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9. Coachwhip — 8.5 feet A long snake with an unusual appearance is the coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum), which is named because it looks like a braided coachwhip. The nominotypical subspecies — the eastern coachwhip — typically has a black head and neck but their color gradually lightens to tan at their tail. They are also the longest subspecies and can reach 8.5 feet long. Coachwhips live in the southern region of the US and inhabit fields, prairies, and open forests. They are diurnal and prey on a variety of birds, rodents, and lizards. They are ambush predators but are not...

Two German tourists became lost in their four-wheel-drive vehicle in a remote part of Cape York after trusting Google Maps. They ended up having to camp for about a week before walking out to safety. What's next?: The pair are safe, but local rangers say it could have been so much worse and are warning people to take care. Two young men are lucky to be alive after walking for several days in the Cape York wilderness when their car became bogged after they followed Google Maps directions. German tourists Philipp Maier and Marcel Schoene left Cairns on February 4...

Russia will develop ties with North Korea in all areas building on agreements between their leaders in September, the Kremlin said on Monday, as their foreign ministers were set to meet in Moscow. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived on Sunday on a rare visit to Moscow for talks with her counterpart Sergei Lavrov as the two countries deepen economic, political, and military ties, the North's state news agency KCNA said. As Russia's international isolation has grown over its war in Ukraine, analysts say Moscow has seen increasing value in its ties with North Korea. For North Korea's...

A highly venomous snake interrupted play during Dominic Thiem's victory against James McCabe at the Brisbane International qualifying event. Former US Open champion Thiem was a set down to Australian McCabe when the snake was spotted near the courtside electrical wires. A 40-minute break in play followed while the reptile was safely removed by a professional snake catcher. "I really love animals, especially exotic ones," Thiem said afterwards. "But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation. "It's something that has never happened to me...

As you sit there mulling a retirement in the South, approximately 1,000 people are already on their way to Florida today with all their household belongings. Should you join them?Like many baby boomers approaching retirement age and hunting for a warmer climate to call home in their golden years, my wife and I scouted cities and towns in Florida for a possible landing pad — so I had some skin in the game (we decided on elsewhere).But Florida isn’t all about the beaches, Disney World and the massive retirement community known as The Villages. I interviewed experts and residents for...

American company Pizza Hut has teamed up with a century-old Hong Kong restaurant to put a modern spin on a traditional dish, or more simply, snake on a pizza. The new offering combines shredded snake meat, black mushrooms and Chinese dried ham – all indispensable ingredients of an authentic snake stew and part of the Hong Kong franchise’s marketing plot to generate buzz online. Some diners in Hong Kong and around southern China have long enjoyed snake stew, especially during the colder months.

The crashed plane’s wing jetted out of the alligator and python-invested swamps of the Everglades just long enough for the pilot to survive. . OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA — After nine hours waiting on the wing of his downed plane in the Florida Everglades, a pilot was rescued by Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue. He was the only person aboard. The plane was registered to a flight school in Homestead, Florida but the school called 911 after they lost contact with the pilot. The plane was a single-engine Cessna Skyhawk 172M that began experiencing trouble close to I-75 in South Broward County. A...

In a remarkable feat, a determined Floridian embarked on a mission to hunt down invasive Burmese pythons lurking within the vast expanse of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Little did he know that his unwavering pursuit would lead him to a monumental discovery - the capture of the longest Burmese python ever recorded in the state of Florida, and quite possibly the longest python ever documented. The 22-year-old hunter's wrestling match with the colossal python was captured on camera, showcasing the bravery and determination of the young man. A group of courageous individuals valiantly assisted in subduing the creature, their...

A magnetic resonance image of the patient's brain led doctors at Canberra Hospital and Australian National University to conduct a biopsy during which they found and removed a live third-stage larval roundworm from her right frontal lobe. Photo by EPA-EFE/Australia National University. Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Surgeons in Australia pulled a live 3-inch-long parasitic worm from the front of a woman's brain in what is believed to be the first time this type of infection has been found in humans. Doctors in Canberra found the light red worm during a biopsy they were carrying out on the patient in a...

A snake eating its own tail has been a symbol of infinity since ancient times. But seeing an illustration of this concept is nothing like witnessing the real-life horror. On rare occasions, mostly cataloged in captivity, a snake really can swallow its own tail. As the reptile guzzles back more and more of its body, the emblem of eternity quickly becomes a spiral of death. If the snake's owner does not intervene, its digestive fluids may start breaking down its own body. Some captive snakes that make a habit of eating themselves show damage on their scales from their acidic...

A snake fell out of the sky and landed on a woman mowing her yard. The bizarre incident didn’t stop there. Peggy Jones was then attacked by a hawk. Jones was on her tractor mowing at her home in Silsbee, near Beaumont on Tuesday afternoon. She describes how suddenly a snake fell on her, wrapping around her arm. “The snake was squeezing so hard, and I was waving my arms in the air. And then, this hawk was swooping down clawing at my arm over and over,” explains Peggy Jones. “I just kept saying, ‘Help me, Jesus, Help me, Jesus.’’

This is the shocking moment a snake hunter wrestled a 19ft Burmese python said to be the longest ever found in the US. The video, taken in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, shows snake hunter Jake Waleri, 22, grab the 125lb python by the neck after it lunges at him with opens jaws. Mr Waleri grapples with the python, which is as long as an adult giraffe is tall, and wrestles it to the ground as onlookers exclaim: 'Oh my God! Let's go!' Another man asks: 'Have you got tape on you, I know you carry tape,' as they...

Burmese pythons are killing off mammals that would normally keep Florida's rat population in check. A new study found that parts of the Florida Everglades were becoming overrun with rats as a result. It may be good news for the cotton rats, but it could spell serious danger for humans. Florida's Burmese pythons have been known to prey on birds, reptiles, deer, and even alligators. But one thing they don't seem to have a taste for is cotton rats. And the rats are thriving because of it. ... cotton rats "dominate the community" in parts of the Florida Everglades where...

A single mom has recounted how she horrifyingly stumbled across a horde of snakes living in the foundation of her new home. Amber Hall made the shocking discovery last month, days after moving into the four-bedroom, two-bath behemoth in Colorado with her two kids. The home is set on a scenic, tree-lined street in Centennial, centrally located among some of of Denver's most affluent suburbs, to the city's south. Hall, 42, says spent her entire adult life working to afford the dream domicile - and was over the moon when she and her children moved in back in April. However,...

Over 150 snakes, including more than 100 venomous, and an alligator were discovered inside a Beaver County home on Tuesday. According to Penn Live, police were called to the scene after receiving a report of an unconscious man, but upon arrival, they found the body of a 23-year-old man who was pronounced dead. Although the cause of death has not been disclosed, officials have revealed that the man had a snake bite mark.

After nearly five months of waiting, an alarm activated on Michael Cove’s radio, a sign his study was working. To hunt pythons, an invasive predator in the Florida Keys, Cove and fellow researchers have been strapping GPS collars to opossums and raccoons. When one was eaten by a python in September, researchers programmed the device to notify them from within the snake’s stomach.... According to a ScienceDaily study, the number of raccoons, opossums and bobcats in the Everglades all dropped by at least 87 percent between 1997 and 2012. The same study found that marsh and cottontail rabbits and foxes...

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A Florida man was among eight people accused of snake trafficking, authorities said Thursday. Paul Miller, 48, of Cape Coral, was issued a notice to appear for second-degree misdemeanor violations that included cage or secondary containment, unsafe or unsanitary conditions for captive wildlife, improper cage labeling and cage or secondary containment, according to WGCU Radio reported. Nearly 200 snakes consisting of 24 species from seven different regions were purchased by the eight people cited, WBBH-TV reported. “Some of these snakes are among the most dangerous in the world,” Maj. Randy Bowlin said in a statement released...

A Kentucky high school is "infested" after a snake and a mouse fell from classroom ceilings last week, according to a teacher. Nathan Spalding, an English teacher at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, wrote on Facebook that he found a baby rat snake that fell from the ceiling and appeared to "cuddle" his desk phone. "Our school is infested with roaches, spiders, and mice," Spalding wrote. "Our school now seems to also have a nest of snakes living in the ceiling."

Snake Road in Shawnee National is being shut down to vehicles to allow for the safe passage of endangered snakes.. ... Wildlife authorities in Illinois have shut down a two-mile stretch of road to vehicles through late October due to a yearly snake migration. The U.S. Forest Service said Forest Road #345 – also known as "Snake Road" – in the Shawnee National Forest was closed to vehicles starting September 1st and will remain closed through October 30th. It’s also closed every year for a short time in the Spring. ... The snakes migrate from LaRue Swamp to the nearby...

Recently, a video was uploaded by YouTuber and engineer Allen Pan in which he literally designs robotic legs for a snake. And guess what, his design was successful. The snake did walk, and that too perfectly. In the video, Pan also talks about reptiles and aquatic animals with legs. He goes on to say that he will prove to the audiences that he is a snake lover. He first develops a rough design, and tests it on a stuffed toy snake. But this design fails. So, he comes up with another design, and names it “Snake legs 2.0.” He visits...