Snakes Of Ontario & Canada

Information on these fascinating animals

[fattyfatpythonsforever]

SNOOT

Henry McKool

[alltailnolegs]

I realized I had a good age spread of gonyosoma oxycephalum.

[bbreptiles]

Ok this is REALLY cool

[snakesofontario]

Reproduction in snakes

Snakes fall into 2 different categories when it comes to reproduction. Ovoviviparous (live birth) and Oviparous (lays eggs). Boas - most are ovoviviparous Pythons -Oviparous Colubrids - Ovoviviparous Elapidaes - Most are ovoviviparous and a minority are Oviparous Hydrophiaes - same as Elapidaes Viperidaes - Most are ovoviviparous and a minority are Oviparous

[snakesofontario]

Snakes of British Columbia

Rubber Boa

Western Yellow-Bellied Racer

Wandering Garter

North-Western Garter

Common Garter

Sharp Tailed Snake

Desert Night Snake (Venomous)

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Venomous)

[snakesofontario]

Getting back to blogging

I have plans to continue this, I've been working with the science department in my school and in other schools to peak my research and delivery.

[snakesofontario]

Snake Families

Boidae (Boas) ---> Constrictors

Pythonidae (Pythons) ---> Non-venomous

Colubrids (Largest snake family) ---> Non-venomous, widespread

Elapidae (Coral snakes, Cobras, Mambas, etc.) ---> Venomous

Hydrophidae (Sea Snakes) ---> Venomous

Viperidae (Pit Vipers) ---> Venomous

**All snake families come from a venomous ancestor**

Boidaes have; 2 subfamilies, 8 genera, and 43 species currently recognized. In all snake families the female is usually larger due to reproduction

~Feeding: The snake uses constriction and prey eventually succumbs due to Asphyxiation.

Biologists think that the pressure from the constriction causes cardiac arrest due to the interference of blood flow.

~ Larger specimens will usually eat larger prey the size of a house cat

~Prey is swallowed whole and digestion can take anywhere from several days to weeks to be complete.

Pythonidaes have 8 genera and 26 species recognized.  

~Feeding: Use their sharp backwards curved teeth (4 rows on top and 2 rows on bottom) to grasp their prey and constrict it, dies of asphyxiation  

~ Larger Asian species have been known to take down deer, while the African rock python has been known to eat antelope

~ In contrast to the popular belief the larger pythons (Reticulated pythons) do not crush their prey, the prey has no visible deformations while the snake swallows it.

*People are able to own Reticulated pythons (the largest of this family but, it is highly recommended that 2 or people be present in the room with the handler, as there have been cases of Retics killing their owners.

Colubridaes have 304 generas and 1938 species, they make up 2/3 of the snake population on the Earth. They are also found on all continents except for Antarctica.

~Feeding: Eat mostly small rodents, they constrict and coil like most non-venomous snakes

~Colubrids are mostly harmless, although the Boiga genus have caused significant bites for medical treatment.  

~The Boomslang, Twig Snakes and Rhabdophis genus have cause human fatalities.

~The only known venomous colubrid is the Rhabdophis Tirinus - the Japanese grass snake - Yamakagashi.

Elapidaes have 61 generas and 325 species. They are found in; Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America. Also aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.  

~Feeding: Elapidaes do not coil or constrict as they inject venom into their prey and follow them as they die.

~Hydrophidaes are linked in with this family as they are just the aquatic version of the terrestrial snakes.  

~The aquatic elapidaes have the ability to secrete salt

Examples of these snakes are: Egyptian Cobras

     King Cobras

     Coral Snakes

     Death Adder

 and the Black Mamba  

~Traits: Hollow fixed fangs for the venom delivery. Their venom is a neurotoxin, cardiotoxin and cytotoxin. This family has the most venomous snakes based on the Murine LD50 in their venom.

Venom and poison are completely different due to how they take effect. Poison must be either absorbed through the skin or ingested. Venom is injected through fangs or another delivery system.

[bbreptiles]

Hey Leopard Gecko people of tumblr: What do you use for your food and water bowls?

I’ve used a hodge podge of things for a long time, from peanut butter lids to icebreaker mint container bottoms, etc etc. But all of them have their flaws. Either they’re hard to clean, pick up calcium deposits too easily, are too easy to knock over, or are not tall enough so all the mealworms and dubias and etc just climb right out of them. So I’m looking for better ideas. Any suggestions?

[snakesofontario]

bbreptiles Brian Barczyk of bhb reptiles(snakebytestv) uses little plastic deli cups. They seem to work fine for him

[snakesofontario]

Breakdown of this blog

Before I get into the specific snakes of Canada (mainly my home province Ontario) I want to go over the general snake information. *I will not be doing covering anything along the lines of breeding at all* Ranging from the families all the way down to some simply biological reasons snakes have the colours they do

*Disclaimer: I am by no means a snake breeder, This is part leisure and also part of a big biology project I’ve been working on for senior year. However, the research I do is thorough

[dorito-with-a-butt-noot-noot-de]

Hello. Yes. I have a question about sneks

How do I take care of them? I want to get one and I need advice. I should be getting a corn snake. Plz?

[snakesofontario]

Corn Snakes are generally the best starter snakes as they are docile but, they can be a bit hyper. If you want a snake that’s a bit more lethargic then I would recommend a Ball python (they are quite popular right now)

*edit: I also recommend the western hognose if you're worried about being bit. They are what most call "bluffers" they flair up like a cobra and strike, only they aren't biting they are simply ramming their noses into your hand. But, there is a possibility that you could have a mild reaction to the venom they have( not many people have a serious reaction and the venom almost never comes in contact with your skin)

[snakesofontario]

The reason people fear snakes

The fear of snakes if often stemmed from the media or from an occurrence that happened when you were young. Snakes are quite fascinating animals once you get past the your initial fear. 

1) Find the cause of your fear. Whether this was you older sibling throwing a plastic snake on you as a kid or whether it stems from main-stream media

2) Start by addressing this cause with someone you trust, really anyone you can count on for being there for you

3) Little by little start weaning yourself into the snake world. Now this truly depends on you and how much you think you can take. This could be telling yourself “OK, I’m going to scroll through snake pictures on google for 1 minute”. Eventually you’ll want to increase this time after a day or so. Or watching videos of herpetologists do their jobs. 

4) When you feel like you can stand it, find someone you know and go to a pet store or a breeder and just be around the snakes. You don’t have to hold them, just be around them. Learn their personalities and habits. 

5) After this you can begin holding them. This can just be their bodies or their heads, hopefully you will begin to gain the confidence to hold one completely. 

6) Remember: Take this at your own speed. This process can take months or a couple of years. After identifying the underlying cause of what made you develop this fear everything should be smooth sailing. Now, I’m not saying to rush this process because if anything, you’ll just make it worse and be back to square one.