Server schmerver

To my loyal readers and to my homeboy, Chris, we’re switching up some servers. Just CTFO and we’ll be up and running in no time. Peace!

Creepy new rodent discovered in Haiti

Recently scientests uncovvered a colony Hispaniolan solenodons. Basically the Hispaniolan solenodon looks like a big rat with a crocodile snout. These little critters may be cute but they AREN’T cuddly; the venom from one bite is 12 times more potent than a cobra’s bite and 10 times more deadly than a python’s.  Hispaniolan solenodons make excellent pets but they are not for the beginning venomous mammal enthusiast. Please check out some books at the library before you buy one or at least read Wikipedia.

Hispaniolan solenodons mostly eat meal worms but will also eat carrots, fishfood or thawed frozen peas. You’ll need a large terrarium or, even better, a serious Habitrail setup since the Hispaniolan solenodons love to run and dig. And bite.

Click it or ticket –> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7791989.stm

Venomous spiders of south Florida (Miami)

When I say “venomous spiders”, where do you think of? Africa? Ausralia? The backwoods of West Virginia? All these answers are correct; well not entirely correct. A little known fact: Miami, Florida (USA) is home to the most poisonous spider. This spider, an extremely rare spider, is called the taupe recluse. Don’t laugh! It’s actuall related to the brown recluse but a SINGLE bit contains over 70 times the venom of a similar bit of a brown recluse.

The taupe recluse gets its name from–take a wild guess–the color of its belly. Actually, this spider looks identical to the brown recluse except for its underside; the brown recluse has a pinkish belly whereas the taupe recluse has a taupe belly. The taupe recluse lives exclusively in Miama and feeds primarily on spilled beach food such as hot dogs, chips, soda, whatever. Often, taupe recluse bites take some time to kill a person but quickly retard respiration without the individual’s knowledge. Hence, many drown after taupe recluse bites and these deaths are usually attributed to drinking, drugs, sting rays, sharks, Dutch teenagers, etc. The taupe recluse should be feard and nobody should visit Miama without reading this article.

Watch your ass because I’m too busy watching mine,

Tom

News is slow because of Obama; snakes are never irrelevent

Yo! I’ve been jamming my EYEBALLS on cnn for like 3 days but there haven’t been any polar bears, squids, deer, grizzly bears, etc. at all. The reason? This Obama guy. So, considering my recent exchange with my bro, Chris, about pythons, I just thought I’d post this sick-ass video:

This snake is 7 m, approximately one fourth the size of my behemoth python, Giuseppe. Now, picture the snake in the video but four times bigger. That’s my jam factory, G-Bone. If he had it his way he’d eat 12 pigs per week but I keep him Kosher so it’s turkey/chicken 100%.

Boy loves hedgehogs, legalizes them

Some kid, after years of Sega, NEEDED a pet hedgehog, which he got. He found out, to his dismay, that hedgehogs were illegal in his state. So what did he do? He took his cause to court, just like I would. After months of debate, hedgehogs were finally legalized. My wife says that when we get a pet hedgehog she wants to name it Lucifer. Here’s the link:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/01/03/pkg.hedgehog.love.ktka

Knut, tormented by people, wants rid of white ball

I’m sorry, Knut. I’m sorry they make it this difficult for you.

http://blog.rbb-online.de/roller/knut/entry/noch_mehr_davon

Bearscare 100th post winner

Sorry I didn’t post this on New Year’s Day as promised. There were many more submissions than I was expecting and choosing wasn’t easy. This year’s winner is:

Heidi

The prize is that Heidi’s submission below will be released in a limited edition signed and numbered by me. The price is $0. Please contact tom at bearcare dot org for purchasing details.

The winning submission below is not available for purchase through this site and it is highly unlikely it will ever be available through any site. Those interested in the image should contact Heidi. Thanks to everyone who participated and thanks to Heidi for her great art! Keep up the good work!

The Python

Introduction

The python is a large, land-based snake. It is capable of eating small mammals (including people) and its preferred killing method is strangulation/crushing. Pythons can grow to an excess of 30 feet (10 meters). Pythons are mostly green but can also feature brown or yellow colorings.

History

Pythons, along with some other snakes, are thought to have evolved from lower-slung dinosaurs roughly 85 million years ago (according to carbon dating on skeletons found in South Africa). Interest in pythons first began in the late 19th Century when humanoid remains began turning up–people were fossil crazy! The massive snakes captured the western world’s imagination; in 1897, the New York Times featured a python-related story once every other week on average.

Habitat

Pythons are found in the wild exclusively in Africa. They are distributed evenly throughout the continent but there are locally large populations in large population centers since food is more readily available. It is not uncommon to see a python slithering through a market place looking for fallen merchandise.

Although pythons can be kept as pets, it is not recommended. The animal may be very small when it is purchased but will likely exceed 25 feet in length and 10 inches in girth within 8 months. It is impossible to tell just how big any given python will grow. The steady increase in unwanted pythons in American animal shelters is thought to be a result of this uncertainty. Please, if you’re considering a pet python, remember that it is a very needy animal and will require its own room and sizable pond. Also, the full-grown snake will need, at a minimum, 6 live chickens per week.

Feeding

Pythons will eat just about anything. Their favorite meat is chicken, but they also enjoy turkey, ostrich, some cuts of beef and have been noticed eating scrapple. In the case of birds, the snakes will only accept live food or food which is dead and artificially animated either through mechanical means or electrical. Beef products are only taken raw or rare.

Pythons will eat fruits and vegetables out of boredom. It is good to provide them with a balanced diet, so it is recommended that once a month the snake be presented with only green vegetables for a week or so. The snake may refuse to eat for two or three days but will eventually rekindle its appreciation of vegetables. Favorites include asparagus, summer squash, Asian pears and clementines. Under no circumstances should pythons be fed onions.

Reproduction

Pythons will not hesitate to reproduce. They tend to be monogamous and a breeding pair may produce in excess of 14 snakelings per year if appropriate nutrition is available. Unlike other animals, there is no “mating season”. Happy, healthy pythons will reproduce at any time. Pythons are very private about their mating practices and film crews have never successfully captured the act.

Life cycle

Pythons, being the biggest of all snakes, are also the longest lived. A healthy, unstressed python can live in excess of 130 years. Some are quite skeptical when they first learn this fact, but such longevity is not unprecedented in nature; turtles and tortoises lack any gene which causes aging and can live indefinitely long until some severe disease sets in.

A baby python reaches adulthood in 18-24 months. At this point, the snake will roam the earth searching for food (preferably chickens) and a mate. Once a mate is found, the two will tend to be inseperable until one succumbs to disease. This can take quite a while since there are very few python-diseases and most only exist in north-eastern Europe and South America where pythons comprise only ~0.01% of snakes. Once one half of the pair has deceased, the surviving snake will usually seek a new mate. Very few pythons are solitary.

Public reaction

People love pythons and few realize that they are the most deadly snake on the planet and have a very bad attitude. Pythons will attack people out of fear-agression in 9 out of 10 confrontations. Only experienced handlers should be within striking distance of these snakes. In 2007, the Central African Python Research Institute (CAPRI) reported over 2 million python related deaths. This figure is staggering since CAPRI estimates there are only about 800,000 pythons in the world. Including the 1,100 python fatalities in the rest of the world, this is 2.501 kills per snake. All pythons should be treated with respect and fear. Please admire them from a safe distance.

Conclusion

Pythons are extremely dangerous. They are majestic snakes but should be left alone. You would be better off with a King Cobra as a pet rather than one of these.

References

All material here was generously provided by the Central African Python Research Institute.

Bearscare Year in Review

To my readers:

2008 was a year of surprise, poinency and excitment. As I look back over the past 12 months, the following 10 things flow through my mind:

1. I got married.
2. Bearscare took hold as a cornerstone of the Internet.
3. Our largest cat, Skittles, entered our home.
4. Our smallest cat, Muffin, was born.
5. We adopted Muffin.
6. To beautiful polar bear cubs, Knut and Flocke, made the news.
7. Pythons made the news frequently.
8. Video of a grizzly bear eating a young moose surfaced.
9. I renewed my bearscare.org
10. We found our turtle, Jiminy Cricket, and gave him a loving home.

I look forward to another year of Bearscare.org almost as much as you probably do. Have a happy and safe new year.

Knut almost gets a new friend

According to the Daily Mail, some guy leapt into Knut’s enclosure because he was lonely and felt the 2-year-old bear was too. Zookeepers lured Knut away from his new dinner and into a cage before removing the man from the enclosure. Police said he did not appear to be mentally disabled. Although I certainly share this man’s desire to befriend Knut, I do realize, as a bear expert and enthusiast, that making a bear friend is a slow process which requires lots of patience and trust. I know that after months of bringing seal meat and making bear noises Knut would come to accept me. I would never, however, try to rush him into a friendship that makes him uncomfortable or hungry.