SerpentineBlogs

ABOUT THE BLOG

Hi, I'm a high school student who loves writing and is deeply interested in animals and environmental conservation. This is a place where I'll post my write-ups on animals I find interesting along with sources and additional information.

I'd like to make it very clear, I am currently not an expert—just someone who loves learning about animals. I hope for this place to become a corner of the internet where people come together and learn about the beautiful creatures we share this planet with.

If I get any information wrong or if you have additional information to add, please share it in the comments, I would genuinely love to learn from you too.

WHY DID I START THIS BLOG?

This originally started as a thing i did for my friends on discord, but I wanted to share it with even more people, so we could all keep learning together.

I've been deeply inspired by people like Jane Goodall, David Attenborough, Resson Kantai Duff, Lindsay Nikole, Maya Higa, Milo Rossi and Clint from Clint's reptiles. Their passion and enthusiasm for education and their love for our planet has had a huge influence on me.

So with that said—welcome to my blog! I sincerely hope you learn something from it!

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

Welcome back to Jurassic June! Last time we covered the fierce and iconic Allosaurus. Today, we're taking a look at one of its most dangerous prey animals, the spiky tank that is the Stegosaurus.

Stegosaurus is not a singular species but rather a genus consisting of three species: S. stenops, S. ungulatus and S. sulcatus. Like Allosaurus, most Stegosaurus fossils come from the famous Morrison Formation of the western United States, though fossils have also been discovered in Portugal.

I want you to guess who described and named the species…I'll give you three seconds. Yep, that's right, it was Othniel C. Marsh, ah the fruits of a petty feud. Although the fossil itself was found by one Arthur Lakes around the summer of 1876. (he's also the one that found Allosaurus and a few other dinosaur fossils, and his paintings remain some of the only early visual records of these excavations.).

The first described Stegosaurus fossil was named S. armatus, but wait - that name isn't mentioned above, why is that? Well it's a story too long to cover here but it may end up as its own post, so keep an eye out for that!

Now, circling back around to the animal itself. The stegosaurs were absolute tanks, large heavy herbivores with plates on their back and spikes on their tail. Stegosaurus means 'roofed-lizard', alluding to their plates.

These plant eating tanks grew up to around 9.1 metres (30 ft) in length. The purpose of the plates on their back is heavily debated, it may have been for thermal regulation or simply for display.

On the other hand, the purpose of that spiky tail is overwhelmingly clear-a powerful defensive tool that they used quite well - just ask that one Allosaurus who died from a shot to the groin. This set of tail spikes is called a thagomizer, a pretty badass name.

You've probably heard that Stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut and was exceptionally stupid - a rather harsh and dumb take. The Stegosaurus was perfectly adapted for its environment, it was smart enough to do what it had to do.

It never had any evolutionary pressure to develop brain size compared to brawn. I mean really, if brain size was such an issue - most politicians would be out of a job.

There was an earlier theory which seemed to suggest that the Stegosaurus...get this…had a separate posterior brain to control its hind body. This theory was based on a spinal cavity found in its body thought to contain the 'second brain'. The issue? The cavity is present in other dinosaurs too, and in birds specifically, it was found to simply contain glycogen.

But that's really the beauty of science - you try and think of ideas, dumb as they seem. You then try and find evidence to support your claim and build up a theory, it doesn't always work out but that's the point.

One of the most complete Stegosaurus fossils found is of a young adult named Sophie, and it is 85% complete. Sophie the Stegosaurus has had a great contribution to our understanding of these amazing dinosaurs, and she is displayed at the Natural History Musuem in London.

Stegosaurus remains one of the most famous and iconic dinosaurs in history. Despite the fact that it had a tiny brain, it's not an animal you'd wanna mess with. I mean, do I need to remind you of the Allosaurus? Yeah, that's right.

That's all for this post, thank you so much for reading! What do you personally think the plates on its back were used for?

As always, additional information and corrections are welcome and highly encouraged! Have a good day!

🔗Sources/Additional info:

Natural History Museum of Utah - Stegosaurus armatus

Dinosaur National Monument (U.S National Park Service) - Stegosaurus ungulates

Natural History Museum - Stegosaurus

Under the Roof of Stegosaurus - Phillip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

Image Credits:

Life restoration of the "Sophie" Stegosaurus specimen - Wikipedia commons

Stegosaurus paleoart - warpaintcobra, iStock

Let's roll the clock back to the Jurassic, which lasted from roughly 201-145 million years ago. The ground trembles under the footsteps of giants that tower above the treeline. Large conifers and cycads cover the forests, and sprawling ferns line the forest floor. This is when birds first took flight. Back when the oceans were dominated by large reptiles beyond your wildest imaginations. This was a world far different from our own, ruled by dinosaurs large and small.

Welcome to Jurassic June! And what better way to start than one of the most iconic carnivores of this period, the majestic and fierce Allosaurus fragilis!

Allosaurus fragilis is the most common carnivorous theropod (group that includes T-rex, birds, etc.) dinosaur found in the Morrison formation, a rock layer from the Late Jurassic found in the Western United States. Described by one Othniel C. Marsh in 1887, the name Allosaurus is Greek for 'different lizard', a reference to its lightweight vertebrae which Marsh believed to be unique.

What I find even cooler, and funnier - is that the original fossil was discovered during something known as the Bone Wars, a long heated rivalry between two American paleontologists, the finder of the fossil Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope. (I do wonder how much coping was involved)

A lot of iconic fossils were found because of a rivalry between two grown paleontologists, how awesome is that? This is all the reason I need for a Pokemon style paleontology game.

Allosaurus fragilis grew up to 8.5 metres in length (30ft), but it was not the largest predator of its time - we'll have a look at that in a later entry. As per the Natural History Museum of Utah, the skull of Allosaurus was structured in a way that allowed for it to have more teeth in contact with its prey.

Allosaurus fragilis had a full set of around 40-70 sharp and serrated teeth that were around 7.6 cm (3 inches) in length. They often lost teeth while hunting and regrew them throughout their lifetime. While not a speedster, the Allosaurus likely ran faster than some of the other large carnivores that existed alongside it.

Allosaurus fragilis had short horns in front of its eyes, most likely a mating display or a way to recognise other allosaurs. As for feathers, we don't know for sure as no direct evidence has been found. They also had strong arms that possibly helped with taking down prey.

There's a lot more to this dinosaur than I've told you about here, like the fact that some paleontologists argue it was a scavenger, a topic of hot debate. The arguments for this idea seem to be absence of a strong bite force, strong vision and the high availability of dead sauropods to feast on.

From what I can gather, the general consensus is that it was a highly opportunistic feeder - akin to modern lions, having the ability to hunt but preferring to save energy if possible. A last little fun fact to end off, the Allosaurus fragilis is one of the most deeply studied dinosaurs in Paleopathology - the scientific study of diseases and injuries in prehistoric species.

As always, additional information and corrections are welcome and highly encouraged. The prehistoric world is fascinating and I love learning about it and I hope you get some sense of the fascination I feel about dinosaurs by reading this! Follow for more posts like this one!

🔗Sources/Additional information:

Allosaurus fragilis - Dinosaur National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

Natural History Museum of Utah - Allosaurus Fragilis

Fossilera - Allosaurus, the apex predator of the Jurassic

Allosaurus was predominantly a scavenger

New insights into the lifestyle of Allosaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) based on another specimen with multiple patholology

Image Sources:

Jurassic Period Illustration - Spencer Sutto

Allosaurus fragillis skull,JPG - WIkipedia Commons

Samuel L Jackson doesn’t have to worry about snakes on a plane anymore because these snakes can glide all by themselves.

Meet the Paradise tree snake, more commonly known as the Paradise Flying snake. They’re one of the five snakes in the genus Chrysopelea, also known as the flying snake genus.

Found in Southeast Asia, the Paradise tree snake offers a flight with turbulence 10x less than Ryan air. It is able to cover tens of metres in a single glide. How? Well, let's get traumatised together learning how this works, shall we?

The Paradise tree snake is an arboreal snake, meaning it spends most of its time up in the trees. The backs of these snakes have a smooth glossy texture whereas their bellies have a ridged texture. The Paradise Tree snake climbs the tree by pressing these ridges against the bark.

Once the snake is on the tree, it makes its way out to one of the tree’s branches. The snake will dangle itself off the end of the branch and catapult into the air.

What follows is the snake sucking in its abdomen, flattening its body to resemble a concave wing shape.

It then does an undulating motion in the air, the regular iconic snake motion except it helps the snake stabilise its direction and helps it to land safely.

The concave wing shape the snake assumes doubles the width of its body, resembling the cross section of a frisbee.

When the snake moves in its undulating motion, its flattened concave body shape alters airflow around it, generating lift and allowing it to glide.

Scientists believe gliding may help the snake save energy by avoiding ground-dwelling predators as well as allowing efficient movement between trees.

Personally if I didn't know about this snake and I saw it when I was walking around, I'd walk straight to the doctor to check if I'm hallucinating. Imagine seeing this thing if you were high. Yet another example of evolution's quirky side.

As always, additional info and corrections are encouraged in the comments! Follow and reblog for more posts like this!

ps: I am not to be held responsible if this haunts your dreams at night.

🔗Sources/Additional reading:

Admittedly, finding reputable sources for this one was a bit tricky. I don't often recommend Wikipedia but Wikipedia this time around has a well written explanation on how the mechanics of this snake works so I personally think it's worth taking a look at.

Forest Preserve District of Will County - Wild Relatives : The Paradise Tree Snake can Fly

Ecology Asia - Paradise Tree Snake

Animalia - Paradise Tree Snakes Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures

📹Videos worth watching

The Amazing Paradise Flying Snake | Wildest Islands of Indonesia - Discovery UK

Scientific name: Galeocerdo cuvier Genus: Galeocerdo

🔴 IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened

One of the largest sharks in the world and possibly the least picky shark, the Tiger shark gets its name from the vertical grey bars found on its body which fade with age.

These predators reach lengths up to 3-4.3 metres (9-14 ft) and are found in waters throughout the world. Like great whites, tiger sharks are highly migratory.

The Tiger shark is capable of short bursts of speed to catch prey. Reaching speeds of up to 32 km/h (20 mph) in these short bursts.

Tiger sharks are generalist predators, well known for eating just about anything: marine animals, sea birds, smaller sharks, and even garbage like plastic, license plates and burlap sacks. This is a shark that could not host kitchen nightmares.

They've earned the title "garbage cans of the sea" which if anything is just a sad reminder of how much human waste ends up in the sea.

Tiger sharks are second only to great whites in recorded attacks on humans—like great whites, these are usually explorative bites and are very rare.

Listed as Near Threatened, Tiger shark populations are facing a global decline. Tiger sharks are often targeted by fisheries or end up as bycatch in nets. Their fins, skin and liver oil are also highly sought after.

A study showed that tiger sharks prefer temperatures around 26-28°C—meaning as global temperatures rise, these sharks will show up earlier than usual in northern waters closer to the pole.

This is noteworthy as tiger sharks are apex predators and changes in their distribution means significant changes in ocean ecosystems.

It brings up the unnerving and uncomfortable thought about the vast impact that climate change has on species all over the world. It serves as an incentive for us to realise our mistakes and work towards saving this wonderful planet.

As always if you have additional info and/or corrections, please do send them in the comments!

🔗Sources:

Ocean warming alters the distributional range, migratory timing, and spatial protections of an apex predator, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

Florida-museum species portal - Tiger Shark facts, and information

National Geographic - Tiger Sharks

Virginia Institute of Marine Science - Shark Research - Tiger Shark

Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias

Family: Lamnidae

🔴 IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable

The ocean—a vast sapphire sheet stretching further than the eye can see. It is where life began, and where life continues to thrive. From its murky depths to the shallow shore, the ocean teems with life: the clicking of dolphins, the cries of whales, the cascading schools of fish, the infinite blue, and the silent predators older than trees that roam beneath.

From Steven Spielberg's 1975 hit classic Jaws to the cinematic masterpiece that is Sharkboy and Lavagirl, the Great white shark has captured the imaginations of people worldwide for decades—but how much do you really know about them?

Clocking in at 4.5 to 5 metres long, great whites are the largest predatory fish in the world. These apex predators are found in coastal waters all over the world, and are a highly migratory species, going as far as to travel between continents.

Their name comes from their white belly, it is a type of camouflage known as countershading which is commonly observed in fish. The way countershading works is that the top (dorsal) part of the fish's body is a darker colour then it's bottom (ventral) surface.

When viewed from above, the fish would blend in with the dark ocean below but when viewed from below—the fish would blend in with the bright, sunlit water.

Their torpedo-like body allows them to burst through the water at speeds around 40-56 km/h. They have 300 teeth, spread across multiple rows. The top two rows are usually used for feeding and the rest acts as a conveyor system, moving forward to replace damaged or lost teeth. They shed and regrow teeth throughout their life.

Great whites possess an impressive sense of smell, hearing and vision. Like other sharks, great whites have electroreceptors known as ampullae of Lorenzini, named after the 17th century Italian scientist who discovered them. It enables them to sense electric fields produced by prey in close range.

It's not all just brawn though, great whites are also incredibly intelligent hunters. They stalk and ambush their prey, using camouflage to blend in with the environment, one paper also suggests they also use the position of sun—positioning it behind themselves causing a glare in the prey's eyes.

Despite what pop culture tries to suggest, great white sharks would rather not eat a human—preferring fatty prey with blubber. Most recorded bites appear exploratory rather than predatory. The shark tends to swim away after a bite, uninterested in eating the human.

There have been various attempts to keep this shark in captivity but they all eventually ended up falling flat. The shark get stressed, stops eating and starts ramming its head into walls as they are highly migratory, continuously swimming open sea creatures.

Great whites are highly researched animals, particularly the North Eastern Pacific population along the coasts of California where large populations of seal are found. But there is still a lot we are yet to learn, for example - we still don't know the details of how they mate, where females give birth and the precise global population.

The great white's numbers are decreasing globally. Their fins, teeth and liver oil are highly sought after leading to them being hunted. They also end up as bycatch in fishing nets. Trophy hunting, poaching and habitat degradation are also additional factors.

The need for conservation for this iconic species is greater than ever, it is important to raise awareness about their declining numbers and preserve them. The great white plays a big role in the ecosystems it inhabits and it's conservation is necessary to maintain our beautiful oceans.

There is still a lot of information I haven't touched upon here, I highly recommend you to have a look at the sources linked below for additional info! if you have additional information, please share it in the comments :D

🔗Sources and additional reading:

Smithsonian Ocean Portal-Great White Shark

National Geographic-Great White Shark

White Sharks Exploit the sun during Predatory approaches.

IUCN Red list for more information on territory and conservation

Ampullae of Lorenzini - Marine Science Institute(further info on them)

📹Video I recommend watching:

The Insane Biology of: The Great White Shark-Real Science

Scientific name: Rhabdophis tigrinus

Family: Colubridae

🔴IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern

As you can tell from my username—I love snakes! In this post, we will be looking at a particularly interesting one.

I'm sure you've heard the terms poisonous and venomous be used interchangeably, but in reality they describe two completely different phenomenon.

A simple way to remember the difference and one you've probably heard it if you've consumed media related to snakes, toads and the like before is—if it bites you and you die, it's venomous and if you bite it and you die, its poisonous.

Most people could not name an actually poisonous snake, although there are a couple such as the one we're discussing now—the Tiger Keelback. These snakes are native to East and South East Asia and are both poisonous as well as venomous.

They are usually olive in colour with strikingly beautiful black and orange bars across the length of their body. As a relatively small snake, they are perfect targets for larger animals, however as mentioned early—they have an ace up their sleeve, they're poisonous.

The Tiger Keelback is poisonous as a result of its diet: small vertebrates, especially frogs and toads. They possess specialised 'nuchal glands' on the back of their neck.

Nuchal glands are defensive organs used to store toxins sequestered from toads known as bufadienolides—a phenomenon known as Kleptotoxicity (when an animal gains its venom/poison from consuming other animals). It is a defensive toxin produced in toads that negatively affects the heart.

There are also records of these stored toxins being passed from parent to offspring via the egg. The toxicity of an individual varies based on it's diet.

In lower ambient temperatures, this snake displays passive anti-predator behaviour: flattening its neck, lying still and secreting toxins—while in higher temperatures, it prefers to flee.

It does not strike often, possibly due to the nature of it being a rear-fanged venomous snake—making a successful strike difficult.

It is one of the most unique and interesting snakes I've ever read about, a majestic creature all around.

🔗Sources:

IUCN Red List

Chen et al. (2014), Journal of the Formosan Medical Association

iNaturalist

Animalia

Scientific name: Panthera pardus

Family: Felidae

🔴 IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable

Powerful, graceful, and a spotted beauty up in the branches—leopards are undoubtedly my favourite animal of all time.

One of the five big cats in the genus Panthera, they have the largest distribution of any wild cat on earth, inhabiting regions across Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Central and East Asia.

Leopards are the smallest of the big cats. Despite their small size, these felines are still absolute powerhouses. Male leopards are generally bigger than female leopards.

Like most other big cats, leopards live solitary lives. They mark their territories with urine and claw marks and the territory of an individual may overlap with neighbouring individuals. Male leopards generally have larger territories with several female territories encompassed within.

On average, leopards live to around 12-15 years in the wild. They mate throughout the year and cubs live with their mother for around 2 years, learning how to hunt and fend for themselves in this period.

Leopards can run up to 58 km/h (36 mph), jump up to 3 metres (9 feet) vertically and 6 metres (19 feet) horizontally in the air. They are the only big cat known to haul prey larger than themselves into trees, a precaution against scavengers like hyenas.

As nocturnal predators, leopards hunt by relying on their spotted pattern (rosettes) for camouflage along with their acute sense of hearing and vision. In addition to being comfortable in the trees, leopards are amazing swimmers and occasionally hunt crabs and fish.

These large felines are highly adaptable animals, having made their way into urban environments where they feed on abundantly available livestock and stray dogs.

As a result of this, there has been a high rise of human-leopard conflicts which is a major threat to the well being of both species. Other threats to leopards include poaching, habitat loss, trophy hunting and illegal wildlife trade.

Leopards are apex predators, they play an important role in their ecosystem by regulating and controlling prey populations. Their conservation is important, not only for their preservation but the greater preservation of ecosystems around the world.

If you have corrections or additional information, please feel free to share it in the comments. I highly encourage it!

🔗Sources and additional reading:

National Geographic

African Wildlife foundation

IUCN Red List

Panthera.org

International Big Cat Alliance

Picture from gettyimages!