Showing posts tagged venomous
giraffeinatree: The element of surprise gives this rhinoceros viper (Bitis nasicornis) in Cameroon an edge over prey. Quick-kill venom finishes the job. Vipers provide valuable toxins, including those used in drugs for hypertension and heart disease and to control bleeding during surgery. Photograph by Mattias Klum View high resolution

giraffeinatree:

The element of surprise gives this rhinoceros viper (Bitis nasicornis) in Cameroon an edge over prey. Quick-kill venom finishes the job. Vipers provide valuable toxins, including those used in drugs for hypertension and heart disease and to control bleeding during surgery.

Photograph by Mattias Klum

(Reblogged from giraffeinatree)
ichthyologist: Spotfin Lionfish (Pterois antennata) - East Timor The large flamboyant fins of the lionfish serve as a warning to predators of its toxicity. Lionfish are skilled hunters, using specialized bilateral swim bladder muscles to provide exquisite control of location in the water column, allowing the fish to alter its center of gravity to better attack prey. Nick Hobgood on Flickr View high resolution

ichthyologist:

Spotfin Lionfish (Pterois antennata)

- East Timor

The large flamboyant fins of the lionfish serve as a warning to predators of its toxicity. Lionfish are skilled hunters, using specialized bilateral swim bladder muscles to provide exquisite control of location in the water column, allowing the fish to alter its center of gravity to better attack prey.

Nick Hobgood on Flickr

(Reblogged from ichthyologist)
The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) … is the only venomous lizard int he United States. Their fearsome claws are used mostly for digging (they spend the majority of their time underground or otherwise out of the hot desert sun) and climbing, rather than hunting. Eggs make up the largest portion of their diet, as well as baby birds and mammals, and the reptiles have a keen sense of smell to track them and other prey items down. They are binge eaters, eating large amounts (up to a third of their weight) all at once, followed by a prolonged fast; they may only eat five or ten times a year. Their tail acts as fat and water storage, like a camel’s hump, helping them survive long periods between meals. Unlike snakes, Gila Monsters are unable to inject their venom, instead relying on capillary action and the clenching of the jaw muscles to draw the venom out. Because they are slow movers and hunt mostly helpless prey, the venom most likely serves a primarily defensive role - a hypothesis also supported by their aposematic salmon-and-black warning coloration. However, while you still don’t want to be bitten by one, a Gila Monster’s venom is unlikely to kill you - with improved treatment techniques, there have been no reported deaths as a result of a Gila Monster bite since 1939. Photo by Jason on Flickr (via: Peterson Field Guides) View high resolution

The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)

… is the only venomous lizard int he United States. Their fearsome claws are used mostly for digging (they spend the majority of their time underground or otherwise out of the hot desert sun) and climbing, rather than hunting. Eggs make up the largest portion of their diet, as well as baby birds and mammals, and the reptiles have a keen sense of smell to track them and other prey items down. They are binge eaters, eating large amounts (up to a third of their weight) all at once, followed by a prolonged fast; they may only eat five or ten times a year.

Their tail acts as fat and water storage, like a camel’s hump, helping them survive long periods between meals. Unlike snakes, Gila Monsters are unable to inject their venom, instead relying on capillary action and the clenching of the jaw muscles to draw the venom out. Because they are slow movers and hunt mostly helpless prey, the venom most likely serves a primarily defensive role - a hypothesis also supported by their aposematic salmon-and-black warning coloration. However, while you still don’t want to be bitten by one, a Gila Monster’s venom is unlikely to kill you - with improved treatment techniques, there have been no reported deaths as a result of a Gila Monster bite since 1939.

Photo by Jason on Flickr

(via: Peterson Field Guides)

animaltoday:

Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) 

or dusky pigmy rattlesnake, small ground rattlesnake, hog nosed rattler

About 20 inches long, it is quite thick for its size.  The coloration of this snake can vary from pale grey to a dark charcoal, but always having reddish orange spots along its spine.  

The rattle sounds like the buzzing of an insect.  It feeds on frogs, mice and small vertebrate.  Its bite is venomous, but rarely reported to be fatal.  It is very common in Florida and some regions of Texas.

(Reblogged from animaltoday)
Spiny Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) ” G. cancriformis feeds upon the liquified insides of her prey. Deliquified carcasses are discarded from the web and are easily recognized in their mummified state...” ADORABLE!!! :3 Read more: http://eol.org/pages/1195285/overviewPhoto: Mkullen via wikimedia commons (via: Encyclopedia of Life) View high resolution

Spiny Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)

” G. cancriformis feeds upon the liquified insides of her prey. Deliquified carcasses are discarded from the web and are easily recognized in their mummified state...” ADORABLE!!! :3

Read more: http://eol.org/pages/1195285/overview

Photo: Mkullen via wikimedia commons

(via: Encyclopedia of Life)

Dwarf Crowned Snakes (genus Cacophis)

Family Elapidae. These small snakes are distributed through eastern Australia. The 4 species in this genus are all venomous, but not dangerous to people. They inhabit a variety of forest types, from woodland to rainforest. They are generally nocturnal and feed on lizards and reptile eggs. They have a distinct “crown” pattern on their heads, which gives them their name. (via: Wikipedia)

(photo: T - Dwarf Crowned Snake, C. krefftii, 15 cm - Jason da Silva; M - White-crowned Snake, C. harriettae - TeeJayBee; B - Golden-crowned Snake, C. squamulosus - Tnarg 12345)

This bright blue juvenile lionfish snagged first place in the 2013 underwater photo contest portrait category. Steven Kovacs of Florida snapped this image during a night dive in Roatan, Honduras. credit: Steven Kovacs, Florida (via: NovaTaxa) View high resolution

This bright blue juvenile lionfish snagged first place in the 2013 underwater photo contest portrait category. Steven Kovacs of Florida snapped this image during a night dive in Roatan, Honduras.

credit: Steven Kovacs, Florida

(via: NovaTaxa)

Canebreak Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus atricaudatus) found in Long Creek, NC, USA. (photo: Jenny Pugh Sanders)         (via: Orianne Society) View high resolution

Canebreak Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus atricaudatus) found in Long Creek, NC, USA.

(photo: Jenny Pugh Sanders)         (via: Orianne Society)

karlayst: Eye-lash Pit Viper (Bothriechris schlegeli), Central America (photo by Thomas Schrei) View high resolution

karlayst: Eye-lash Pit Viper (Bothriechris schlegeli), Central America

(photo by Thomas Schrei)

(Reblogged from karlayst)

anthony9151634 asked: What is the most venomous snake

image

The World’s Most Venomous Snake

It is currently believed that the snake witht the most potent venom in the world is the Belcher’s Sea Snake (Hydrophis belcheri), with other sea snake species, such as Beaked Sea Snake (Enhydrina schistosa) having a venom potency near that of Belcher’s.

When many people look up “the most venomous species of snake”, they often find lists that exclude Sea Snakes, and I’m not sure why exactly. The most venomous terrestrial snake is the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), which has an exceedingly powerful venom, which however isn’t even close to being as potent as that of some sea snake species. I once read that the Belcher’s has a venom 100x more potent (though I’m I’m not sure how accurate that is).

Keep in mind that “most venomous” doesn’t necessarily mean “most dangerous to humans”. One needs to take into account the general temperament of the species. Sea Snakes are known for being quite timid, and even sometimes docile, towards other non-prey animals in the wild. Whereas the far less venomous Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus) and Fer de Lance (Bothrops atrox) kill far more people every year than do sea snakes.

(photo: Andreas Viklund)

Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonicus) enjoys a tasty treat :3

(photo: Danleo)

astronomy-to-zoology:

Geography Cone (Conus geographus)

…is a species of cone snail found throughout the Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and parts of Africa and Madagascar. Like other cone snail species the geography cone is a piscivore (fish eater) and dispatches its prey with a venomous barb that is shot like a harpoon. It is one of the most venomous cone snails known to science and is responsible for several human deaths, its venom has no known antivenom and treatment is limited to keeping the victim alive until the toxin wears off. Have fun swimming….

Phylogeny

Animalia-Mollusca-Gastropoda-Neogastropoda-Conoidea-Conidae-Coninae-Conus-geographus

Image Source(s)

(Reblogged from astronomy-to-zoology)
Nanostructures Make Viper Skin Ultra-Black and Stealthy by Laura Poppick From even a short distance, this West African Gaboon viper looks just like a pile of dead leaves. New research shows that the highly-camouflaged snake owes its elusiveness to nanostructures in its black scales. The velvety-black patches on this snake’s back are so dark and absorb so much light, they look like gaps in the snake’s body. This illusion allows the lurkers to dissolve into leaf litter as they wait for prey on the rainforest floor. To determine what makes these scales appear so black, a team of German scientists examined the snake’s skin under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and found differences in the nanostructures of dark and pale scales that explain the high contrast, the team reports today in Scientific Reports… (read more: Wired Science)                   (photo: Guido Westhoff) View high resolution

Nanostructures Make Viper Skin Ultra-Black and Stealthy

by Laura Poppick

From even a short distance, this West African Gaboon viper looks just like a pile of dead leaves. New research shows that the highly-camouflaged snake owes its elusiveness to nanostructures in its black scales.

The velvety-black patches on this snake’s back are so dark and absorb so much light, they look like gaps in the snake’s body. This illusion allows the lurkers to dissolve into leaf litter as they wait for prey on the rainforest floor.

To determine what makes these scales appear so black, a team of German scientists examined the snake’s skin under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and found differences in the nanostructures of dark and pale scales that explain the high contrast, the team reports today in Scientific Reports…

(read more: Wired Science)                   (photo: Guido Westhoff)

Stunning new pit-viper discovered in Honduras by mongabay.com staff A stunning new species of pit-viper has been discovered in the cloud forest of Honduras. The venomous snake is described in the journal ZooKeys. The species is named Bothriechis guifarroi in honor of Mario Guifarro of Olancho, a conservationist who was gunned down in 2007 as he was working to set up a reserve for the indigenous Tawahka. A former hunter and gold miner, Guifarro had turned to conservation when he witnessed biologically-rich rainforests of Eastern Honduras being torn down for cattle ranches. The species is named Bothriechis guifarroi in honor of Mario Guifarro of Olancho, a conservationist who was gunned down in 2007 as he was working to set up a reserve for the indigenous Tawahka. A former hunter and gold miner, Guifarro had turned to conservation when he witnessed biologically-rich rainforests of Eastern Honduras being torn down for cattle ranches… (read more: MongaBay)               (photo: Josiah Townsend) View high resolution

Stunning new pit-viper discovered in Honduras

by mongabay.com staff

A stunning new species of pit-viper has been discovered in the cloud forest of Honduras. The venomous snake is described in the journal ZooKeys.

The species is named Bothriechis guifarroi in honor of Mario Guifarro of Olancho, a conservationist who was gunned down in 2007 as he was working to set up a reserve for the indigenous Tawahka. A former hunter and gold miner, Guifarro had turned to conservation when he witnessed biologically-rich rainforests of Eastern Honduras being torn down for cattle ranches.

The species is named Bothriechis guifarroi in honor of Mario Guifarro of Olancho, a conservationist who was gunned down in 2007 as he was working to set up a reserve for the indigenous Tawahka. A former hunter and gold miner, Guifarro had turned to conservation when he witnessed biologically-rich rainforests of Eastern Honduras being torn down for cattle ranches…

(read more: MongaBay)               (photo: Josiah Townsend)

The photographer makes friends with an adorable Florida Blue Centipede (Hemiscolopendra marginata)… I don’t recommend this. (photo: e_monk) View high resolution

The photographer makes friends with an adorable Florida Blue Centipede (Hemiscolopendra marginata)… I don’t recommend this.

(photo: e_monk)