In Appreciation of Snakes

By Dylan

Do you misjudge snakes? If you do, try thinking if they really want to hurt you or of they are just protecting themselves. There are 3,000 different types of snakes in the world and only 375 of them are venomous. Three of the most fascinating snakes to me are the red bellied black snake, scrub python, and the black Mambas. Snakes should be appreciated not threatened.

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Red Bellied Snakes are one of the many poisonous snakes in Australia. According to this story in Australia, on January 15, 2018 a Red Bellied Black Snake wrapped itself on the car mirror and was trying to get inside. During the night the snake slithered into the car engine trying to keep warm when the night cooled off.  When I think about this story I want to go to Australia more than before. Even though this might happen to me, looking at snakes that only live in certain places always thrills me! Though its venom is capable of causing major harm, it’s not usually fatal and is less venomous than other Australian elapid snakes.The red-bellied black snake is one of the most common snakes on Australia's east coast and they bite several people every year. I know that this doesn’t creep me out, but if you told someone scared of snakes they would freak out; for me it’s just another adventure for me to think of all the possibilities!  Red-bellied Snakes are found in woodlands and open meadows, prairies, pastures, marshes, and bogs. They prefer moist soils but are also found in drier sites. Red-bellied Snakes spend much of their time underground or under logs, boards, rocks, or debris. I love searching woodlands and marshes. I want to look after animals sea animals and land animals. They are interesting to admire and protect. I always wanted to go to Australia and discover animals that I thought that I would never see in real life, so that’s now my main motivation.

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Scrub Pythons are non-venomous snakes in Australia but grow to extreme sizes. The scrub python is the longest snake in Australia and lives in Papua New Guinea, Australia, etc.  I like non-venomous snakes more than poisonous snakes, because that can’t hurt you as much.  Just to give you idea of how big they can grow, Scrub Pythons in the rainforests of northern Queensland have been known to take on food items as large as a full grown wallaby! A scrub python eats mainly birds and mammals. That is pretty creepy, but also really cool. Snakes are just awesome creatures! In Wujul Wujul in the far north of Queensland, a night patrol found a huge scrub python blocking the road, which must have been a surprise. I think that scrub pythons are really interesting and cool. Snakes like the scrub pythons are considered scary, but really they are misunderstood  by most people.

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Some people consider Black Mambas the most venomous snakes but there a lot more than just that snake. For these reasons, the black mamba is widely considered the world's deadliest snake. Black mambas live in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. They are Africa's longest venomous snake, reaching up to 14 feet in length, although 8.2 feet is more the average. That is one long snake that I actually don’t want to meet, and that is a lot coming from someone who loves snakes. The black mamba is a highly venomous snake in sub-Saharan Africa. Its skin color varies from grey to dark brown. Juvenile black mambas tend to be paler than adults and darken with age. This range of colors shows that the black mamba’s name comes from the tongue not the color of the name. Just this Tuesday a Terrier named jasper fought off a black mamba and is now recovering in the hospital. This has been called a “miracle”by herpetologist and snake catcher Nick Evans. I don’t like it when dogs get hurt but at least he survived the bite with anti-venom. The black mamba is another example of a snake that needs more attention.

Snakes are one of the most misjudged species ever just because they look scary of creepy. I picked these three snakes because the snakes are cool and they all find prey in different ways! The 3,000 types of snakes are different because the 375 of them are venomous while the others find prey in different ways.