TravelingTreasures2016–ThePowerofPoisonSnakeandButterflycaseTimberrattlesnake(Crotalushorridus)

Lightmorph

LikeothersnakesinthefamilyViperidae,timberrattlersarepitvipers.Thismeanstheyhaveheatsensitivepitorganslocatedbetweenthenostrilsandtheeyes.Theyaresensitivetoradiantenergyandcandistinguishveryslightchangesintemperature.Theirmainfoodsourceissmallmammalsbutalsoeatbirds.Thepreyiskilledwhenbittenbecausethesnakeinjectsvenom.Theythenswallowthepreywhole.

RangeandHabitat:TimberandcanebrakerattlesnakeshaveawidedistributionintheeasternUnitedStatesbutthespeciesisabsentfrommostofFlorida.Thissnakeoccursinawidevarietyofterrestrialhabitatincludinglowlandcanethickets,high

areasaroundswampsandriverfloodplains,hardwoodandpineforests,mountainousareas,andruralhabitatsinfarmingareas.Theytypicallybecomereducedinnumbersinhighlyurbanizedorareasofhousingdevelopment.

TheOrianneSocietyTimberRattlesnakeFactSheethttp://www.oriannesociety.org/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/Timber%20Rattlesnake%20Fact%20Sheet.pdfFirsthandaccountofaTimberRattlesnakebite:http://www.venomousreptiles.org/articles/345?venomsid=f065e3fa57ac4a0dabcdb000f3c3b09cBandedkrait(Bungarusfasciatus)

Habitat:Livesinandaroundwetlands,openforests,agriculturallandshavinglow

vegetationandopenwaterbodiesetc.Strictlypreferswetsurroundingforits

activities.Usuallyfoundinplainsoflowtomoderateelevationsbutinmanypartsof

itsrangeitsfoundinelevationupto5000ft.

Snakevenomscontainamultitudeofbiologicallyactivetoxinsthatworktogetherforthecaptureofprey(takealookattheTablelistingthevarietyoftoxinsfoundinthevenomofthemany-bandedkrait).Theireffectsincludepro-andanti-bloodcoagulation,neurotoxicity,mycotoxicity,nephrotoxicity,cardiotoxicityandnecrotoxicity(localtissuedamage).Amongstthese,theneurotoxinsplayakeyroleinimmobilisingpreythroughparalysis,disorientationanddepressedrespiration.

Venomsoftencontaindifferentneurotoxinsthatworksynergisticallytocripplethenervoussystem.Neurotoxinscanbeclassifiedaccordingtotheirsiteofaction:pre-synapticneurotoxinsblockneurotransmissionbyaffectingacetylcholinetransmitterrelease;post-synapticneurotoxinsareantagonistsoftheacetylcholinereceptor.Togethertheseneurotoxinseffectivelyblockskeletalneuromusculartransmissionbycripplingreceptors,whileatthesametimeactingtodestroyanyneurotransmitterthatmightcompetewiththetoxinforreceptorbinding.Venomsoftencontainseveralpost-synapticneurotoxins,eachwithahighaffinityforanicotinicreceptorsubtype-inthiswaythevenomcancrippleasmanyreceptorsaspossible.Thepost-synapticneurotoxinsarefoundonlyinelapidsandseasnakes(Hydrophiidae).Inthemany-bandedkraitpicturedabove,apre-synaptictoxinisb-bungarotoxin,whilepost-synaptictoxinsarea-andk-bungarotoxins.

CentralAmericancoralsnake(Micrurusnigrocintus)

It ranges from southern Mexico through Central America (except Belize) to northwestern Colombia, and the westCaribbean. It is mainly found in lowland rain forest, lowland dry forest, thorn forest, lower montane wet (or moist) forest, and lower montane dry forest, usually at elevations up to 1,300m.[1] The Central American coral snake's venom contains a strong neurotoxin, causing neuromuscular dysfunction.[1]Coralsnakesaresmall,vibrantlycolored,highlyvenomoussnakes.Theyhavethesecond-strongestvenomofanysnake(theblackmambahasthemostdeadlyvenom),buttheyaregenerallyconsideredlessdangerousthanrattlesnakesbecausecoralsnakeshavealesseffectivepoison-deliverysystem.

Hasmainlypotentneurotoxicvenomwhichcanbeinjectedthroughapairofgrooved,upper,fixedfrontfangs.Duetothesmallsizeoftheirmouths,coralsnakebitestohumansusuallyoccuronafingerortoe,andusuallyduringattemptstocatchthesnake.Thisspeciesisabundantthroughoutmostofitsrange,andisthemaincauseofcoralsnakebitesofhumanswithinitsrange.Monarchbutterfly(Danausplexippus)Butterflyidentificationchart:

MonarchbutterfliesareknownfortheincrediblemassmigrationthatbringsmillionsofthemtoCaliforniaandMexicoeachwinter.NorthAmericanmonarchsaretheonlybutterfliesthatmakesuchamassivejourney—upto3,000miles(4,828kilometers).Theinsectsmustbeginthisjourneyeachfallaheadofcoldweather,whichwillkillthemiftheytarrytoolong.Fatteninglarvaebecomejuicy,colorfulcaterpillars,thencreateahardprotectivecasearoundthemselvesastheyenterthepupastage.Theyemergeasbeautifully

colored,black-orange-and-whiteadults.Thecolorfulpatternmakesmonarchseasytoidentify—andthat'stheidea.Thedistinctivepatternwarnspredatorsthattheinsectsarefoultastingandpoisonous.

Butterfliesthatemergefromchrysalides(pupastate)inlatesummerandearlyfallaredifferentfromthosethatdosoduringthelongerdaysandwarmerweatherofsummer.Thesemonarchsareborntofly,andknowbecauseofthechangingweatherthattheymustpreparefortheirlengthyjourney.

Onlymonarchsborninlatesummerorearlyfallmakethemigration,andtheymakeonlyoneroundtrip.Bythetimenextyear'swintermigrationbegins,severalsummergenerationswillhavelivedanddiedanditwillbelastyear'smigrators'greatgrandchildrenthatmakethetrip.Yetsomehowthesenewgenerationsknowtheway,andfollowthesameroutestheirancestorstook—sometimesevenreturningtothesametree.

It’sthedependencythatMonarchshaveonMilkweedsastheonlyfoodsourcefortheircaterpillarsthatmakesthisrelationshipsonoteworthy.Monarchs,likemanyspeciesofinsects,haveevolvedtospecializeintheirlarval(inthiscasecaterpillar)foodsourceinordertogainprotectionfrompredatorsthroughthechemicalstheyingestfromtheplantstheyeat.Milkweedscontaincardiacglycosides,whicharetoxictomanyspeciesofbirdsandmammals.Plantshaveevolvedthesechemicalstoprotectthemselvesfrombeingeaten,astrategythathaslargelybeensuccessfulfortheplants.Plantsareallaboutsurvivingandreproducing,tofurtherthecontinuedexistenceoftheirspecies.

Suchaplanforprotectionisnevercompletelyfoolproof,however.Monarchs,alongwithsomeotherinsectspecies,haveevolvedtobeabletodigesttheseplantsandsequesterthetoxinsintheirbodies,makingtheinsectunpalatableatbestandtoxicatworsttoanyoneinexperiencedenoughtoattempttoeatthem.Asaremindertobirdormammalpredatorswhosamplesuchaninsectandsurvivetoeatanothermeal,insectswiththesetoxinshavealsoevolvedtohavebrightwarningcolors,aneasytoremembersignaltopredatorstobewarebeforeattemptingsuchamealagain.InexchangeforthisprotectionobtainedfromeatingMilkweeds,Monarchsaregamblingthatthisfoodsourcewillcontinuetobeavailable.Withoutit,Monarchswon’tsurvive.