Month: February 2018

Browsing Twitter one night, I saw a post that immediately made me text my roommate.

“Max,” I texted, “do you know how big a king cobra is??”

Max’s response was, “I don’t know… average snake size?”—marked by uncertainty.

The tweet that had put me at such high alert contained the caption “King Cobra bites python. Python constricts cobra. Cobra gets crushed to death. Python dies from the cobra’s venom.” This fairly straightforward caption was accompanied by a picture of the scene depicted. To my surprise and confusion, the king cobra was nearly the size of the python wrapped so tightly around it. Balled together at the bottom of a ditch, the python is firmly wrapped around the cobra’s body, with the cobra’s jaws firmly locked in place behind the python’s head. Upon further research of my own, I discovered that this encounter had surfaced on a number of news sources just earlier this month. On February 2, 2018, National Geographic published an article on the rare sight.

Like the picture had startled me into seeking consolation from my roommate, it had also surprised and intrigued much of the world’s scientific community, going viral in a matter of days. Coleman Sheehy of the Florida Museum of Natural History presumed that the incident occurred in Southeast Asia, where the two snakes overlap in territory. He stated, “It’s crazy, but it’s something I could easily see happening… it’s a dangerous world out there, to eat other big snakes and things that could kill you.”

Frank Burbrink of the American Museum of Natural History stated that if one of the snakes incited the event, it was the king cobra. Cobra’s are known for specializing in the predation of other snakes. With paralyzing venom and size on their side, they are formidable opponents, to say the least.

King cobras are the largest of all venomous snakes. Averaging at about 13 feet, but with some known to reach 18, the king cobra is massive. Because of this, they have been known to be as heavy as 35 pounds. What makes their size all the more impressive is their unique ability to “stand”. King cobras can raise a third of their length off of the ground—large ones coming eye-level with an average sized man. Even in a raised position, they have no problem moving forward to attack.

One of their hallmark features, reared cobras will often fan the hoods on their back. The flared hood is a result of inflatable air sacs and modified ribs. King cobras are also known to have rough, growl-like hisses to intimidate prey and threats.

King cobras tend to be protective and timid when encountered in the wild. Typically, they will avoid contact with humans. However, should one feel threatened, they become very aggressive. A cobra’s venom contains a neurotoxin. This neurotoxin prevents the binding of neurotransmitters to neurons in the body. This inhibits the proper contraction of muscles and results in their prey essentially suffocating, their diaphragm unable to control their breathing. It’s said that the venom of a single bite from a king cobra, is enough to kill 20 people or a full-sized elephant. King cobras will inject their venom when hunting and attacking, but will spit their venom if merely threatened. The only snake able to spit venom, not every type of cobra can. The ones that do though, possess modified fangs with small holes. These small holes allow them to “spit” venom at high pressure. Deadly accurate, they will always aim for the eyes of their target. This results in excruciating pain and blindness.

One incredible characteristic of the king cobra is their versatility. Found largely in Southeast Asia, these snakes sport a variety of colorings and markings, depending upon their region. They are also well adapted to a number of landscapes. King cobras are known to climb trees and swim, as well as move along the forest floor.

A source explaining what to do should you encounter a cobra states that you should immediately strip off your shirt or hat and throw it to the ground. The snake will go to the clothing and it will provide you with enough time to leave the area.

King Cobra’s are freaky. Prior to seeing that tweet, I had no idea of their size. While some are what I would deem, like Max, “average snake size”, the king cobra is a monster. While snakes already scared me prior to the article, the King Cobra now takes the cake. It’s absolutely marvelous that something so terrifying can exist. This mass of slithering muscle is going to stick with me as one of my top fears for a while now.

 

A bird flies high above the tree tops. Riding gusts and gales, it surveys the weave-work of branches below for insects and berries. Suddenly, a screech comes from above and a plummeting force crushes down on it. Flying high and diving low at incredible rates, the peregrine falcon has staked its claim as one of the fastest in the sky. To be caught at the bottom of a peregrine’s dive is the last place you want to be as a bird or bat.

Peregrine falcons are very capable hunters that target their prey from high above and dive, striking them mid-flight. Known for their stealth and sleek builds, peregrine falcons have inspired numerous aerodynamic aircraft concepts. The dive of a peregrine falcon is engineered for lethality, allowing them to top 200 miles an hour—this is the highest speed of any animal known to man. Flying nearly a kilometer high (0.62 miles) before the dive, their prey never has a chance to react.

Peregrine falcons are some of the most common, but notable, birds in the world. Peregrines are found all: from deserts, to coasts, to even cities. Because of this, and their propensity to travel far outside of their nesting season, comes their name. Peregrine is a word, scarcely used now, that quite literally means wanderer. The world’s most common bird of prey, peregrines can be found all continents except Antarctica. Some have been known to travel as many as 15,500 miles in a year. These falcons are able to travel so far because they rely on their impeccable homing instinct. Many falcons use nesting sites that have been passed through generations of falcons for hundreds of years. Where as many animals have been forced from their habitats by the urbanization of first-world countries, the peregrine has learned to capitalize off of this. New York City hosts the highest concentration of the bird in the world. From high perches on skyscrapers, peregrine falcons can pick off birds flying below.

The peregrine falcon is built for speed. The teardrop-shaped body of the falcon and its stiff feathers are two reasons it is so aerodynamic. It also sports black patches on its face that minimize glare when in flying, much like the eye black of a football or baseball player. To combat the speeds at which it goes, the falcon also has a third eyelid to lubricate the eye during flight. Flying at such high speeds also makes for trouble breathing. To account for lung-damaging high wind pressure that may also prevent airflow into the nostrils, peregrine falcons have cone-shaped bones that deflect shockwaves, called baffles.

A number of these characteristics have been adopted by our aircrafts today. Jets moving at supersonic speeds often encounter a block of airflow into their engines. This results in the engines “choking”. To prevent the air from hitting a wall of resistance around the engine, a cone similar to the falcon’s baffle is now implemented. All large jet engines now sport these at their center. Scientists at the University of London’s BAE Systems and City are also studying the feathers of peregrines for fuel efficiency and safety. Peregrines sport sensory feathers that can detect if it has lost airflow. With this in mind BAE scientists are experimenting with 3D printing polymer hair filaments directly onto the wings of aircrafts to produce real-time data on its aerodynamics. Densely packed filaments may also help reduce drag on the winds and increase fuel efficiency. BAE is also looking into hinged flaps that mimic the upward bristle of a peregrine falcon’s feathers when trying to slow its descent. This would grant aircrafts greater control in landings and in improve safety.

The peregrine falcon is truly a marvel of nature. With grace and speed, it dominates its ecosystem. Though its numbers were reduced to but a few hundred after the DDT environmental crisis, it has rebounded and is no longer a threatened species. I hope that we all have the chance to see one of these amazing birds in action. If you’re ever in the city, there are observation decks upon which you can see them. It might be worth your time to catch a half second blur streaking out of the sky.

The smell of motor oil fills permeates the air, exacerbated by the heat pounding down on you and your photography crew as you take your small boat around a slight bend in the river. You cut the engine to discuss where it is you’ll take to the shore line when you hear a thud. Everyone in your group pauses momentarily. Just when you’re about to take up the conversation again, the boat shifts as a mass beneath it rises. With a great roar, a hippopotamus forcefully throws your boat, capsizing it and sending everyone into the African river.

The most dangerous animal in Africa, the hippo is responsible for more human fatalities than any other animal on the continent. Males are extremely territorial and will actively patrol the banks of the bodies of water they inhabit. Females are easily agitated when defending their young. Their propensity for aggression, 1,821 psi bite, and 20-inch teeth make them an animal you don’t want to encounter.

An encounter like this happened to conservation biologist Steve Boyes. He recounts, “Something had gone under me, and I called ‘Kubu! Hippo!’ to the team, trying to warn them. Right then, as I thought it, I see this face coming up. Then it’s like a bomb going off”. (Scroll to watch the video for this story)

The hippopotamus’s name actually translates to “river horse” in Greek, a name that seems impossibly graceful for such a massive animal. However, this is quite the case. Hippos, weighing anywhere from 1.5 to 4 tons, have a great affinity for water, spending up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes. This is done in order to cool their bodies down. With eyes and nostrils positioned high on their heads, hippopotamuses have no trouble laying nearly fully submerged in shallows. Hippos are known to be fantastic swimmers and can hold their breaths for up to 5 minutes. Because of their size and ability to stay under for so long, they will also often walk or stand on lake and river floors. Though it’s not overt, hippos are fairly optimized for a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

On land, hippos continue to be very active. At sundown, hippos leave the water to graze. Traveling anywhere up to 6 miles, hippopotamuses move single-file and consume up to 80 pounds of grass. Despite that being a ridiculous amount of only grass, these herbivores’ food intake is relatively low for their size. If threatened on land, hippos will often run to the nearest site of water to defend themselves. This animal is known to run at speeds similar to that of a human’s, for short distances.

When encountering a hippopotamus in the wild, there a few tips to follow. If on land, don’t get between a hippo and the nearest lake or river. If threatened, the animal might attempt to flee to the water and you don’t want to be between the two. According to BBC’s Discover Wildlife, hippos are extremely unpredictable creatures and are not responsive to the arm waves and stature changes that other animals might. If charged, it’s recommended that you take cover behind any nearby trees or termite mounds. If in the water, tapping the side of your boat will make hippos aware of your presence and stop them from accidentally coming up beneath you.

For the most part, it is easy to avoid the aggression of a hippopotamus. By giving a respectful amount of space and maintaining an awareness of your surroundings, you can forgo any dangerous encounters with these animals. Undisturbed and unthreatened, the hippo is a very

The hippo is certainly a peculiar animal in size and nature. Writing these blogs has served as a reminder to me that nature is amazing. There is an incredible amount of variety, complexity, and oddity in the myriad of animals in the world.

To offset the hippo’s violent tendencies, below is a video of a hippo crushing and eating a whole watermelon. Definitely watch the video… definitely don’t try this one yourselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQVElHsL2c4