Posted on 03/19/2016 8:06:24 PM PDT by JimSEA
Snakes known to produce some of the most toxic venoms swim the shallows of the western Pacific and eastern Indian oceans and sun themselves on island coasts from southwestern Japan to Indonesia, the Andaman Islands to Fiji.
But to find banded sea kraits, ask a guy in Cleveland. Or at least look up his work.
Iulian Gherghel, who is earning a PhD in biology at Case Western Reserve University, teamed with researchers in Oklahoma and Europe to create a database of the snakes' distribution. They published a description of their work and analyses in the current issue of the journal ZooKeys.
The database is designed to help conservation efforts and guide medical researchers who want to study the venom of sea kraits, environmental researchers who want to study their ecology and tourists who want to see the animals, the authors said.
"These snakes harbor potential for research in biomedicine," Gherghel said. "The venom has proteins that may be useful in the future development of drugs for treating cancer, neurological disorders and heart disease."
Looks very peaceful doesn't he??
Other than the Dem National Committee, you mean?
Australia, Australia, and Australia.
The funny thing is, sea snakes are relatively nonaggressive. They’ll swim away if not bothered. Can’t say the same for a black mamba.
That was my first thought. The whole continent sounds like a giant Jurassic Park.
Don’t mess with them is usually a good idea for venomous critters.
“The funny thing is, sea snakes are relatively nonaggressive. Theyll swim away if not bothered. Cant say the same for a black mamba.”
That some kinda raciss remark?
BTW, way back in chemistry class, they taught that a “toxin” didn’t kill you right away whereas a “poison” caused death within a very short period of time. Sea snakes, by that measure, are poisonous.
I’ve got snakes. Lots of snakes. All different kinds of snakes. Even hybrid snakes because they interbreed between species. The biggest and meanest one is my rattle headed copper moccasin. He’s bad to the bone.
Gotta go there someday. But as far as dangerous animals, there are so many that can sting, bite, and rip your face off it’s amazing.
Now if there’s a venomous sea snake that lives in Australia....OMG!
Taiwan is Grand Cenytral Station for poisonous snakes. Japan was breeding them there until they were kicked out in WWII.
Rattlesnakes - Nature’s Welcome Wagon
Psssst! Over here...
I have seen two when diving. That is enough, but ... I still dive in those same waters.
When I read this headline, I immediately thought Washington D.C.
Born and raised I Arizona, I get where you’re coming from.
Nasty, nasty critter.
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