The Desert Night Snake
This snake is characterized by it's slender, spotted body and flat triangular head. It also has a dark bar behind its eye and a vertical pupil and measures 305 to 500 mm. It seeks sandy and rocky habitats in British Columbia, much of the western U.S.A. down into Mexico and Costa Rica. Its venom is not dangerous to humans and it in fact shows little tendancy to bite when handled.
Reasons for the Night snake's endangered status are not fully understood yet. Some factors could include predation, prey availibility and human interference. In the case of human interference, habitat destruction would be the biggest problem as the snake isn't normally hunted.
Cool Facts
The Desert Night Snake is rear-fanged. One of the only rear fanged snakes in British Columbia.
It uses its venom to paralyze but not necessarily kill its prey. A biting and chewing motion releases the venom through the fangs into the victim, and then the snake swallows it whole.
Sea Turtles
All eight species of turtles are threatened or endangered. (Endangered is the more serious classification) They are, the green turtle (tropics), black turtle (California to the Galapagos, may be a subspecies of the green), leatherback (arctic or tropics), olive ridley, Kemp's ridley (Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic), Hawksbill (coral reefs), Australian flatback, and loggerhead (subtropics). The largest by far is the leatherback which grows to a huge 74 inches. They eat jellyfish, sea grasses, crabs, and sponges.
Reasons for endangered and threatened status: many get caught in fishing nets and can't get to the surface to breath, they and their eggs are killed for meat, leather, etc., development, pollution, and many other hazards. Habitat destruction can be such a problem because baby sea turtles head for the brightest area to get to sea. Often however, the city lights are brighter than the sun or the moon's reflection on the water and the little ones head in a very wrong direction. The TED and round the clock volunteers at hatching time have helped to solve some problems.
Cool Facts
Males are distinguished by long, thick tails and hooks on their front flippers for mating.
The most endangered is the Kemp's Ridley
Eggs are laid and baby turtles left to hatch and make it to the sea on their own
Green Sea turtles are the only vegetarians
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