How snakes got their fangs
Ever wondered how deadly snakes evolved their fangs? The answer lies in particular microscopic features of their teeth, research led by Flinders University and the South Australian Museum suggests......»»
Cavers find snakes but no genies in Yemen"s "Well of Hell"
A team of Omani cavers has made what is believed to be the first descent to the bottom of Yemen's fabled Well of Barhout—a natural wonder shunned by many locals, who believe it is a prison for genies......»»
Modern snakes evolved from a few survivors of dino-killing asteroid
A new study suggests that all living snakes evolved from a handful of species that survived the giant asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs and most other living things at the end of the Cretaceous. The authors say that this devastating extinc.....»»
Sea snake attacks may be misdirected courtship behaviours
Attacks by venomous Olive sea snakes on scuba divers may be misdirected courtship behaviors, according to a study published in Scientific Reports......»»
How snakes got their fangs
Ever wondered how deadly snakes evolved their fangs? The answer lies in particular microscopic features of their teeth, research led by Flinders University and the South Australian Museum suggests......»»
Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation
Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a University of Georgia study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be mea.....»»
Snakes look like monsters as fungal disease spreads in US, experts say
A growing number of snakes are taking on horrific facial deformities, due to a skin disease wildlife experts don't fully understand......»»
Researchers create snake-venom-derived "super glue" that stops bleeding in seconds using visible light
Indiana Jones hates snakes. And he's certainly not alone. The fear of snakes is so common it even has its own name: ophidiophobia......»»
Spiders eating snakes, oh my! Here are the photographs to prove it
Some species of spider can conquer snakes that are 10 to 30 times their size. Enlarge / A brown widow spider feeding on a Brahminy blindsnake in a garden house in Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico. (credit: Matias Martinez) What's a spider with a discr.....»»
Unusual prey: Spiders eating snakes
There are spiders that eat snakes. Observations of snake-eating spiders have been reported around the world. Two researchers from Basel and the US consolidated and analyzed over 300 reports of this unusual predation strategy......»»
Mouse plague: Bromadiolone will obliterate mice—and eagles, snakes and owls, too
It's the smell that hits you first. The scent of urine and decomposing bodies. Then you notice other signs: scuttles and squeaks, small dead bodies leaking blood, tails sticking out of hubcaps......»»
Half of Guadeloupe"s snakes and lizards went extinct after European colonization
In recent years, the evidence of human impacts on Earth's systems has caused researchers to call for recognition of a new epoch, the Anthropocene, in which human activity is a major driver of climate and ecosystem change. However, despite growing evi.....»»
How snake fangs evolved to perfectly fit their food
Few structures in nature inspire more fear and fascination than the fangs of venomous snakes......»»
Snakes alive? We"re totally fine with them—just not at our house
Arizona! The sunsets. The saguaros. The snakes......»»
Can California"s Canals Deliver Water And Electrons?
Researchers in California look to India's canal-top solar arrays for inspiration Rows of solar panels stretch to the horizon near Chandrasan, a small village in India’s western state of Gujarat. The 1-megawatt solar array snakes through field.....»»
Differences in snake venom composition raise questions about treatment
Snakebite kills around 58,000 Indians annually, and a majority of snakebites that lead to death or disability are attributed to the 'big four' of Indian snakes—the Russell's viper (Daboia russelii), one of the deadliest snake species in the world,.....»»
Uncovering the evolutionary history of a snake through its markings
A snake that actually looks like many different snakes. It sounds like a riddle. It sort of is......»»
Cutting-edge analysis of prehistoric teeth sheds new light on the diets of lizards and snakes
New research has revealed that the diets of early lizards and snakes, which lived alongside dinosaurs around 100 million years ago, were more varied and advanced than previously thought......»»
New snake species and genus discovered in Myanmar
Mud snakes (family Homalopsidae) live in wetlands across Southeast Asia. Their habitats include natural swamps and open lands flooded during the rainy season, typically rice paddies. Scientists of the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt and t.....»»
Unique feeding behavior of Asian kukri snakes gutting frogs and toads
After describing a unique behavior in the Small-banded Kukri Snake (Oligodon fasciolatus) last September, two new studies, also led by Henrik Bringsøe, are now reporting the same gruesome feeding strategy in another two species: the Taiwanese Kukri.....»»
Researchers unveil detailed genome of invasive malaria mosquito
Despite the broad notoriety of sharks, snakes, scorpions and other formidable creatures, mosquitoes remain the deadliest animal on the planet… by far. Mosquito-transmitted malaria remains the number one worldwide killer among vector-borne diseases,.....»»