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The Essay I was Rambling On About
I figured since a few people seemed interested, I'd post my essay here. It's a little controversial, and I hope some people don't take offense. Otherwise...enjoy!
Snakes: Fear vs. Fact
Imagine walking through the woods and hearing the rustling of leaves upon the forest floor. You’re alone, with only a flashlight to aid you in your poor human night sight, and fear begins to creep up into your mind. You know there are no tigers, and bears are rarely sited unless seen in a zoo, yet, you feel that there’s something to fear in being alone. Your flashlight flickers on and off, adrenaline pumping, and you finally see what’s bred this fear into you: a slimy, disgusting, sixty-foot python with elongated fangs and a hunger for your blood. You try to scream, but are so afraid you can’t move. Trapped, tears running down your face, you watch helplessly as this monstrous beast with at least a ton of coils nears you, flicking a five-foot forked tongue against your face. You feel like you are going to die.
This image is, of course, a wrong depiction of these reptiles’ anatomy as well as an over-exaggeration of what society has labeled them to be. Through religion, specifically Christianity, the media, and the carelessness of people, snakes have been given an unjustified bad name as dangerous animals to be avoided at all costs. Such a bad name, especially now, has been the driving influence in the creation of laws that would further tarnish these wonderful hunters and further cause the general society to lose out on some advantages snakes can bring such as medical research being done to save human lives and the simple fact that most snakes make wonderful pets.
Throughout time, human beings have feared snakes, massacred them, and driven them out of their natural habitats. Christianity has played one of the leading roles in this growing fear. From the story of Genesis, the first encounter with Satan is within the Garden of Eden. Satan, however, disguises himself as a snake, more specifically, a serpent.
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust thou shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy see and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14-15)
This verse in particular allows the justification of killing snakes, and even hunting them down. Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden, left to die, harvest their own food instead of nestling safely within the safety of the garden, and they would forever fear snakes as their offspring would thereafter.
The tale of Exodus is just one of many others that expresses a certain fear of snakes. During Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. Moses’ first objection to God is that he fears that the people of Israel will not believe him if he claims that God has spoken unto him. “And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he [God] said, Cast it on the ground, And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.” (Exodus 4:2-3). Even Moses, a devout follower of God flees from the serpent in which his God aided in the creation of. However, God expresses to Moses that if he “Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail” (Exodus 4:4) it will again turn into his rod. Through God, Moses can control his rod serpent. With Aaron at Moses’ side, assigned by God to be Moses’ speaker, Moses travels to Egypt to attempt to “Let my people go.” (Exodus 5:1).
Once the tribulation of proving to God’s children that Moses was no hoax, both Aaron and Moses traveled to meet Pharaoh in hopes of freeing the Children of Israel.
And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants and it became a serpent. The Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. Now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod and they became serpents but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. (Exodus 7:10-12)
The miracle of casting the rod into the serpent was an attempt to prove to Pharaoh that the God of the Children of Israel was powerful and strong. Yet, even Moses feared this serpent, and Pharaoh seemed fearful yet hardened himself. Following this event, the Ten Deadly Plagues of Egypt occurred.
There are, however, certain religious sects that are primarily polytheistic who worship snakes and snake gods. The Egyptian Pantheon includes Nehebkau who is an Egyptian snake god. Nehebkau is believed to be one of the original Gods who were a part of creation and he also protected dead pharaohs during the afterlife and protected against scorpion stings as well as even snake bites.
Hollywood, though liberal and open to new ideas, has also aided in this bad name for snakes. Movies throughout the years have portrayed snakes as vicious, bloody-hungry monsters that would stop at nothing to wrap coils around human bodies. The Disney film The Jungle Book is just one of many movies that interpret snakes in such a way.
The snake Kaa is a masterful deceiver who in The Jungle Book who attempts to lure a lonely, untrusting Mowgli into his coils. He attempts to sooth the man-cub into a lull, waiting until Mowgli falls asleep, and is interrupted by Shere Khan, the feared, man-eating tiger. As the deceiver, Kaa convinces a reluctant Khan away only to lose his man-cub prey item. This movie, though probably unintentionally, teaches children at a young age that snakes are bad and that they are out to eat man; this simply is not true. Another film that proves such a taint upon snakes is 1997’s Anaconda.
Jon Voight plays a very convincing stranded man, by the name of Paul Sarone, who takes advantage of a film expedition crew upon the Amazon river and convinces a money-hungry Gary Dixon (Owen Wilson) to help him catch a live anaconda. Voight, however, states one of the many misconceptions about constrictors in this video, and furthers the mockery in this film.
“Anacondas are a perfect killing machine. They strike, wrap around you, hold you tighter than your true love – and you get the privilege of hearing your bones break before the power of the embrace causes your veins to explode….” (John Voight, Anaconda).
Constrictors may snap bones on occasion, but their primary means of killing involves simply tightening every time a prey item breathes, depriving prey from breathing at all. Another misconception depicted within Anaconda is that this particular beast eats multiple humans throughout a few day time period. Anacondas in the wild, however, will take down a capybara and not eat for weeks and even months. The capybara is the largest rodent in the world.
Melanie Ryan Seals
2.2 Royal Pythons; Hadrian(het. albino), Lucius(het. hypo), Ophelia(normal) and Regan(het. albino).
1.0 Homo sapien boyfriendidus; Nick AKA Daddy. s

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BPnet Veteran
Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
Even reticulated pythons, which are speculated to be the longest and perhaps the largest snakes in the world, do not eat multiple prey items within a few days’ time.
In the beginning of the film a scroll of misinformation was displayed for movie watchers to read and digest. One particular line further emphasizes the lack of knowledge concerning these beautiful hunters and further fuels the fire of fear: “Unique amongst snakes, they are not satisfied after eating a victim. They will regurgitate their prey in order to kill and eat again.” (Anaconda). Anacondas might be somewhat unique, however, they are constrictors just as ball pythons, rock pythons, red tail boas and Burmese pythons are. Any snake, whether a constrictor, a venomous snake or even an egg eater, will regurgitate prey items if the prey are decomposing already, if they are frightened or disturbed, or, if captive, they might regurgitate if handled right after having fed. If satisfied with prey item and environment, most snakes will simply find a place to hide and digest. Anaconda’s depiction of anacondas is one filled with misinformation and over-dramatization of one of the largest constrictors in the world.
Another film that will be coming out in August is Snakes on a Plane. The ridiculousness of the tile is one indication that the film will be another film filled with half truths. This film’s storyline over-dramatizes the idea that an assassin, hell-bent on killing a passenger who is a witness, frees a crate filled with “deadly” snakes. Matching Samuel L. Jackson with multi species of “venomous snakes” upon a public airplane serves as an interesting plotline.
However, the snakes depicted in the previews, aside from animatronics venomous ones, area actually harmless king snakes. The fact they go out of their way to attack humans is just another example of lacking knowledge in venomous snakes. As with most snakes, venomous ones are ambush predators and do not go out of their way to attack humans; they try to preserve their venom for appropriate-sized food.
An ironic point is that the logo for the film is very close to that of a caduceus, which happens to be a symbol for medical purposes. This symbol is a staff with one set of wings at the top and two snakes entwining about the lower half. The logo for Snakes on a Plane, however, is of two fanged snakes entwining about an airplane.
Another film created in 2000 is Python. This film, much like Anaconda, over-dramatizes constrictors and even goes so far as incorrectly depicting the anatomy, adding fangs. Constrictors do not possess fangs; however, they do possess teeth that curve backwards which allow them to secure their prey item. This particular python is the result of a secret military project to create the ultimate weapon against enemies. This weapon backfires and gets loose during a transport by plane from the military facility to another location. This film was then followed by Python II in 2002 and then Boa Vs. Python in 2004.
Animal Planet, which is owned by Discovery Channel also produced a very over-dramatic representation of larger constrictors in their special The Big Squeeze. Between African rock pythons, Burmese pythons, and reticulated pythons, this particular show represented them as dangerous, man-attacking animals. What they failed to address were these key points: the man walking down a path who was attacked by the rock python was in the rock pythons environment, the zoo keepers know that reticulated pythons are much more aggressive animals and caution is a rule of thumb, and if people own Burmese pythons, let alone any other snake, and they smell like a prey item, they just might be bitten.
Lately, especially with all of the rain, there have been multiple accounts of constrictors being set free within parts of Louisiana and Florida. The news report of the
Burmese who ate the alligator was just one of many news reports that led people to believe that these constrictors were fearsome beasts. In reality, most of these freed pets were freed because the people who bought them thought they were cute as hatchlings and realized much too late how large Burmese can get. In being freed, Burmese pythons as well as any other constrictors, can be a detriment to the ecosystems they’re being let loose in. However, most news reports will not mention this.
Throughout time, the term snake has evolved into many meanings. It still remains the name of the legless reptiles people are so afraid of, but it also now means a person who is treacherous and vile. Snake enthusiasts, including myself, see snakes as stealthy, beautiful, strong and silent predators. If that particular description were to be used, I know I would not mind being described as beautiful, strong, silent and stealthy. Yet, because of fear and how people depict these magnificent predators, being a snake will continue to be interpreted by the majority of society as being treacherous and vile.
On the front of reality TV, Top Chef on Bravo has been spicing up the TV lineup. Chefs from all over the United States were chosen to compete for $100,000, a complete Kenmore Kitchen, and the title of Top Chef. As with any reality TV show, participants like to heat things up, have their faces posted up online, and overall gain more attention from their general audiences. During one episode, one of the contests, Tiffani Faison, stated that another contestant, Miguel Morales, should not be in the competition anymore because of careless mistakes. Miguel heard of this from the judges and accused Tiffany of being a snake. “You’re a snake. Ssssss.” (Miguel Morales, Top Chef).
This event, as well as Zacarias Moussaoui claiming, "You (Americans) are the head of the snake for me. If we want to destroy the Jewish state...we have to destroy you first.” (Tom Baldwin), are both examples of how the use of the term snake can be used in ill-reference towards snakes. If America were the head of the snake, She would have fairly poor vision, have to sense everything through heat and vibration, and She would have to act fast and strike with immense power. However much both the media and religion are detrimental to the bad name snakes have gotten, people who own them or have owned them are partially to blame for the fuel which drives the media to create such monstrous movies and television shows.
Many, many people each year go out and buy snakes for their kids, for themselves, for their spouses or for their friends. Most of the time, however, these snakes are bought from pet stores without first reading care sheets and other information easily accessible by way of the internet. A good percentage of the snakes bought in pet stores are either part of the families of colubridae or boidae. The colubridae family includes corn snakes and king snakes, and the boidae family includes ball pythons, Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, red tailed boas and many others. The family colubridae, in purchasing from pet stores would exclude venomous snakes such as boomslangs.
When purchased, these snakes are usually small, very adorable, and can easily be housed within a ten-gallon tank. However, as time goes by and feeding continues, a lot of the larger constrictors such as Burmese, gain great length. When this happens, many people, instead of taking their animals to shelters, or posting up sale or adoption notices, set their pets free into parts of the country that they do not need to be set free in.
Although there are a few good pet stores, most of them fall under a bad hat notoriety. Pet stores are there to make money and a lot of the time, though not all of the time, they will give bad advice on husbandry and have you spend more money than need-be. One controversial husbandry tidbit is housing multiple snakes in one enclosure. For every twenty people who have been to a pet store and seen multiple snakes of the same species housed together, twenty well-learned owners will express great dislike for doing so. The information given by most pet stores is that housing multiple snakes together is just fine, yet, asking most breeders, they will explain that housing multiple snakes together can be stressful, that infection can spread much easier, and that, in rare cases, cannibalism can occur. Yet, most pet stores will rarely ever tell their customers this.
Breeders, on the other hand, who are note-worthy, are worth the time to check on. Adam Wysocki of 8 Ball Pythons is a breeder in Maryland who has a notable reputation. His customers will express great respect for Mr. Wysocki. I myself, who is not a customer of his, but an acquaintance, called Adam about a week ago because my female ball python was having a bad shed. For an hour he sat on the phone explaining that a certain method of aiding in shed was not detrimental to her health, that she would be fine for an hour, and even went so far as expressing interest in my new male ball python. Most breeders will be more than happy to oblige in responding to emails and phone calls on a regular basis.
Melanie Ryan Seals
2.2 Royal Pythons; Hadrian(het. albino), Lucius(het. hypo), Ophelia(normal) and Regan(het. albino).
1.0 Homo sapien boyfriendidus; Nick AKA Daddy. s

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BPnet Veteran
Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
Another extremely successful and helpful breeder, Ralph Davis, owns Ralph Davis Reptiles. If people are interested in owning a snake, this man is one of many who are worth the look. He provides exceptional advice for his clients and his reptiles are some of the best known. Though Ralph seems to dabble in some boas, he definitely specializes in ball pythons, and the quality of his morphs, which are different color variations in the species, is exceptional.
There are many other resources at interested folks’ fingertips. Ball Pythons.net is a wonderful resource community forum which allows interested buyers to ask question of people who own snakes or even other reptiles. First-hand accounts of husbandry, of medical issues, and of enjoyment in owning these animals can all be accessed. The community also allows interested people to find out if there are any breeders in their neighborhoods, whether there are members who would be willing to sit over a cup of coffee and talk snakes, or even general information on where veterinarians are located.
Another resource which allows people to access the reputation of breeders is Fauna Classifieds. This forum has a database that can be seen, once registration has taken place, which enables reputations of breeders all around the world to be seen. Fauna also has a classifieds section, noted by the name, which can be accessed as well. If owners who have snakes that are too large wish to get rid of them, Fauna is just one of many places that an ad can be placed.
Over the years, laws have been implemented to regulate what kinds of reptiles, specifically snakes members of the public can purchase or own. In most states, it is a reasonable assumption that permits for venomous reptiles are acceptable. Venomous reptiles, if set free in the public, can potentially be dangerous, and permits for these snakes is an intelligent idea. However, some states see fit to regulate even more than perhaps they should.
In Louisiana, this is definitely the case. Their original law stated that “nonindigenous constrictors in excess of twelve feet in length” (House Committee on Natural Resources 1-2) should have permits. However, there is a call for editing this law to “non-indigenous constrictor snakes.”(House Committee on Natural Resources 1-2) This law would encompass all constrictors, whether they are potentially threatening or not which would include ball pythons, red tail boas, and blood pythons. These snakes, by nature, are general very docile, gentle, and, as some will claim, even affectionate. In
South Carolina is also attempting to enact permits which would include the following families of snake: boidae, colubridae, elapidae, and viperdae. The families elapidae and viperdae are venomous reptiles and interested owners should have permits in order to house venomous snakes. South Carolina, unlike Louisiana, does specify which species they are concerned with having permits for. From the family boidae, they include the following permit-required snakes: “Only African rock pythons, amethystine pythons, boelen's pythons, burmese pythons, Indian pythons, olive pythons, reticulated pythons, yellow anacondas, green anacondas, and Jamaican boas.” (Thomas 3-9).
There are, however, positives to the existence of snakes that many people are unaware of and some of these positive aspects can eventually become beneficial to human beings. Certain types of venom, specifically in Australian taipans, are being used to find cures for certain types of cancer such as lung cancer.(Specific Sensitivity of Small Cell Lung Cancer Lines to the Snake Venom Toxic Taipoxin 329). Researchers are also finding ways to help in reducing blood clots and pain killers for the many thousands who have chronic pain. (Snake Venom Reveals Clues About Heart Drug). These medical tests could potentially save many from losing their lives and aid in others having their lives better.
Snakes are wonderful creatures, and throughout the years they have become wonderful pets to people who respect and enjoy their company. Though cuddling up against a black mambo or a western diamondback rattlesnake would not be the best of ideas, many non-venomous snakes make wonderful pets. There are, however, many enthusiasts that claim that even the most venomous of snakes can make beautiful pets.
Ball pythons, or Royal pythons, are one of the most popular species of the boidae family to keep as pets. They reach, at max, up to six foot in length and can comfortably live in a forty gallon vivarium for the extent of their lives. They are, however, a more involved snake to own. Royal pythons, though small in size, require a large gradient of humidity, reaching between 50%-60% on a regular basis and reaching 70% during a shed cycle. (Ball Pythons.net) This can become a problem with the mesh tanks of vivariums. However, once husbandry has been mastered, these beautifully colored snakes make wonderful pets. Ball pythons, much like some exotic birds are life-long pets that live anywhere from thirty-five to forty-five years old. Royal pythons come in a variety of different color mutations, or morphs.
These different color morphs come in a variety of color, ranging from the mainstream “normal” and albino to much more expensive designer piebald, leucistic, “butter balls,” pastel, and lesser platinum. Purchasing one of these amazing snakes can cost, just for the snake, anywhere from twenty dollars to over a hundred thousand dollars depending on the color mutation. However, for ball python enthusiasts, a hundred thousand dollars is a wonderful investment and can easily be paid off through breeding projects. There are, however, larger non-venomous snakes that might be more suitable to people wishing to own that have a slight bit more size.
Columbian red tail boas are extremely beautiful snakes that reach lengths of approximately ten feet. There have been accounts of red tails reaching an excess of twelve, however, this occurrence is rare. These beautiful boids are usually quite docile around human beings and are fairly easy to take care of. Red tail boas can also reach ages of thirty-five years and beyond and produce a motley of different color mutations(Ball Pythons.net). However, they are known to eat larger prey items that some owners might be squeamish about. Feeding rabbits to a snake might be fine for regular snake lovers, however, a beginner wishing to learn about constrictors might shy away from them if forced to feed rabbits and small pigs to these snakes. If feeding larger, perhaps cuter, prey items is not a problem, Burmese pythons are also wonderful boids to consider.
Burmese pythons are not beginner snakes, and suggesting so would result in another abandoned snake which would further the fear of these magnificent creatures. They can reach lengths of twenty-plus feet and weight near and even above two hundred pounds(Ball Pythons.net). As with Royal pythons and red tail boas, Burmese pythons can live thirty years and beyond and can come in a variety of different color morphs. Housing these larger boids can potentially be a problem. Burmese get extremely large and require a minimum enclosure of at least half their length. This would equate to having a twenty-foot snake and having a ten-foot long enclosure; ten feet of length takes up quite a bit of room, so having a large room to put them in is important. However, Burmese pythons are wonderful pets for thousands of Americans who, in fact, take care of their snakes.
Whether influenced by religion or the media, human beings continue to fear snakes, however, snakes are wonderful, even helpful animals. They are used in medical research that could potentially aid human beings in surviving certain types of cancer, bearing through immense amount of pain, and, perhaps one day, even help in lessening blood clots. Without these snakes in human lives, research could not be accomplished, cures could potentially not be found, and thousands of people could continue to die. However, because of this fear instilled into man by religion, by the media, and by irresponsible people, these wonderful reptiles will continue being labeled with a bad name, resulting in much stricter laws which would hinder people who already own them and respect them.
It is a shame to see that a snakes’ nature has been misconstrued through the media and other sociological factors. Snakes, in reality, control vermin populations in which they inhabit, and could potentially be a vital resource in emerging new medical breakthroughs. “Snakes symbolize evil but are actually fairly docile creatures that keep the rodents from overrunning us.”(Heffern) However, through tolerance, and, perhaps one day understanding, human beings will be more accepting of these silent predators and learn to appreciate the role that they play in mankind’s life.
Melanie Ryan Seals
2.2 Royal Pythons; Hadrian(het. albino), Lucius(het. hypo), Ophelia(normal) and Regan(het. albino).
1.0 Homo sapien boyfriendidus; Nick AKA Daddy. s

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Registered User
Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
I'm not sure whats more amazing, the fact that you wrote that, or the fact that I just read all that! Anyways, that was a very good paper, good job!
-Brad
0.1.1 BP {Rorschach & unnamed}
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Registered User
Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
bravo! bravo! ... did you have someone proof read that before you turned it in?
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Registered User
Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
Very nice essay Melanie! I believe that is our duty as snake enthusiasts to educate the common public as to the benefits of snakes both on the environment and on a person's well-being when the snakes are kept as pets. As you said there are many misconceptions when it comes to the behavior, phisiology and just the general nature of snakes. Could you imagine how many rats, mice, or other "vermin" there would be running around if there were no snakes?!?! Living in Alabama, I hear stories all too often about how snakes will chase you, or roll up in the shape of a wheel and roll down hills, or the infamous "glass snake" which can be broken into pieces by touch and then "puts itself back together again"!! It's preposterous!! I mean, come on, this is the 21st century not the middle ages!! A snake that can break into pieces and (as long as none of the pieces gets lost) put itself back together again and slither away! What a crock! Not to mention the Rattlesnake Round-up they have annually in Opp, Alabama where literally thousands of rattlesnakes are herded together, molested and killed for no reason other than public misconception and stupidity. Could you imagine the public backlash there would be if we herded up thousands of small breed dogs and slaughtered them just for the pure fact that they can bite people?!?! Ok, I'm rambling again... But you get my point...
Edit: It is called the Rattlesnake Rodeo not Round-up and here's a link if anyone's interested... http://rattlesnakerodeo.com/
This is some of the "merchandise" that can be purchased there... One word... Exploitation
Last edited by MARCUS ANTONIUS; 05-05-2006 at 01:53 AM.
Jeremy
You Might Be a Herper if...
You're standing in the pet store checkout line with your purchase in hand & the person behind you says "Oh, they're so cute! Do they make good pets?" and you reply, "These? Hmmm. Actually, I have no idea...I never thought about that..."
- Kevin McCurley, NERD
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BPnet Veteran
Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
It is a very good essay, I enjoyed it. I hope your teachers like it as much as I did!
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BPnet Veteran
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Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
Nice work Melanie. I agree that education is the way of the future when it comes to snakes kept in captivity whether for breeding or as beloved pets. I noticed your comment on Animal Planet and have to agree that they tend to have more overly-dramatic reptile shows than any other channel. National Geographic and the Discovery Channel are much more informative without the antics that Animal Planet seems to feel are necessary to keep the tv viewing public interested (and in my humble opinion, misinformed).
Can't wait to hear how your paper was received.
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Re: The Essay I was Rambling On About
Very awesome and well thought out. Thank you very much for sharing
100+ in my book
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