Rattlesnakes Habitats, Behavior, and Diet

Rattlesnakes (Crotalus or Sistrurus) are named for the rattle at the end of their tail, which makes a rattling sound as a warning to other animals. There are over thirty species of rattlesnakes that are indigenous to the Americas. While most of those species have healthy populations, some rattlesnakes are considered threatened or endangered due to factors like poaching and the destruction of their native habitats. Fast Facts: Rattlesnake Scientific Name: Crotalus or SistrurusCommon Name: RattlesnakeBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: 1.5–8.5 feetWeight: 2–15 poundsLifespan: 10–25 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Diverse habitats; most commonly open, rocky areas, but also native to deserts, prairies, and forestsConservation Status: Most species are Least Concern, but a few species are Endangered Description Rattlesnakes get their name from the distinctive rattle at the tip of their tail. When it vibrates, it produces a buzzing or rattling sound. Most rattlesnakes are light brown or gray, but there are some species that can be bright colors like pink or red. Adults are usually 1.5 to 8.5 feet, with most measuring under 7 feet. They can weigh from 2 to 15 pounds. Close-up of a rattlesnake tail.   Robert Young/EyeEm/Getty Images Rattlesnake fangs are connected to their venom ducts and are curved in shape. Their fangs are continuously produced, which means there are always new fangs growing in behind their existing fangs so that they can be used as soon as the old fangs are shed. Rattlesnakes have a heat sensing pit between each eye and nostril. This pit helps them to hunt their prey. They have a form of heat vision that helps them to locate their prey in dark conditions. Because rattlesnakes have a heat-sensitive pit organ, they are considered pit vipers. Habitat and Distribution Rattlesnakes are found throughout the Americas from Canada to Argentina. In the United States, they are quite common in the southwest. Their habitats are varied, as they can live in plains, deserts, and mountain habitats. More often than not, however, rattlesnakes reside in rocky environments, as rocks help them to find cover and food. Since they are reptiles and ectothermic, these areas also help them with temperature control; depending on the temperature, they bask in the sun on top of the rocks or cool down in the shade under the rocks. Some species enter a hibernation-like state during winter. Diet and Behavior Rattlesnakes are carnivores. They eat a variety of small prey like mice, rats, and other small rodents, as well as smaller species of birds. Rattlesnakes are stealthy hunters. They lie in wait for their prey, then strike with their venomous fangs to immobilize it. Once the prey is dead, the rattlesnake will swallow it head first. Due to the snakes digestion process, a rattlesnake will sometimes seek out a place to rest while its meal is being digested. Reproduction and Offspring In the United States, most rattlesnakes breed in June through August. Males have sex organs called hemipenes at the base of their tails. Hemipenes are retracted when not in use. Females have the ability to store sperm for long periods of time, so reproduction can occur well after mating season. The gestation period varies based on species, with some periods lasting for almost 6 months. Rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous, which means that eggs are carried inside the mother but the young are born live. Offspring numbers vary based on species, but typically range from 5 to 20 young. Females usually only reproduce once every two to three years. Newborns have both functioning venom glands and fangs at birth. The young do not stay with their mother long and are off to fend for themselves shortly after being born.   Conservation Status Most species of rattlesnake are classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). However, most rattlesnake species are decreasing in population size, and a few species, such as the Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis) are classified as critically endangered. Predation as well as human encroachment on habitats are the two most prevalent threats to rattlesnake populations. Species There are over 30 species of rattlesnakes. Common species are the eastern diamondback, timber rattlesnake, and the western diamondback rattlesnake. Timbers can be more passive than other species. Eastern diamondbacks have the distinctive diamond pattern that helps them to blend into their environment. The western diamondback is usually the longest of the rattlesnake species. Rattlesnake Bites and Humans Thousands of people are bitten by snakes in the United States each year. While rattlesnakes are usually passive, they will bite if provoked or startled. Snakes bites are rarely fatal when the proper medical care is sought. Common symptoms from a snake bite can include swelling at the bite site, pain, weakness, and sometimes nausea or excessive perspiration. Medical care should be sought immediately after a bite. Sources â€Å"11 North American Rattlesnakes.† Reptiles Magazine, www.reptilesmagazine.com/11-North-American-Rattlesnakes/.â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions About Venomous Snakes.† Venomous Snake FAQs, ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/venomous_snake_faqs.shtml.â€Å"The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.† IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, www.iucnredlist.org/species/64314/12764544.Wallach, Van. â€Å"Rattlesnake.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 8 Oct. 2018, www.britannica.com/animal/rattlesnake.

Asian Elephant The Elephants of India and Southeast Asia

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are large herbivorous land mammals. They are one of two species of elephants, the other being the larger African elephant. Asian elephants have small ears, a long trunk and thick, gray skin. Asian elephants often wallow in mud holes and toss dirt over their body. As a result their skin is often covered with a layer of dust and dirt which acts as a sunscreen and prevents sunburn. Asian elephants have a single fingerlike outgrowth at the tip of their trunk that enables them to pick up small objects and strip leaves from trees. Male Asian elephants have tusks. Females lack tusks. Asian elephants have more hair on their body than African elephants and this is especially evident in young Asian elephants which are covered in a coat of reddish brown hair. Female Asian elephants form matriarchal groups led by the eldest female. These groups, referred to as herds, includes several related females. Mature male elephants, referred to as bulls, often roam independently but occasionally form small groups known as bachelor herds. Asian elephants have a long-standing relationship with humans. All four of the Asian elephant subspecies have been domesticated. Elephants are used to do heavy work such as harvesting and logging and are also used for ceremonial purposes. Asian elephants are classified as endangered by the IUCN. Their population has fallen significantly over the past several generations due to habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Asian elephants are also the victims of poaching for ivory, meat and leather. Additionally, many elephants are killed when they come into contact with local human populations. Asian elephants are herbivores. They feed on grasses, roots, leaves, bark, shrubs and stems. Asian elephants reproduce sexually. Females become sexually mature between the ages of about 14 years. Pregnancy is 18 to 22 months long. Asian elephants breed throughout the year. When born, calves are large and mature slowly. Since calves require much care as they develop, only one calf is born at a time and females only give birth about once every 3 or 4 years. Asian elephants are traditionally considered to be one of two species of elephants, the other being the African elephant. Recently, however, scientists have suggested a third species of elephant. This new classification still recognizes Asian elephants as a single species but divides African elephants into two new species, the African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant. Size and Weight About 11 feet long and 2Â ¼-5Â ½ tons Habitat and Range Grasslands, tropical forest and scrub forest. Asian elephants inhabit India and Southeast Asia including Sumatra and Borneo. Their former range stretched from the region south of the Himalayas throughout Southeast Asia and into China north to the Yangtze River. Classification Asian elephants are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Chordates Vertebrates Tetrapods Amniotes Mammals Elephants Asian Elephants Asian elephants are divided into the following subspecies: Borneo elephantSumatran elephantIndian elephantSri Lankan elephant Evolution Elephants closest living relative are manatees. Other close relatives to elephants include hyraxes and rhinoceroses. Although today there are only two living species in the elephant family, there used to be some 150 species including animals such as Arsinoitherium and Desmostylia.

The Relationship of The Wall Street Crash and The Great...

The Relationship of The Wall Street Crash and The Great Depression In this essay I will be explaining the causes of the Great Depression The Wall Street Crash was the drop in share prices in 1929.The Great Depression was the period in the 1930’s when the USA and other countries like Germany suffered a great deal of poverty i.e. hunger, unemployment, homelessness. Throughout this essay it will be explained how the Wall Street crash was a cause of the Great Depression but it was not the only cause as there were many other factors that also led to the Great Depression. I think the next long term cause was of the Great Depression was the inequality between the rich and the poor. This was a†¦show more content†¦Because of this the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer especially the farmers and the ethnic minorities. The farmers and the ethnic minorities were already in depression, as they could not afford to buy any of the consumer goods and if they could they could not afford to pay for electricity or the fuel to use them. Actions of the banks was also a cause of the Great Depression although it a was a short term cause as it this only became apparent after the Wall Street Crash that the banks had leant too much money to the speculators. In the sense that they should not have leant so much money to anybody and everybody they would also not have lent the savings of some people out to other people. They also encouraged people to borrow money, which made them go into debt, which led to the Great Depression, as the speculators who had borrowed money could not pay the banks back as they had no jobs and the share prices had gone right down. The government was also to blame for the actions of the banks as they had given the banks too much freedom and had allowed them to lend as much money as they wanted to people. The government could have had control over this by limiting the amount of money they could lend to the people. Actions of the speculators was another short term linked toShow MoreRelatedThe Great Depression Of The 1920s1346 Words   |  6 Pagesthe long run, simply could not be sustained. The Wall Street stock market crashed in October 1929 and this triggered the beginning of a Depression for many nations of the developed world. The crash sent the city of New York into economic chaos and although the Great Depression began as an American problem, it was soon felt throughout most of the developed nations during the 1930s by crippling their economies (Schedvin, 1970). The Great Depression was the harshest and longest lasting economic downRead MoreThe Great Depression By Franklin D. 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Until They Bring the Streetcars Back free essay sample

Love is a Silver Lining What is love? Often enough, as a hormone-struck teenager, I am lectured on what love is not. According to my mother, father, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and every adult figure that has ever made a guest-star appearance in the long-winded romance novel that is my life, love is NOT the warm cuddly feeling I get when I see a cute boy at school. Love is NOT holding hands on the playground; is not caring an abnormal amount for a favorite pair of shoes. I feel as though a vast amount of time is spent describing the negative space of a person’s heart, and not long enough spent defining its shape. Although Pastor Ostrum follows suit with his anti-definition of what love is not, he definitely strikes a chord in my heart when he says that â€Å"love is not something we wait to have happen to us, but something we do. We will write a custom essay sample on Until They Bring the Streetcars Back or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † Many might disagree, might argue that love is a two-way street; that in order to give we must first receive. However, in the novel â€Å"Until They Bring the Streetcars Back,† by Stanley Gordon West, Cal Gant demonstrates this principle of giving time and time again. If love is not something you say, but something you do, then how many acts of loving go unnoticed throughout a day? It seems that the simplest actions, such as waving hello to an elderly couple on the street, can be the most sentimental. This theme plays out in Until They Bring the Streetcars Back, through Cal’s kindness and blind compassion. Despite his own hesitation and fear, and despite his family’s well-worn advice to â€Å"leave well-enough alone,† Cal fights tooth and nail to better Gretchen’s life. Whether he is giving her a baby-doll to hold on to, or a Nut Goodie to liven her spirits, or merely listening to her cry, Cal makes his best effort to be a friend to the friendless. He finds himself mixed into a blender of emotional turmoil as he enters a world of abuse and terror unimaginable to a seventeen year old boy. Still, he is relentless, stealing liquor—endangering his own life—to free Gretchen, a girl he hardly knows. Without thinking, Cal gives and gives, regardless to what may happen to him. He expects nothing in return for his kindness, and presents a lonely girl with a gift he wasn’t aware he was giving: love. Assuming that Pastor Ostrum’s theory is correct, then no one ever makes a conscious decision to love. Love is a reflex. Love is deaf, and blind to external pressures to do one thing or another. As a person learns the shape of their heart, they also find what lies within it. Is there strength enough to face the faceless? In Cal’s case, there was. Unknowingly, Cal’s heart became a home to Gretchen; she found shelter and refuge within walls built of compassion. And in the worst of times, when Cal searched himself for the strength to decide if he had love enough to follow through, he found her. Love is not a mere four letter word. Love is not the warmth of a hand in your own, or fingers laced through yours. Love is the decision to hold that hand through thick and thin. Love is the silver lining that holds us together during times of hardship. What is love? Love cannot be defined by â€Å"is-nots,† and â€Å"cannots. † Love is defined by actions. Love is giving, is kind, is picking up litter. Love is donating to charity. Love is listening to a friend. Love definitely is NOT leaving well- enough alone.