handling poisinous snakes - Reptile World

Some of the worlds most venomous snakes require the most care at handling. I was also shocked at the size of some of their fangs! 

milking deadly venomous snakes - Reptile World Florida

Without anti-venom being readily available and administered, a bite from any of these snakes could be deadly, in a very short time.

BTW all the containers at the milking station contain venomous snakes.

This is at the Serpentarium in St. Cloud, Florida.

Snakes, snakes and more snakes - Reptile World Florida

They're so very beautiful. This was one of the most extensive collection of snakes I've ever seen. This was at the World of Reptiles Serpentarium in St. Cloud Florida.

Snakes, love'em or hate'em. There's no middle road, I find them intriguing, love to see them but at a distance and having a glass between the serpent and I is a good thing.

There are a lot of snake collectors in Florida and serpentariums, even a reality show made around the capture of invasive pythons and boas.




When we were in Orange County we heard on the news of a local man reaching behind a wood pile and getting bit by a coral snake, Florida has a large healthy population of venomous reptiles.

Frogs

We were up Iron Mountain, near Merritt, British Columbia and visited one of our favorite lakes. To our surprise, we were greeted by frogs! They were amazing!!

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura.

Frogs are widely known as exceptional jumpers, and many of the anatomical characteristics of frogs, particularly their long, powerful legs, are adaptations to improve jumping performance.

Due to their permeable skin, frogs are often semi-aquatic or inhabit humid areas, but move easily on land. They typically lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes, and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and tails to develop in water. Adult frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season.

The distribution of frogs ranges from tropic to subarctic regions, but most species are found in tropical rainforests. Consisting of more than 5,000 species described, they are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates. However, populations of certain frog species are declining significantly.

music is by Kendra Springer 09 - Where Sky Meets Sea

Western Painted Turtle - Chrysemys picta bellii

We found these turtles sunning themselves on a small pond.

The Western Painted Turtle is named after the bright yellow stripes on its head, neck, tail and legs, and the glowing red on its plastron (shell covering the belly) and under-edge of its carapace (shell covering the back).

Most adult Painted Turtles spend the winter hibernating in the mud at the bottom of ponds and lakes.  Once temperatures warm up and the ice leaves the water, Painted Turtle courtship begins.

In B.C., Painted Turtles are found in pockets throughout the southern interior, as far north as Golden.   This includes the Okanagan Valley, Kamloops Lake, Shuswap Lake, and the Creston and Nelson Area.

At present, the Western Painted Turtle is on the provincial blue list.  This means they are considered vulnerable to habitat loss, and susceptible to human and natural disturbances.  Habitat is being lost because of pollution and waterway interference due to damming, agriculture, and urbanization of waterfronts.