Trivia question for Jan-28-2011

I’m not sure if the fact that we are driving 4-hours in the morning to attend the Whigham County GA Rattlesnake Roundup had anything to do with Carter picking this species for our trivia or not but this is what he insisted on featuring.

(Relax… we are only attending the event because all our efforts to get the folks who organize these ridiculous events went unanswered. We are going in an attempt to talk to the organizers and see if they will meet with us so we can discuss them changing the venue to a Festival, which celebrates the species, as opposed to a roundup which eradicates them. We will keep you posted)

So here’s Carter’s trivia and a few clues: These guys are Britain’s only native venomous snake. Their venom rarely kills humans. In 1932 a failed businessman tried to kill himself through a bite from one of these guys but he merely lost an arm.

They are shy and non-aggressive and they hibernate in large communal dens. In spring and summer, these guys shed their skin every 4 to 6 weeks.

Can you tell us what type of snake this is and tell us what is special about the way they give birth?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to both Gina for answering the type of snake first and Natalie for being the first to identify the fact that the snake gives birth to live baby’s as opposed to laying eggs like most snakes.

The snake is known as a common European Adder or common European Viper.  They are a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common Adder and Common Viper.

The color pattern varies, ranging from very light-colored specimens to individuals that are entirely dark and lack any apparent dorsal pattern. However, most have some kind of zigzag dorsal pattern down the entire length of the body and tail.

Here is more on the Adder: Common Adder

Thanks for playing along 😉

We wish to thank everyone for your kind comments about our venture to Whigham GA today as we visited the Rattlesnake Roundup.  The trip lasted 13 hours from start to finish and I am glad that we at least went so we now have a better understanding of what the event is really about.

Although we agree that the event brings in badly needed income to this small community, after spending the day watching folks gawk at penned-up helpless rattlesnakes, we could find no reason why any community would insist on continuing this practice.  They would generate just as many visitors if they converted the event to a Rattlesnake Festival where they no longer paid snake hunters a bounty for catching snakes and partnered with a local Nature Center who keeps a limited number of snakes on hand for educational purposes.  The Nature Center would bring in a few snakes and use the opportunity to educated the public on the value the species has to our environment, as opposed to treating snakes like a piece of trash that everyone should despise.

We will write more about our visit in the coming days and we are still willing to meet with the event organizers and community members if they will ever return our calls or emails.

Thanks again for everyones support 😉