Photo by Michael Nichols
Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta)
… is a slender green tree snake found in south and SE Asia. It is diurnal and rear fanged mildly venomous (causes swelling, symptoms subside within 3 days). There is a widespread myth in parts of southern India that the species uses its pointed head to blind its human victims (not true).
They feed on mainly on frogs and lizards. They are slow moving, relying on camouflage to surprise prey. The snake expands its body when disturbed to show a black and white scale marking. The species is viviparous, giving birth to young that grow within the body of the mother, enclosed within the egg membrane. They may be capable of delayed fertilization…
(read more: Wikipedia)
(photos: T - L. Shyamal, BL - L. Shyamal, BM - Sandilya Theuerkauf, BR - L. Shyamal)
Oh god, this is horrifying: Bears are being buried alive in Appalachia. I guess what’s happening is as companies further clear-cut, bulldoze, and blast the earth in search of coal, the debris is piling up on top of the entrances to black bears’ dens. Mountaintop removal coal mining is FUCKED UP. It doesn’t just hurt bears, though — flying squirrels, salamanders, mussels, and more are all facing habitat destruction. Here’s what you can do: Save your “bear-ied” puns for another day, and give your hard-earned dollars (if you can spare them) to the National Wildlife Federation. The organization is working with local leaders to stop this insanity. Do it to it, my rich(er) friends.
[Photo credit: NWF]
we are so similar. learn more about how you can help support chimps who have been the victims of animal testing at SaveTheChimps.org
A slaty egret shades the water with its wings while searching for small fish and other prey in Chobe River National Park, Botswana. Photo taken by R.C. Terblanche. ::National Wildlife Federation
In 1960, there were 400,000 lions living in the wild. Today, there are just 20,000.
“That represents a 90 to 95 percent decline,” says National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dereck Joubert. “Unless we start talking about this, these lions will be extinct within the next 10 or 15 years.”
