Free Republic

CAMP IWO JIMA: US forces poised to invade Iraq will face snakes and scorpions that might prove just as deadly for some as bullets, bombs or gas. Desert horned vipers, fat-tailed scorpions and hairy spiders the size of an outstretched hand are lurking in the sand, ready to spring a nasty surprise on troops unlucky or foolish enough to disturb them. Navy specialists tasked with warning marines of the dangers say the biggest risk comes from bored soldiers turning to serpents for entertainment -- the cause of 85 per cent of snakebites in the 1991 Gulf War. "They just...