Showing posts with label Reptiles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reptiles. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Fox Snake


We just learned about the King Cobra.

Another type of snake is the Eastern Fox Snake.

This snake is not venomous, lives mostly on the ground, and hunts mostly small mice that it squeezes with constriction and then eats.
In the winter time since it lives in cold areas it will sometimes live in dens with other snakes to stay warm, even if they are not the same type of snake.

This snake looks a lot like the Massasauga rattlesnake and sometimes for self defense it will shake its tail like a rattler to make people scared that it is dangerous.

Unfortunately a lot of people have killed the Fox Snake thinking it was a dangerous Massasauga, so there are not many of them left.

The Fox Snake gets its name because when it is picked up it lefts off a musky smell that smells kind of like the red fox.
(from: wikipedia - fox snake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Boxer

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

King Cobra


We just learned about the Jamaican Boa.

Another type of snake is the king cobra.

This is the longest venomous snake in the world, and can grow up to 18 feet long.
They have a great sense of smell and can smell their prey from 300 feet away.
When they get upset, they will stand up and flare out the hood on their head to look bigger.


(from: wikipedia - king cobra)


On the back of their head they have yellow stripes in an upside down V shape, called a chevron.


(from: wikipedia - king cobra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Scottish Terrier

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Turtle scutes


We just learned about the Wolverine.

When you look at a turtle's shell and see the lines marking out different shapes on it's back or belly, those areas are called scutes
turtle scutes
(from: wikipedia - turtle shell)

The scutes are like scales on a snake, and each scute has a name for where it is on the shell, like cervical, vertebral or marginal.

The scutes are made of keratin, the same as a rhino horns, whale baleen plates and our fingernails and hair!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Chameleon


Can you move your right eye without moving your left one?
Can you cross your eyes?
Can you have one look up and the other look down?

A chameleon can do all of these things!
chameleon
(from: wikipedia - chameleon)

There's no hiding from a chameleon, even if you're standing behind, above or under them, they can move their eyes and see you.

And if you're a bug, they use their super long tongue to reach out and grab you for lunch!

Chameleons are great at hiding too, when a bigger animal comes along.
They can change their body to all sorts of colors!
panther chameleon
(from: wikipedia - panther chameleon

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Alligators and Crocodiles


We just learned a little about Zebras.

What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?
alligator and crocodile
(from: wikipedia - crocodilia)

Can you see any difference?

One of the easiest differences to see is that the alligator on the left has a larger rounded mouth and nose
and the crocodile on the right has a smaller pointed mouth and nose.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Komodo Dragon


We just learned about the Camel Humps.

The dragons you read about in stories aren't real,
but there is a real animal called the Komodo Dragon.
komodo dragon
(from: wikipedia - komodo dragon)

It's the largest kind of lizard in the world,
and can grow to be up to 10 feet long!

That means if they stood on their tail
their nose could touch the rim of a basketball hoop!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Spectacled Cobra


We just learned a little about Beaver Tails.

The Indian Cobra is also known as the Spectacled Cobra
can you guess why by looking at the picture?
spectacled cobra
(from: wikipedia - indian cobra)

If you look at the markings on the back of the cobra,
it kind of looks like someone is wearing glasses,
and glasses are also sometimes called spectacles.

The Indian Cobra's head isn't always spread out like that,
they have something called a hood which fans out when they feel threatened.

Normal:
indian cobra

Threatened:
indian cobra

So if you see a snake standing up like that with it's hood out,
you know the snake feels threatened by you!