אוקטובר 31, 2021

Gharial: Crocodilian Nearly Extinct

A little background info on Gharials:

  • Have a broad, long, and muscular body
  • An extraordinarily narrow snout
  • Gharial is the second longest species of crocodilian in the world (second only to the Saltwater Crocodile)
  • Gharials are mainly piscavores: fish eaters
  • As adults, male gharials may reach up to 20 feet in length
  • Females rarely exceed 15 feet
  • Gharials are not man-eaters

Gharials are in trouble, with an estimated 650 adults left in the wild. They are dying due to habitat loss, water pollution, and lack of prey (humans are overfishing).

With their extremely thin snouts, gharials were build to hunt, catch and eat fish and small aquatic animals; not larger prey. Their snout is thin, and can flash through the water at lightning speed, to snag a fish. Gharials were not designed to catch and kill large prey, and thus are of no threat to humans.

Gharials are extremely important to the ecosystem in its home regions (India, Pakistan, Bangledesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar); they help to keep many aquatic populations (especially fish, crustaceans, and small amphibians) under control.

We are losing gharials at a very fast rate - their population has decreased by nearly 99% within the last 100 years. Gharials have lost a lot of habitat range for two main reasons:

  1. Sand mining
  2. Bodies of water being drained to create space for farmlands

Many gharials have also been found with discarded jewlery and other trash in their digestive systems. The waters within the range of the gharial are very polluted in general, between garbage and oil (to the point where rivers have CAUGHT FIRE because of how oily they were).

All to say, many gharials are either suffocating under the mass of pollution, drying up because their homes were drained, or BURNING up in a RIVER that CAUGHT FIRE.

It was man-kind that got these incredible animals into this mess, hence it is our job to save them.

(You will see where I am going with this in a second) All water is connected - therefore, trash improperly discarded in one country can end up across the world.

Saving the gharials starts on an individual level - no matter where YOU live in the world, dispose of trash, and be a good samaritan; if you see trash in the wilderness (or anywhere it shouldn't be), just dispose of it properly. Reduce your use of plastic and anything that needs to be trashed. Turn organic ingredients into compost insted of throwing it in the garbage. Use the hand dryer instead of using paper towels.

Gharials are incredible, important and very docile animals, and we ought to do everything in our power to save them. If everyone (individually) makes the decision to clean up after him or herself, the world, as a whole, will become a cleaner place; and then, we will have taken a huge, crucial, step towards saving the Gharials.

הועלה ב-אוקטובר 31, 2021 02:42 לפנה"צ על ידי mr_reptile mr_reptile | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

אוקטובר 16, 2021

A Mother Mouse

'Twas a cold and foggy night. I was out, looking for snakes. I never would have been able to predict the events of that night.

I was looking under some logs and rocks. I had probably been looking for a few hours, with little success. I came close to a log pile I had not searched yet, and begin looking. It wasn't long before I saw movement.

At first, it was just a leafy rustle and a slithering tail: the creature went under another log. I rolled that log over, and underneath was a small, furry little mouse. I was surprised, but pleased nonetheless. I gently captured the mouse in a small, breathable container, and brought it to my base for observation. I had not been planning to keep the mouse for more than a few minutes after observation.

I am no mouse expert. I am a snake and reptiles person. I didn't know that the mouse was female, or that she was pregnant.

She gave birth the moment I placed her in a large box.

I didn't know what to do! I did what I could, placing a good amount of straw, wood chips, and leaves for her to make a nest with.

As I placed the materials in the nest, the mother mouse ran around the box, frightened. The baby mice (pups) were scattered all over the box. There were about 8 of them!

I placed a small watering tin in the box, and then closed it. I was pretty worried!

I came out again, at close to 11 pm. The air was chilly, and there was a slight breeze. I opened the box, and was amazed at what I saw: the mother mouse had made a small nest in the center of the box, and held all of her pups tightly, right next to her. It dawned on me how loving these animals can be, and how important they are to each other.

The next day, I brought some food for them. As you'll recall, the night before, before she had given birth, the mother mouse fled from my hand. Now, when I lowered my hand to drop the food in, the mouse placed herself between my hand and her pups: defending them.

I had never had any real experience with mice before this: They are generally thought of as property destroyers, and pests. I know better now.

Because of this experience with this mother mouse and her pups, I have grown to like mice. They can be a nuisance to people, but they are just trying to survive. After realizing how caring, protective, and wonderful these rodents are, I do all I can to help them.

My encouragement to all is, if you encounter mice in your house, lure them into a bucket or a box, and release them in the wild: I urge you not to kill them. They are devoted and loving creatures, and more than worthy of our respect!

הועלה ב-אוקטובר 16, 2021 08:09 אחה"צ על ידי mr_reptile mr_reptile | תצפית 1 | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

ספטמבר 9, 2021

If YOU leave it alone, IT will leave you alone!

It is very important to notice that all of these animals are capable of inflicting a bite and causing pain. Skinks, brown snakes, rat snakes, water snakes, and snapping turtles: some of them will only draw a little blood. Some are capable of biting through fingers and toes. These are powerful animals and should be treated with caution and with respect.

The point that I want to make is that each and every time I have captured a reptile, it DID NOT try to bite me until I gave it no choice. Basically, that means I had it cornered and in my grip (which, of course, was gentle). Each and every one of them tried to slither or crawl away first, and only tried to bite once I cornered them.

There are animals, such as snapping turtles and water snakes, that are notorious for being aggresive and even bloodthirsty animals. Both of these are highly exaggerated. Every single time I approached a water snake, the first thing it did was try to slither (or swim) away. Even when I picked it up, it tried to slither out of my grip before striking. Additionally, once the water snake realized I was not going to eat it, it did not even try to bite me anymore.

With the snapping turtles, they both tried to pull away while they were in the water. Did not scratch or bite. Only once I had it fully out of the water and facing me did it become aggresive. As a general rule of thumb, snapping turtles are aggresive when on land. This is because while they are dominant predators in the water, they are much more vulnerable on land; and they know it too. When in the water (their natural habitat, not a tank), snapping turtles are generally curious and even friendly animals.

All to say, I have never had a snake or a snapping turtle come after me. They only tried to bite me once I gave them no alternative. All of these animals, however dangerous they may be, are special and critical to the health of the ecosystem. Each and every one of them should be treated with respect and, in some cases, caution.

הועלה ב-ספטמבר 9, 2021 10:15 אחה"צ על ידי mr_reptile mr_reptile | 11 תצפיות | 0 תגובות | הוספת תגובה

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