“What happens when a new species of gecko is discovered? Two Germans grab their suitcases and get on a plane,” says Sandra Altherr, telling an in-house joke. Altherr is a co-founder of Pro Wildlife, a conservation NGO in Germany. In the joke, the anonymous men with suitcases are reptile traders. Their objective is to get […]
Tag: rattlesnake
3 Reasons a Snake in the Yard Might Be a Good Thing
Happening upon a snake in the yard can be a startling—to put it mildly—experience. Whether it’s an evolutionary instinct to jump back at the sight of a snake or another one of those ingrained cultural fears, a close encounter with the slithering kind usually shocks the system, even for those among us who admire the […]
Cancel Next Year’s Rattlesnake Roundup
Each year in Texas, thousands of rattlesnakes are gassed, starved, and killed for entertainment. This event, known as the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, is a gathering place to slaughter snakes. Held in Sweetwater, Texas, a town of 10,500 residents, the roundup brings 25,000 visitors to Sweetwater. About 4,000 snakes are rounded up each year and killed. […]
POLL: Should the ownership of wild and exotic animals as pets be banned?
As the temperature plunged below zero late in January, a zebra’s back hooves got caught in a fence surrounding the Indiana farm on which he was being kept as a pet. Despite the extreme weather conditions, no one bothered to check on the welfare of this animal. Unable to free himself, the zebra panicked, gulping […]
Video: Squirrels Mask Scent with Rattlesnake Skin
In the popular TV series “The Walking Dead” humans can hide from zombies by covering themselves in zombie guts, masking their scent. The California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) uses a similar tactic to hide from a major predator, the rattlesnake, which relies on smell to track down its prey.