ANGRY AND VERY THIRSTY KING COBRA IS GIVEN WATER FROM A BOTTLE BY INDIAN RESCUE WORKERS - Wildlife suffers from effects of severe drought in southern INDIA

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Desperately thirsty, this creature overcomes his fear of men to approach a village in search of water. 

 

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CHEEKY OTTER BITES CROCODILE'S TAIL - Just for fun - So, how does it feel being prey instead of predator for a change Mr Crocodile?

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For a tiny animal, he clearly has a brave heart. The otter was pictured biting the croc's tail at the Jim Corbett National park in India before chasing him in circles. Despite the angry reptile's efforts to gobble him up, the otter proved elusive. Witness Raminder Singh said the otter 'certainly knew what he was doing'.

 

See more images of this unusual encounter

TORTOISE FITTED WITH A SET OF WHEELS TO REPLACE FRONT LEGS SHE LOST TO A RAT ATTACK WHEN SHE WAS HIBERNATING

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Mrs T had her two front legs gnawed off by a rat while she was hibernating

Vet saved the tortoise but feared it would not survive without being mobile

So her owners glued the wheels from a model aircraft onto her shell

Jude Ryder, 56, said: 'It was like fitting her with a turbo charger'

A 100-year-old tortoise is going twice its normal speed after being fitted with a set of wheels when a rat gnawed off its two front legs.

 

The tortoise called Mrs T was facing a grim future after the rat attacked her while she was hibernating.

 

But her owners glued the wheels from a model aircraft onto her shell and Mrs T is said to be enjoying being able to get around much faster than she used to.

 

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LIZARD CHILLING OUT AND PLAYING LEAF GUITAR

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Tiny reptile caught on camera seemingly strumming a leaf 

The lizard was spotted in the pose by photographer Aditya Permana

The reptile was seen practising its chords in Yogyakarta, Indonesia 

The tiny reptile seemed completely at ease as it performing to an audience 

The photographer caught the comical snap earlier this week and watched the critter for more than an hour before it began practicing its chords.

MARINE TURTLES PLAYING AND EMBRACING EACH OTHER - Photos taken off the Canary Islands

Turtle love: Amazing underwater pictures show two playful turtles swimming up close to two divers and playing around for the camera

Two green turtles were spotted sharing an intimate embrace off the coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands

Photographer Montse Grillo, 37, said the turtles were curious about their reflections in the camera lens 

She said: 'Turtles and I are great friends and I love to spend time with them so I thought I would take a selfie'

Green turtles can live up to eighty years in the wild and can grow up to 1.5m in length and weigh up to 190 kg

See more pictures

COBRA HEAD BITES CHEF 20 MINUTES AFTER HE HAD CUT IT OFF - and kills him with venom while he was preparing the rest of the snake as a dish

Dying snake's final act of revenge came as Peng Fan threw its head away 

Its neurotoxic, flesh-eating venom killed the chef before help could arrive

All reptiles can function for up to an hour after having body parts removed

Cobras are a delicacy in China and believed to be good for your health

A chef preparing a dish made from cobra flesh died after the snake bit his hand - 20 minutes after he had severed it from its body. 

 

Peng Fan from Foshan, Guangdong province, southern China, had been preparing a special dish made from Indochinese spitting cobra, a rare delicacy.  It was as he went to chuck the cobra's head in the bin that it bit him, injecting Mr Peng with its flesh-killing, neurotoxic venom.

 

The snake was being diced up to be made into snake soup, which is a delicacy in Guangdong and a much sought after dish in the province's high-end restaurants.

 

Restaurant guest Lin Sun, 44, who was in the restaurant with his wife Su at the time said: 'We were in the restaurant having a meal for my wife's birthday when suddenly there was a lot of commotion.  'We did not know what was happening but could hear screams coming from the kitchen.  There were calls for a doctor in the restaurant but unfortunately by the time medical assistance arrived the man had already died.  After we heard that we did not continue with our meal.'

 

Snake expert Yang Hong-chang - who has spent 40 years studying cobras - says all reptiles can function for up to an hour after losing body parts, or even their entire body.  'It is perfectly possible that the head remained alive and bit Peng's hand,' he said.  By the time a snake has lost its head, it's effectively dead as basic body functions have ceased, but there is still some reflexive action.  It means snakes have the capability of biting and injecting venom even after the head has been severed.'

 

See video and pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2732523/Chef-dies-spitting-cobra-cooking-bit-hand-20-minutes-cut-head-off.html

 

Photo - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra

 

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PRIZE-WINNING NATURE AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHS - From a happy gecko to a curious squirrel, to a busy bird carrying huge branch for his nest

All creatures great and small: From a buffalo to the tiniest dragonfly.

 

The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers Nature Secrets announces the prize winning photographs.  

 

Here are a few samples. 

 

On the left:  Highly commended: Red squirrel, captured on camera at the Loch Garten RSPB by wedding photographer Julian Clune, 25,  from Hull, also featured among the finalists.

 

'I saw this little fellow run across the floor and up a tree right in front of me,' he said. 'I thought I actually scared him away, but just as I started to put my camera down I saw him pop his little head around the corner of the tree in the most charming way'

 

 

 

 

 

All smiles: South African photographer Bridgena Barnard, 48, took third place with her picture of a happy-looking gecko in the Namib desert, which stretches through Angola, Namibia and South Africa.

 

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Carrying cargo: Jitu Jam, 31, photographed this coot in Gujarat, India, as it built a nest on Lakhota lake. He said: 'It was busy making a nest with leaves and broken branches. I was surprised it was collecting branches as big as itself'

 

See more pictures here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2731017/All-creatures-great-small-From-buffalo-African-lake-tiniest-dragonfly-tender-moment-baby-monkey-mother-prize-winning-photographs-showcase-best-nature-s-secrets.html

 

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SEA TURTLE STOPS FOR A VISIT TO UNDERWATER SPA - Or car wash, to get itself scrubbed up by worker fish

Wax and polish: Sea turtle stops by underwater 'car wash' to get a clean and scrub from electric yellow fish.  These brightly coloured fish have been photographed happily operating an underwater car wash to help clean passing sea turtles. 

 

Photographer Masa Ushioda, 43, described the fish as working 'like a car wash' and said the electric yellow, purple and blue fish worked enthusiastically on each turtle that checked in for a scrub.  The busy crew operated 60ft underwater in the Pacific Ocean off the Kona coast of Hawaii, America, in an area known as Turtle Pinnacle.  The 3ft long Green Sea Turtle is an endangered species but it is abundant in Hawaii.

 

Read more and see additional pictures

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2715393/Wax-polish-Sea-turtle-stops-underwater-car-wash-clean-scrub-electric-yellow-fish.html

 

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SEA TURTLE HUGS SURFER TO SAY THANK YOU AFTER BEING CUT FREE FROM OLD FISHING NETS

Puerto Rican kite surfer who saved a turtle from fishing nets was rewarded for his actions with a hug from the endangered sea creature. 

 

The underwater rescue and touching encounter with the turtle afterwards was filmed on a GoPro camera at the start of the year by two friends who were spear fishing off the Mexican coast. 

 

Photo - After being freed the turtle started to swim away, but then stopped, turned, and swam toward his savior expressing gratitude, and allowing the surfer to hug him.

 

When kitesurfer Cameron Dietrich and Colin Sutton spotted the distressed sea turtle they quickly dived in the ocean to try to rescue it.

 

Using a dive knife, Dietrich carefully cut away the tangle of rope and netting that had wrapped itself around a front fin, while Sutton helped the turtle to float.   Once it had been freed the turtle started to swim off into the clear blue waters, but in an unexpected move it slowly circled back to the friends. 

 

The turtle swam over to Dietrich, stopping with its nose just inches from his face and letting the surfer gently hold it, as if to say thanks.   The pair stayed close together for a few moments, and slowly drifted through the ocean with the turtle staying between Dietrich and the surface.  Since the video was uploaded on YouTube earlier this month it has been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
 

Read more and see additional pictures and video

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2696335/Tender-moment-sea-turtle-hugs-surfer-say-thank-cut-free-old-fishing-nets.html

 

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TURTLE PILE UP - Hilarious moment when Snapping Turtles get stuck after their leader stops abruptly

The moment when one snapping turtle came to a sudden halt, but two behind failed to notice the their path was blocked

Within minutes seven turtles were waiting patiently in line for the first one to get himself moving again

Photographs were taken by Hans Jorg Leth, 45, at Haus des Meeres Aqua Terra Zoo in Vienna, Austria

After the initial three-turtle pile up, several more lined up behind. Within just a few minutes seven turtles were left waiting patiently in line for the first turtle to get himself moving again.

Read more and see pictures
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636133/Hope-turns-turtle-Snapping-turtles-stuck-one-stops-abruptly.html

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WILD SNAKES HAVE BEEN LIVING PEACEFULY BY LONDON CANAL FOR DECADES - NOW AUTHORITIES WANT TO MURDER THEM for no good reason - Snakes feed on rats, which helps reduce number of GIANT RATS plaguing Britain

Maybe they help mitigate the problem of giant rat invasion of Britain, previously reported on this blog.

Regent's Canal - Photo Visit London.com

Daily Mail:  Of all the places you'd expect to find an 8ft snake that squeezes rats and birds to death, central London probably wouldn't be the first. 

 

But a colony of the beasts has been living beside the capital's Regent's Canal - despite being powerful enough to kill a small cat or dog. 

 

Now a row has broken out after a government quango said the snakes were an 'invasive species' which could be culled, even though they may have been living peacefully in the city for decades.

 

It is not known for certain where the snakes came from, but it is thought their ancestors may have escaped several years ago from London Zoo.  They are native to central Europe and are already a foot long when they hatch, before growing to their adult length of four to five feet. Some have been recorded growing up to 8ft long.

 

Aesculapian Snake - Daily Mail

The snakes are non-venomous, and instead kill small animals by constricting them.

 

But now the animals face a possible cull after a government quango, the London Invasive Species Initiative, marked them as a 'non-native species of high concern'.  The quango put the species in its second highest-priority group and said the snakes would require 'control, management, eradication etc.'  It added staff would have to 'establish ecology, breeding sites and methods of removal'. 

 

The plans come despite a colony of the animals having lived peacefully for several decades in north Wales after they escaped from the Welsh Mountain Zoo, in Colwyn Bay. 

 

Dr Wolfgang Wuster of Bangor University, who works with the Welsh colony, hit out at the plans as a possible waste of resources. 

 

He said: 'Any attempt to eradicate the Aesculapian snake would require justification of resources to be devoted to an almost certainly non-problematic introduced species with little prospects of spread, as opposed to the many far more damaging species already out there.  'From a wider and more philosophical point of view, we should ask ourselves what we can really conserve.'

 

'Given the near certainty of massive global climate change over the next century, the idea that we can treat the UK fauna and flora like some kind of pre-industrial vicarage garden and preserve it forever without any changes is simply farcical.' 

 

LISI manager Karen Harper said: '[The] Aesculapian snake species is listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, meaning it is illegal to allow the species to spread or escape into the wild.  'At present there is limited information on what affects the species may have on our local ecosystems.'

 

Source

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2625003/London-hit-outbreak-invasive-eight-foot-SNAKES-kill-cats-small-dogs.html

 

 

RELATED

 

Maybe those peaceful snakes that don't hurt humans are reducing the number of giant rats plaguing London. 

 

Britain under the invasion of giant rats the size of cats. 

http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/04/invasion-of-super-rats-size-of-cats.html

 

 

More on Aesculapian snakes

Their main food source are rodents up to the size of rats (a 130 cm adult specimen has been reported to have overpowered a 200g rat) and other small mammals such as shrews and moles. They also eat birds as well as bird eggs and nestlings. They suffocate their prey by constriction, though harmless smaller mouthfuls may be eaten alive without, or simply crushed on eating by jaws. Juveniles mainly eat lizards and arthropods, later small rodents. Other snakes and lizards are taken but found rarely only in adult prey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculapian_Snake

 

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MICHIGAN FIREFIGHTER SAVES 7 FOOT LONG SNAKE FROM FIRE

No one really wanted to go back inside the burning Michigan house to rescue a giant snake named Chocolate Chip.  Not the pet’s owner and not the firemen who gathered outside the smoldering Muskegon home.   Firefighter Scott Hemmelsbach finally said he’d do it.

PET TORTOISE GIVEN WHEELS AFTER LOSING HIS FRONT LEGS

Tortoise given WHEELS after his front legs are gnawed off by rats while hibernating underground in owner's garden

• Marginated tortoise Septimus was attacked by rodents while underground in Gosport, Hampshire
• The remainder of his legs were infested
• Owner Darren Strand was told his legs needed to be amputated, or Septimus would have to be put down
• Vets used putty to attach model aeroplane wheels to bottom of the pet's shell

Read Septimus' story and see pictures
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2571567/Tortoise-given-WHEELS-legs-gnawed-rats-hibernating-underground-owners-garden.html

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