDING IN BACKYARD?

Kaswan, at the time of this post, had not provided details regarding the sighting. Nor had he responded to comments beneath his X post.

One follower, referring to a recent study that suggests there are four types of king cobras in India, commented:

“It’s now established as 4 different species in different ranges. Assuming this is in northern India, it’s Ophiophagus hannah. If it were from the Western Ghats, it’d be Ophiophagus kaalinga, based on the recent classification.”

Another follower observed: “The Most Mythical of Serpents. The One who Straddles Terrestrial Earth & Heavenly Divinity.The Companion to Lord Shiva. Worshipped & Feared in equal measure by Man.”

A man claiming to be a physician remarked, “We are not left with much to do when a patient is brought to us after it has bitten them.”

Another follower stated that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, directing his comment to Kaswan: “Sir, you call every snake a beauty, but for a common man, it’s scary.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421396721]

Can you spot the rattlesnake hiding in Arizona backyard?

A Phoenix company that relocates rattlesnakes issued the photo challenge after being summoned to a residence to capture the reptile.

–A version of this post was published by FTW Outdoors in 2021.

A Phoenix-based company that relocates rattlesnakes reported by concerned residents has quizzed Facebook followers by posting the accompanying image and asking:

“Western Diamondback Rattlesnake spotted in a backyard by Dave recently. See it?” (Answer at the bottom of this story.)

Can you spot the rattlesnake? Photo: Rattlesnake Solutions

While many will spot the rattlesnake after a brief inspection, the image reveals how adept rattlesnakes are at blending into their surroundings.

The image was posted to Facebook by Rattlesnake Solutions, which operates in Phoenix and Tucson. The company is licensed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and maintains that snakes are not harmed during capture or relocation.

MORE: Can you spot the Yellowstone elk in striking “moonset” image?

Many in the comments section correctly described the location of the rattlesnake in the image. But some were merely intrigued by the prospect of discovering a rattlesnake in one’s yard.

Reads one comment: “Not your average backyard thankfully! Note to self – do not buy a house with a backyard with rocks to hide under in Arizona, in fact buy a condo on the 12th floor!”

For those who would like conformation that their guesses are correct, the snake is circled in the image posted below.

Western diamondback rattlesnake circled in red. Photo: Rattlesnake Solutions

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421396721]

Can you spot the rattlesnake testing its new hiding place?

The western diamondback rattlesnake had blended almost perfectly into its surroundings near a Tucson home.

–In May we featured an image from Arizona as part of a quiz challenging readers to spot a camouflaged rattlesnake. Below is a repost for those interested in testing their spotting skills.

An Arizona company that relocates rattlesnakes reported by concerned residents has been busy dealing with snakes flushed by rain from more remote hiding spots.

Rattlesnake Solutions shared the accompanying image showing one such reptile: a western diamondback rattlesnake hiding in a new and “less ideal” spot near a Tucson home.

Can you spot the rattlesnake in the accompanying image? (Answer at the bottom of this post.)

Rattlesnake in hiding. Photo courtesy of Rattlesnake Solutions

It’s a difficult quiz for many because only a small part of the snake is visible. Dozens of followers chimed in on the Rattlesnake Solutions Facebook post.

A sampling:

– “Nope. I’d be dead.”

– “Wow! Best camouflage ever.”

– Took me about 5 minutes, that’s crazy camo.”

– “That was tough. Excellent camouflage.”

– “I finally found it.”

Rattlesnake Solutions waited hours before sharing the answer in a separate post. Click here to view that image, showing the snake circled in red.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=421396721]

Rarely seen ‘farting snake’ encountered in Arizona; video

Footage of the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake shows that rattlesnakes are not alone in making distinctive sounds to ward off threats.

Rattlesnakes are not alone in making distinctive sounds when trying to ward off threats.

A Phoenix-based snake relocation expert on Saturday shared footage of a wild Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake making popping sounds as a defense mechanism. (See footage below.)

“A farting snake. Not kidding,” Bryan D. Hughes of Rattlesnake Solutions explained via X. “The Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake is one of two snakes in Arizona that expel air from the cloaca under force to make a sound that may be meant to avert predators.”

In the footage, Hughes repeatedly touches the snake he encountered, prompting several escape/fart responses.

According to Reptiles and Amphibians of Arizona, the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake is mostly nocturnal and typically spends its days in burrows. Rare daytime encounters occur mostly in “cloudy or mild conditions” or after heavy rain.

The field guide added: “When threatened it exhibits several defensive behaviors including jerking the body from side to side, striking with mouth closed, and making a popping noise by forcefully everting the lining of the cloaca.”

Wikipedia elaborated: “During a laboratory experiment carried out by Bruce Young, a morphologist at Lafayette College, the snakes only farted when they felt threatened, and some farted so energetically that they lifted themselves off the ground.”

The Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake, also referred to as the Western hook-nosed snake, is nonvenomous and preys mostly on mostly on spiders and centipedes.

Watch: Rattlesnakes flee hail storm, return to sip melting ice

Trail cameras captured the rarely observed phenomenon at a rattlesnake rookery Monday in Northern Colorado.

Trail cameras monitoring a rattlesnake rookery in Colorado have captured footage showing several snakes slithering for cover in a hail storm, then emerging to drink from melting ice pellets.

Project RattleCam shared the accompanying footage Tuesday, explaining: “There was a brief hail storm at the rookery yesterday. The snakes fled, then drank the melting ice.”

The hail storm struck with the air temperature at 81 degrees, Project RattleCam explained via YouTube.

Viewers may note that as the storm strengthened, the snakes were quicker to seek shelter in the rocks. But they were just as quick to emerge to capture what water they could from the melting pellets.

Project RattleCam, a collaboration between scientists at Cal Poly, Central Coast Snake Services, and Dickinson College, focuses on prairie rattlesnakes in Northern Colorado.

However, a California Cam is expected to launch in July.

The group’s mission is to “uncover the secret lives of snakes.”

Hawaii sounds alarm after python is discovered at Oahu home

It’s illegal to possess snakes in Hawaii, as the invasive reptiles could devastate native fauna if released into the wild.

A wellness check at a Honolulu home last Saturday turned up a deceased male and a live python that measured 3-1/2 feet.

Few details were released regarding the dead man. But the discovery of a pet python in a state where snakes are not allowed was alarming to state officials.

“We should all be very concerned that snakes are being transported and kept by residents which are a serious threat to Hawaii’s unique environment,” Sharon Hurd, chairwoman of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, stated in a news release.

“Those who know anyone with snakes or other illegal animals in Hawaii should report it and those who possess them should turn them in under amnesty.”

Ball python. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Hawaii’s amnesty program is designed to deter people from releasing unwanted invasive reptiles into the wild, where they could establish populations and threaten native fauna.

(Possessing snakes and other illegal animals in Hawaii is a class C felony, punishable by fines of up to $200,000 and three years in prison. Under the amnesty program, citizens can turn in illegal animals, prior to the start of an investigation, without fear of prosecution.)

The snake found at the Honolulu-area home was a nonvenomous ball python, which was transported to the HDOA’s Plant Quarantine Branch.

Ball pythons are native to West and Central Africa and can measure up to six feet. They prey largely on birds and small mammals.

In January, a 20-inch gopher snake was discovered in a shipping container that was being unloaded at a Molokai hardware store. Police arrived and killed the snake with a pellet gun.

–Top image courtesy of Hawaii Department of Agriculture

Chilling discovery as venomous snake crawls from ice dispenser

For a certain woman in Adelaide Hills, Australia, fetching ice from her refrigerator will from now on involve at least some trepidation.

For a certain woman in Adelaide Hills, Australia, fetching ice from her refrigerator will from now on involve at least some trepidation.

That’s because the woman this week discovered a large and potentially dangerous snake inside the ice dispenser as she approached to fill a glass.

The accompanying video shows an Adelaide Hills Snake Catcher employee coaxing the snake free of the compartment and into a canvass bag.

“You just never know where you’re going to catch them,” the company stated on Facebook.

9 News identified the reptile as a red-bellied black snake and began its report: “It was a shock discovery for an Adelaide mum when instead of a glass of ice she was greeted with a very slippery creature.”

Encounters with red-bellied black snakes are fairly common in parts of Australia. While the snakes are venomous and their bites can cause illness, they are not typically aggressive toward humans.

The refrigerator in question appears to be inside a garage or work shed, which might make such a bizarre discovery less surprising.

–Image was supplied to 9 News