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moreanimalia: alltailnolegs: Snakes and Sound “In order to test the hypothesis that snakes can not only perceive airborne sounds, but also respond to them, an acoustic isolation chamber was designed and constructed to perform best within the 150–450Hz range in which snakes perceive sound. Suspended within this acoustic chamber was a steel mesh basket designed to minimize the potential for groundborne vibrations. A synthesized tone was created out of 20 different 150ms sounds, each separated by a 50ms period of silence; the acoustic energy of each of the 20 sounds was concentrated between 200–400Hz, and each sound included frequency modulation.The trial stimuli were presented to western diamondback rattlensakes Crotalus atrox at a level 5–10 dB above their perception threshold. Four significant behavioral responses were observed upon stimulus presentation: cessation of body movements, reduction or cessation of tongue flicking, rapid jerks of the head and rattling. At least one significant behavioral response was observed in 92% of the behavioral trials. This study provides the first experimental evidence that snakes can respond behaviorally to airborne sounds.”   Full pdf document read here: http://www.mediafire.com/view/?v3b8xe93l032v3c
rhamphotheca: Striped Whiptail Lizards:  Adaptation and Species Studies in White Sands, NM, USA These lizards, as well as the lesser earless lizard and the Eastern fence lizard, have evolved blanched coloration at White Springs. Scientists from the lab of Erica Bree Rosenblum, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Idaho, have identified the specific mutations that turn White Sands’ lizards white. They also have conducted experiments to see whether White Sands’ lizards are becoming new species. For example, earless lizards will preferentially choose other White Sands’ lizards as mates. Therefore, researchers can study both adaptation and speciation at White Sands. The stark, white dunes of White Sands are an ideal environment to observe evolution in action. These dunes are geologically very young — only a few thousand years old — and in that time, a number of animals have adapted to this new environment. Natural selection has favored lighter colored animals on the dunes for camouflage against the white sand and avoidance of predators. Species of mammal, reptile and insect have rapidly developed adaptations to this unusual environment… (read more: National Science Foundation) (photo: Erica Bree Rosenblum, Univ. of Idaho)
Snakes shed their skin. Well known fact, but most people don’t know more than that.. Called ecdysis, it’s actually just a layer of skin that comes off, and it’s not strictly snakes that do this! Insects, arthropods and lizards also ‘slough’ their skin, or molt it.. Like birds molt feathers! The biggest give away when a snake is ready to shed is it’s cloudy, milky eyes. The coolest thing is that snakes never stop shedding their skin, as long as they’re growing.. Which is all their lives! So if they don’t like the skin they’re in, they’ll leave it behind.. Literally. Younger snakes do this much more frequently than adults, but both can have trouble shedding! One of the worst scenarios is the skin can’t come off the eye, leading to multiple ‘eye caps’ which, in turn, blinds the snake..  Which can lead to a dead snake.. There can be a multitude of reasons for these problems, including lack of moisture and dehydration.. But snakes are smart, and use rocks and other things to rub against and assist in removing the skin. 
You know what’s cool about desert grassland whiptails (Aspidoscelis uniparens)? There are only females in this species of lizard! That’s right, they’re basically an ideal Rosie the Riveter for reptiles. Eggs will undergo meiosis, and then chromosomes will double. No ‘baby daddy’ is required; the lizards develop anyways!  So, you’re probably wondering why these two lizards above are ‘mating’ eh? Well, to put it simply, sex enhances ovulation in this species. So they’ll undergo mating rituals just to stimulate breeding.. Like any other sexually reproducing species! Pretty awesome, if you ask me.
Unfortunately for the Madagascan collared iguana, the sly hog-nosed snake (Leioheterodon madagascariensis) is too smart for this iguana. Easily identified by its upturned nose, it proves a useful digging tool when sweeping it’s head side to side on the hunt for food. They often lurk in undergrowth, or to the mother’s despair.. Boldly lay out in the open while momma iguana buries her eggs. Their excellent sense of smell allows them to almost immediately dig up the freshly buried eggs.. But watching helps too. The snake proceeds to swallow them whole as the mother watches helplessly, bulges moving down inside the snake’s body. Maybe this is a failure of breeding.. Or maybe it’s a numbers game. Collared iguanas the most abundant lizards in Madagascar.. And not every mother’s nest gets raided!  You can even see it from the snake’s POV - they’re flexible enough to work around the iguana’s strategy of hiding it’s eggs underground.. That alone is brilliant adaptation and instinct. 
As all animals, reptiles must find a way for their young to survive. Madagascar’s collared iguana (Oplurus cuvieri) has a fail-safe method of protecting their precious eggs. Spending most of their time in trees, normally they only dart down to grab some yummy invertebrates. Predators aren’t a problem, since they can retreat into a nearby crevice and block the entrance with their spiny tail. During wet season, females have no choice but to remain on the ground.. Lucky males, eh? Since laying her eggs is the most important part of her life, she does so carefully. A bare, sandy spot is a perfect area for her to bury eggs like a dog burying bones. She must push them in with her nose, making sure they reach the bottom.. Then she’ll neatly cover it over with dirt, hiding it so well it appears that nothing is there. It can deceive some, but not all animals…
This bloody mess of a horned lizard (genus Phyrnosoma) isn’t in pain from an attack. Chances are he was feeling extremely threatened, and unleashed a defense mechanism nobody would see coming. The first thing this reptile does when threatened, besides camouflaging anyway, is to stay completely still. If the predator proceeds approach, they’ll alternate between short bursts of running and abruptly stopping to confuse the attacker. If this isn’t successful, they’ll resort to swelling up a bit in size to appear larger and more ‘horned.’ If anything, it just makes them more intimidating and harder to swallow. When all else fails, they shock the threat by spurting blood out of their eyes. It’s a grotesque tactic caused by thin-walled, blood-filled spaces called sinuses found within their eye sockets. In case of emergency, they’ll cause blood pressure in their eyes to rise which, in turn, leads to the sinus walls breaking suddenly. Blood erupts from the eyes in a nicely aimed stream of crimson red, reaching up to 4 feet (1.2 meters). A distasteful chemical combined with multiple bursts of these streams is enough to deter any predator..Or unsuspecting human. A video of this reptile in action can be seen here.  Photo credit: randomtruth
Squamates have enhanced their smell in a way humans could not even begin to fathom. Most animals use their nose to inhale and filter particles, but snakes and other reptiles have developed a special way to use this sense. Many people see a snake’s forked tongue moving in and out of it’s mouth, but never questioned why it would do such an odd thing. This action is the equivalent of a dog sniffing the air. Their tongues have become their noses, flicking out in order to gather particles in the air. Mainly they’re used to detect pheromones, chemical messengers that are emitted from most animals. The tongue will then return inside, pushing to the roof of the mouth where they enter two pits. These pits, known as the Jacobson’s Organ, are a specialized organ inside the mouth, on a palate. There are two, fairly spaced apart, which is why reptiles with extra-sensitive vomeronsal organs have tongues split in two. The bigger the split, the more the species uses their Jacobson’s organ. Many animals, such as lions and house cats, have vomeronsal organs, but do not use them in quite the same way a reptile would. Photo credit: Snakelover61
Corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) are docile little fellas that roam the eastern United States, but can also be found in the southeastern US, primarily Florida. Eating every few days or so, they prefer to reside in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadows, woodlots, or any abandoned buildings they may decide to inhabit. Younger hatchlings may prefer lizards or tree frogs, but adults prefer larger prey, like mice, birds and bats. In order to successfully catch their prey, they will first bite it, then quickly proceed to wrap it’s coils around it and squeeze tightly until the victim suffocates to death… Although the young, inexperienced individuals may swallow it alive, since they’re new to the constrictor hunting habits. Their gentle behavior in comparison to other species makes them popular house pets, but their identity is easily mistaken for copperheads, which leads to their not-so-accidental death in many backyard homes. Habitat loss also threatens this species, but they are neither threatened nor endangered. Life spans of this slithering reptile are up to 23 years in captivity, but it’s thought to be much less in the wild. Photo credit: disnox
cog-nito: Sea snake sure are beautiful, graceful, and overall magnificent. They’re my favorite marine reptiles, along with saltwater crocodiles. I thought I’d cover one of my favorite aspects of Hydrophiinae- their venom apparatus! Sea snakes inflict their wounds via fangs, which are smaller in size than terrestrial snakes, but are similar to the structure of a cobra’s. In comparison with other venomous snakes, sea snake dentition is quite feeble, but still fully developed for venom conduction. The venom apparatus mentioned earlier consists of the fangs and the venom glands. Venom glands are situation behind and below the eye and in front of the tympanic bones, with one on each side. They have an elongated venom duct which terminates at the base of the fangs. Some sea snakes only have one fang per side, rather than two. Sea snake venom has neurotoxic, myotoxic, and hemotoxic components. One drop has enough potency to kill three adult men! Some species inject up to eight drops per bite. If bitten by a sea snake, there are 5 important rules to follow: 1. Remove as much venom as possible from the wound! Absorption of venom has to be rapid. Suction can be useful, but only if applied during the first few minutes following the bite.  2. Retarding absorption of the venom. The affected limb should be immediately immobilized, and all exertion must be avoided- the latter being key to survival.  3. Neutralizing the venom. 4. Diminishing the effects produced by the venom. 5. Preventing complications, including secondary infections. There you have it- but, if you do end up dying, please don’t blame me. I’m just kidding- my main reason for posting this is to relay this message- THE SNAKE IS NOT TO BLAME. That’s not to say the human is at fault (however that’s mostly the case), but remember, sea life are truly the children of the ocean, and we need to respect that. Once we step foot into their home, we must be aware we’re entering their domain. The oceans are, to me, the most beautiful place on earth, and we must give back our respect to the greatest wilderness ever experienced, including all of its inhabitants. The sea snake depicted on the bottom is the Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake (Pelamis platura). Photo credits go to L. Barlow. 
I’m pretty sure anybody can recognize this unique reptile. The Frilled Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is endemic to Northern Australia. Most people recognize it by it’s distinct appearance when threatened. They rise on their hind legs, open their frighteningly yellow mouth, hisses, and unfurls the colorful, pleated skin flaps along their face. The best part is if the threat doesn’t back down, they swing around and run like hell to safety, continuing with the ridiculously intimidating look, never bothering to look back. They’re a part of the family Agamidae, spending most of their lives in trees. On occasion, they’ll descend from the tree in order to feed on ants and smaller lizards. Spiders, termites, small mammals and cicadas are also on the menu for this predator. Predators of this predator include birds of prey, larger lizards, snakes, dingoes and feral cats. Habitat reduction and predation, particularly by the feral cats, are causing reductions in population, but they are neither threatened nor endangered. Females lay up to 23 eggs in an underground nest, and offspring are independent upon hatching. The lifespan of these reptiles is uncertain, but in captivity they have lived up to 20 years. Photo credit: Symoto
The Garter Snake is an adorable type of snake belonging to the genus Thamnophis. They’re a very common  species of snake, commonly kept as pets, which inhabits a variety of locations. There’s absolutely no reason to be scared of these snakes, since overall, they only reach a length of about 3 feet, or just under 1 meter. The Vomeronasal organ in their mouth detects chemical stimuli, such as pheromones. Combining this with their normal senses makes them sleek and agile predators. Only slithering along in search of a meal during the cooler parts of the day, when the sun is just rising or falling, feed on a variety of things depending on the species. Aquatic garter snakes prefer leeches, small fish and marine invertebrates whereas other wild garters feast on anything from aquatic invertebrates to young vertebrates. They really prefer not to move during the cold, many hibernating in large aggregations, whether it be under rocks or in dens. Most hope not to get preyed upon by anything from birds, mammals, or even the King snakes which love to chow down on these little guys. Photo credit: Jennifer Schlick
As Steve Irwin would say.. Crikey; What a beaut! The Australian Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) is endemic to the tropical parts of Northern Australia. They’re easily distinguished by their narrow snouts and small size, and their generally brown color may very depending on their habitat. These reptiles are opportunistic feeders, preying on anything from fish and crustaceans to small mammals or birds and even insects! I think my favorite part about these crocodiles are their unique adaptation. Besides walking weird, they gallop when threatened. They push their rear legs back up and down together while reaching out with their front legs. Their front legs then push back, while the rear legs swing forward to meet them. Both pairs of legs are in synchronous but opposite motions, which allows this croc to reach up to 15 mph (25 km/h) and sometimes move so fast they become airborne. Unlike their prehistoric crocodilian cousins which did this to outrun prey, these guys only use this strange gait when frightened.  Photo credit: kmkeshav
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