Rather than fleeing when danger approaches, this heavyweight and highly venomous viper often stays perfectly still, relying on its patterned skin to blend into its surroundings. Slow and normally sluggish until it has been disturbed, then its demeanour changes dramatically. Puff adders inflate their bodies and unleashes a loud warning hiss and, if necessary, can strike with astonishing […]
Tag: adder
Cavity-Nesting Birds Use Shed Snake Skin in Nest Construction to Deter Predators
Many species of birds use shed snake skin in nest construction, but this behavior is poorly understood. In new research, ornithologists at Cornell University used comparative and experimental approaches to suggest that the evolution of this behavior is mediated by nest morphology and predator communities. They used a series of experiments and comparisons to test […]