A group of tentacled snakes has been born at Smithsonian National Zoo, marking the first time in over a decade.
While not endangered, tentacled snakes (Erpeton tentaculatus) are not
very well understood. The arrival of these new snakes - interestingly,
tentacled snakes give birth to live young - came as a great surprise to
researchers, as the parent snakes had not produced viable offspring in
the
past four years.
These
aquatic snakes originate from Southeast Asia and get their name from the
two tentacles on their snouts, which they use to sense vibration in the
water - a good indicator of approaching fish. They are relatively
small, growing to between 50-90cm/20-35 inches in length, and possess an
extremely unusual hunting technique. When a fish has approached the
snake flexes part of its body, startling the fish and causing it to turn
around and swim straight into the snake's open jaws. The snake doesn't
actually move its head - it has adapted to take advantage of this fish
"escape" reflex and positions itself accordingly. Because the snake
doesn't move its head, fish who don't react so reflexively miss its
jaws.
According to keepers, these new arrivals are growing
extremely quickly. "Within a few hours of being born, the snakes were
already acting like adults," Matt Evans (Smithsonian's Reptile Discovery
Center) said. "Instincts took over and they were hunting. We don't know
much about this cryptic species, but we're already learning so much
just watching them grow."
Photo credit: Brittany Steff, Smithsonian's National Zoo.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://smithsonianscience.org/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
For sources regarding its hunting technique:
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.plosone.org/
A group of tentacled snakes has been born at Smithsonian National Zoo, marking the first time in over a decade.
While not endangered, tentacled snakes (Erpeton tentaculatus) are not very well understood. The arrival of these new snakes - interestingly, tentacled snakes give birth to live young - came as a great surprise to researchers, as the parent snakes had not produced viable offspring in the
While not endangered, tentacled snakes (Erpeton tentaculatus) are not very well understood. The arrival of these new snakes - interestingly, tentacled snakes give birth to live young - came as a great surprise to researchers, as the parent snakes had not produced viable offspring in the
past four years.
These aquatic snakes originate from Southeast Asia and get their name from the two tentacles on their snouts, which they use to sense vibration in the water - a good indicator of approaching fish. They are relatively small, growing to between 50-90cm/20-35 inches in length, and possess an extremely unusual hunting technique. When a fish has approached the snake flexes part of its body, startling the fish and causing it to turn around and swim straight into the snake's open jaws. The snake doesn't actually move its head - it has adapted to take advantage of this fish "escape" reflex and positions itself accordingly. Because the snake doesn't move its head, fish who don't react so reflexively miss its jaws.
According to keepers, these new arrivals are growing extremely quickly. "Within a few hours of being born, the snakes were already acting like adults," Matt Evans (Smithsonian's Reptile Discovery Center) said. "Instincts took over and they were hunting. We don't know much about this cryptic species, but we're already learning so much just watching them grow."
Photo credit: Brittany Steff, Smithsonian's National Zoo.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://smithsonianscience.org/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
For sources regarding its hunting technique:
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.plosone.org/
These aquatic snakes originate from Southeast Asia and get their name from the two tentacles on their snouts, which they use to sense vibration in the water - a good indicator of approaching fish. They are relatively small, growing to between 50-90cm/20-35 inches in length, and possess an extremely unusual hunting technique. When a fish has approached the snake flexes part of its body, startling the fish and causing it to turn around and swim straight into the snake's open jaws. The snake doesn't actually move its head - it has adapted to take advantage of this fish "escape" reflex and positions itself accordingly. Because the snake doesn't move its head, fish who don't react so reflexively miss its jaws.
According to keepers, these new arrivals are growing extremely quickly. "Within a few hours of being born, the snakes were already acting like adults," Matt Evans (Smithsonian's Reptile Discovery Center) said. "Instincts took over and they were hunting. We don't know much about this cryptic species, but we're already learning so much just watching them grow."
Photo credit: Brittany Steff, Smithsonian's National Zoo.
http://www.livescience.com/
http://smithsonianscience.org/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
For sources regarding its hunting technique:
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.plosone.org/
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