Central America Wildlife – Boa Constrictor
Written by Marina K. Villatoro on July 6, 2010 – 11:43 am -Boa Constrictors live in Central & South America and some islands in the Caribbean. However, it prefers to live in rainforest due to the humidity and temperature. Boa constrictor’s habitat varies widely depending of environmental conditions, from tropical rainforests to arid semi-desert country. In Costa Rica it can be seen in Corcovado National Park.
They are a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. Their diet consists of rodents, large lizards and mammals as big as ocelots are reported to have been consumed. Boa constrictors are ambush predators, as such will lie and wait for an appropriate prey to come along. The boa will strike at the prey, grabbing it with its teeth. Then it constricts the prey until death and consumes it whole. It will take the snake approximately 4-6 days to fully digest it. They are patterned with brown or reddish brown “saddles” that become more pronounced towards the tail. Their color can vary greatly depending on the locality. However they are generally a brown, grey or cream base color.
They will generally breed in the dry season, between April and August. During breeding season the female boa will emit a scent to attract males, who may then wrestle for the right to breed with her. The gestation period is approximately 100-120 days. The female will then give birth to young that average 38-51 cm in length. The litter size varies but can be between 10 and 65 with an average of 25. The young are independent at birth and will grow rapidly. They are nocturnal however they may go out during the day. Boa constrictors are solitary animals, and will only associate to mate.
They can leave 20 to 30 years, but there was a 40 year case. Females are generally larger, in both length and girth, than males Boas can reach lengths of anywhere from 1-4 meters depending on the locality and the availability of prey. Adults weigh approximately 60 pounds.
Most populations are not under threat of immediate extinction. In some regions Boa constrictor numbers have decreased by predation from humans and other animals. Some South Americans keep boas in their houses to control rat infestations.
Marina K. Villatoro, lives in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She has traveled all over these areas with her family and now she loves to organize vacations to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
Tags: Animal, animals of costa rica, boa, boa constrictor, boa constrictor in costa rica, Boas, central america, central america wildlife, costa rica, costa rica wildlife, costa rican fauna, costa rican snakes, reptiles of costa rica, Snakes, wildlife
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Snakes – watch this python autopsy – Ultimate Killers – BBC wildlife
Written by scottology on July 5, 2010 – 4:42 am -Has this python eaten a human? These snakes can, have a look and discover for yourself. From the BBC.
Tags: Animal, animals, attacks, BBC, python, scary, snake
Posted in Snakes | 25 Comments »
Caring For Turtles – Five Critical Factors!
Written by Edison Storino on June 10, 2010 – 12:03 pm -Turtles make great pets. Learning how to care for a pet turtle the right way is certainly worth the time, effort, and money you may spend. Remember, there is no excuse for the premature death of your turtle based on neglect or lack of knowledge. The five tips I’m about to share with you can help you provide a long, healthy, and happy life for your little friend.
Tip One:
Educate yourself. Learn about the specific breed of your turtle. Is it a Box Turtle, a Slider, a tortoise, or something else? Know its special dietary needs, temperature requirements, and social temperment. The more you know about your turtle, the better off you will be.
Tip Two:
A little elbow grease is required. You must set up your turtle’s tank, acquire the very best type of food for your turtle’s specific breed, and establish go-to veterinary care by simply calling around and finding a vet who has experience with turtles.
Tip Three:
Never use chlorinated water. This goes for your turtle’s swimming water just as much as its drinking water. At minimum, pour your tap water into a large container and let sit for 24 hours before adding it to the tank. This will allow the chlorine to dissipate. Ideally, however, you will want to use spring water.
Tip Four:
For 12 hrs. each day, a UVB lamp (mercury vapor) should be on an available to your turtle for basking purposes. This is an all-important step, as your turtle will be far more prone to premature death via bone disease if this lamp light is not made available. Please do not overlook the importance of the vitamin D producing mercury vapor lamp. It is literally the difference between life and death.
Tip Five:
Be sure to keep the temperature of your turtle’s tank in its ideal zone. What is this zone? Well, it really all depends upon the particular breed of your pet, so again, please educate yourself. A general guideline to follow is 80* F in the daytime and 70* F by night, but I can’t stress this enough… learn about your turtle’s specific needs based on its breed! To heat your tank, you should use an underwater heater.
Turtles can (and should) live an extremely long time, occasionally even outliving their owner(s)! There is really no excuse for letting your animal die prematurely. Take the time to learn about your turtle. Buy a book or two. This can truly make a huge difference in the length of time that you and your turtle can enjoy together! You will find that it is well worth your small investment of time and money to do things the right way from the beginning.
A turtle is a wonderful pet. They have more personality than many people realize. You’ve made a fantastic decision to educate yourself on being a good turtle owner! And there is still much to be learned…
Too many turtles are killed by neglect and lack of owner knowledge. Do NOT let that happen in your family. Learn how to care for a pet turtle the right way.
Ready to learn pet turtle care the right way? For the sake of your animal, I sure hope so. Go to: Caring For Turtles You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.
Tags: Animal, animals, home, pet turtle, pet turtles, Pets, Reptiles, Turtles
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How To Get Rid Of Centipedes Without Extermination Or Loads Of Cash – And Make Them STAY Gone!
Written by Edison Storino on May 31, 2010 – 1:03 pm -Centipedes are some of the most disturbing insects a family or individual can have running loose in their living environment. This is especially the case for the easily creeped out, as house centipedes are not necessarily super dangerous, but certainly look wicked and move in odd, fast, and very creepy-looking ways. I actually had to personally get rid of centipedes last year. This report will explain how I did it.
Now that I think about it, I truly don’t understand how we were able to let those freaks of nature reside with us for such a long time. Probably six or seven months came and went from the time we saw our first centipede to the time when we would easily see half a dozen or so on a nightly basis. Enough was enough. It was high time for us to get rid of centipedes fast.
Here’s the challenge I was looking at. My baby was only 13 months old at the time, and both my wife and I agreed that using toxic chemicals throughout the house was simply not an option. As I’m sure you know, one-year-olds can cover a lot of ground, love to put things in their mouths, and are generally some of these least cautious creatures around! So we adults had to take all the precautions, and insecticides were definitely out.
Moreover, we we were told by some close friends (who had recently had an extermination done) that the results these methods provide are only temporary, and require ongoing effort and money in order to keep the centipedes away long-term… this could get expensive!
Still, something had to be done. Luckily, we learned a way to get rid of house centipedes that was not only non hazardous, inexpensive, and fast, but also 100% permanent in nature! It came down to understanding the primary cause of our centipede infestation, which is crazy basic, yet completely true. Here it is… the centipedes totally DUG our home! They loved it. They had plenty to eat and drink, and loads of comfortable hiding places to give them privacy and keep them safe.
What we had to do became obvious. We had to CUT THEM OFF!
So we took away all of their creature comforts. We transformed our home into the kind of place that centipedes find totally disagreeable. We dried up the water. We blocked off key entry points and hiding places. We took away their food supply. We learned all the specifics in a great e-book that our friends recommended to us. It was so powerful that my household has been centipede-free going on 11 months now, and they began to disappear immediately after I got my hands on that e-book.
In summary, I would just like to say that if you’re having house centipede issues of your own, please avoid the pest control company, the bug sprays, and the traps. By simply cutting them off from all food, water, and “cubby-holes,” you are GUARANTEED to get rid of centipedes virtually overnight, and the effects will be permanent.
So are you ready to start getting rid of your house centipedes right away? Learn the step-by-step system that can make it happen for you in literally minutes from right now. Go here: Get Rid of Centipedes Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
Tags: Animal, animals, bugs, Centipedes, environment, extermination, family, home, home family, home garden, home improvement, Insects, pest control, pests
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Terrapin Has Bad Breath
Written by scottology on May 21, 2010 – 1:50 am -This terrapin defends his territory…with bad breath.
Tags: Animal, animals, bizarre, funny, interesting, quirky, strange, Terrapin, turtle, uzoo, videos!
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Special Needs Bearded Dragon
Written by scottology on May 11, 2010 – 11:47 am -LG is a dragon missing most of his limbs. I saved him from being euthanized. as you can see from the videos, he is happy to be alive. Comments are welcome.
Tags: 2009, amazing, Animal, animal+video, animals, Awesome, beard, bearded, bearded+dragon, cool, Crazy, dragon, Dragons, handicap+animal, handicapped+animal, handicapped+animals, Lizard, maricle, new, part+1, pet, special+needs
Posted in Dragons | 25 Comments »
Locust swarm
Written by scottology on April 24, 2010 – 11:31 am -Its exactly explained how these swarm start to become to what we know as a dissaster. Locust Swarms
Tags: Africa, Animal, Asia, eat, grasshopper, Green, Locust, manta, Nature, plague, plant, swarm
Posted in Locusts | 4 Comments »
Blue Tongue Skink Surgery (& giving birth process)
Written by scottology on April 16, 2010 – 4:26 pm -Small incision on membrane sack Update: This mother skink gave us 10 babies within 12 hours. They are all healthy and kicking. Right now we have 30 newborn skinks and 13 adult skinks. My children are all very excited want to give a name to each of them. I need a tattoo machine!?
Tags: 11, Animal, anne2matthew, babies, bith, blue, cute, giving, Lizard, pet, reptile, skink, surgery, to, Tongue
Posted in Skinks | 25 Comments »
How snakes move & ‘run’ – Serpent – BBC Animals
Written by scottology on March 22, 2010 – 6:17 pm -Amazing video footage is recorded from ground-breaking animal cameras in BBC wildlife show ‘Serpent’. Watch this brilliant video to listen to Sir David Attenborough explain how a snake can move, and the different speeds employed for attack. Includes interesting statistics on the African Black Mamba.
Tags: Animal, Attenborough, BBC, black, cobra, free, Mamba, Nature, Serpent, snake, video, Viper, wildlife
Posted in Snakes | 25 Comments »
blue tongue skink jake eating
Written by scottology on January 13, 2010 – 1:09 pm -blue tonge skink care and feeding
Tags: Animal, applesauce, blue, lizzard, pet, skink, Tongue, vegetarian
Posted in Skinks | 25 Comments »
