Quoted:
Quoted: I know that Invisible Soul and others are very smart dudes....
Take a look at this picture a Texas Lyre Snake...... the head shape is what keeps me from thinking the one killed was a rat snake...amazing how much the colors look alike.
www.whozoo.org/Intro2002/AnnaSaucedo/ARS_TexasLyreSnake.html
I've only seen one Lyre snake in my life and it was at the zoo. Edited to add....they love rocky places......like bricks...
|
What does "mildly venomous" mean??
|
There are some erudite, old, and quite-possibly now dead herpetologists who were of the
opinion that *all* (or "most") snakes were venemous.
For example, the "toxicity" of the venom from the "Big Four" in Texas is quite well-established. However, the venom from the Lyre Snake may be so dilute (think molarity/molality from chemistry) that it won't kill a person, but may still cause some discomfort. Further, even though it won't kill a person, it will still kill a frog, salamander, etc. That's the [rough] definition of "mildly venemous".
Another tack to approach it from is that different venoms may affect different organisms differently (not purely from a 'concentration' perspective). For example, it may be that venom from a certain snake affects two species of similar size differently (such as a lizard and a hampster, both weighing 1kg), due to biochemical differences^1 or variation in body structure.^2
It's been so long since I really delved into the herpetological journal literature that these opinions may have already been discredited. I would imagine there's been at least *some* movement since they've gone to molecular/biochem analysis of so much now (though the traditionally-hot snakes do steal most/all of the thunder in this area).
Best,
Jake.
1. For example, both organisms have a heart, but different enzymes/chemicals are at work in the two hearts. One of which is affected by the venom, the other which is not.
2. For example, the venom may affect the liver. One organism *has* a liver (and is therefore, affected); the other does not.