The Animal Blog

If you're an electric blanket, stay out of Ketchum, Idaho.

According the the article, the electric blanket was placed in the 12-foot Burmese Python's (named Houdini) cage in order to keep it warm. At some point, the blanket became entangled with Houdini's rabbit dinner. Luckily, the blanket was not plugged in and Houdini escaped a potentially severe electrical shock. The snake did however endergo hours of surgery in order to remove the blanket.

Click in the link below for the entire article from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/19/python.blanket.ap/index.html

The snake trade is taking off with the excitement of the upcoming movie: Snakes on a Plane.

One woman in Germany recently benefited from the influx in snake demand, selling her 1.5 meter python over the internet. Rather than paying the expensive animal shipping fees, the woman decided to play a little game of deception -- putting the snake in the box and labeling it "attention-- glass".

And the commotion ensued...

Click on the link below to read the entire article from Scotsman.com:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1081482006

Researchers in Borneo found a snake with the chameleon-like trait of color changing deep in one of the islands late last month.

AP Photo

The discoverers of the snake believe that its ability to hide itself is the reason this species had remained undiscovered until now.

Click on the link below for the entire article from cnn.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/06/28/chameleon.snake.ap/index.html

Oh what a glorius day!

Here's a compendium of great Snakes on a Plane Websites:

http://www.snakesonaplane.com - Official Site

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_on_a_plane - Snake on a Wikipedia Article

http://www.snakesonablog.com - Snakes on a Blog

and my personal favorite...

http://www.snakesonstuff.com - Snakes on Stuff!

Here are some quality snake pics to get you in the mood:

Today is a day like no other!

Today marks the momentous occasion of the opening day for Snakes on a Plane.

With all the hype and buzz surrounding the film prior to its opening, the film is sure to be a huge commercial success.

And with successful movies comes... sequels.

Well, I'd like to throw my hat in the ring for directing the next movie. I already have an idea, and here's the trailer for my version of the sequel:

Sometimes a movie becomes so popular that it transcends generations.

And every once in a while, we're blessed with a movie of such epic proportions that it transcends species.

Yesterday, a story broke about a couple of teenage pranksters who let loose a couple of venomous rattlesnakes during a screening of Snakes on a Plane. Well, it turns out that the story was partially a hoax, as the snakes weren't actually released by any mischiveous teens.

But the amazing revelation that the news outlets are overlooking is that, THE SNAKES WENT IN THERE ON THEIR OWN!!!

Tickets sales may be disappointing, but the buzz among snakes is huge.

Click below for the entire article on azcentral.com:
'Snakes in a theater' turns out to be hoax

• Dog eats more than $800 in cash (11 Alive)
  http://www.11alive.com/news/watercooler/article_weird.aspx?storyid=100319
  "The dog owner taped together the remnants she recovered, and swapped the mangled bills for more than $700 bucks worth of fresh currency at a local bank.
  
  Hulleman is hanging on to half a one hundred dollar bill, in hopes she will recover the other portion. She is less optimistic that Pepper Ann will turn over a new leaf."
• Octopus unearths 900-year-old hidden treasure (Daily Mail)
  http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=09c295a5-7993-411b-8b0f-d26bab793e4d
  "It is a story that combines all the great mysteries and exciting discoveries of the sea – an octopus hauled onto a fishing boat with valuable ancient pottery attached to its suckers."
• Snake in a box (9 News)
  http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=09c295a5-7993-411b-8b0f-d26bab793e4d
  "Our goal: to show you just how dangerous these animals are. One of the many lessons we learned from our snake in the box."
• Woman's pet snake missing near Memphis golf course (WMCTV)
  http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6837886
  "A pet named Fluffy is loose near a golf course in Memphis."

As if regular sized spitting cobras weren't enough, this new species was found in Kenya. It has enough venom in one bite to kill 20 people. Now, let's just hope that this thing doesn't learn to bit 20 people at once.

Source

Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, snakes, chickens, and rodents. However, they will also eat eggs and carrion. Some species, such as the Indian mongoose, are popularly used to fight and kill venomous snakes, even king cobras. They are able to do this because of their agility and cunning, thick coat and high resistance to the venom, but typically avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming their meat.