New Ruby-Eyed Pit Viper Discovered

New Ruby-Eyed Pit Viper Discovered

New Ruby-Eyed Snake

Seen coiled around a branch in an undated picture, a new species of snake called the ruby-eyed green pit viper (Cryptelytrops rubeus) has been discovered in Southeast Asia, according to a recent study. The snake lives in forests near Ho Chi Minh City and across the low hills of southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia's Langbian Plateau.

Scientists collected green pit vipers from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia between 1999 and 2003 and examined them in the lab, using physical characteristics and genetics to identify new species.

"We know this species from only a few specimens, and very few people in the world have seen this snake," said study co-author Anita Malhotra, a molecular ecologist at Bangor University in the U.K. "We know very little about what it does, to be honest."

Malhotra and colleagues also discovered a very similar species with striking yellow eyes (not pictured) dubbed the Cardamom Mountains green pit viper (Cryptelytrops cardamomensis), which inhabits southeastern Thailand and southwestern Cambodia. Both new species were described in the January 23 issue of the journal Zootaxa.

Out to Lunch

A large frog proved to be more than a mouthful for a ruby-eyed green pit viper, which abandoned its meal just after this undated picture was taken. Whether the newfound snake was disturbed by the camera flash or simply bit off more than it could chew isn't known.

In general, the new species' eating preferences have been hard to uncover, scientists say.

"It's very difficult to get information on what these things eat,” study co-author Malhotra said. “Snakes are so good at digesting things, that what's left in their feces—if you can even collect any—is only a few very hard-to-digest bits, like hair from mammals or scales and claws from reptiles.

"Frogs are so easy to digest that there is literally nothing left."

Spot the Snake

A ruby-eyed green pit viper blends in with the vibrant jungle vegetation of Vietnam in a May 2000 picture.

Life in the trees is one reason the pit viper is so efficient at digesting its meals: A full gut would be a hindrance to movement aloft.

But the new species "do occur on the ground and often forage on the ground," study co-author Malhotra added. "And they often occur near streams, so one assumes that they do eat some high proportion of frogs.

"We also know that other related species eat small mammals, and these closely related animals are likely to be quite similar ecologically."

Rare Jewel?

A ruby-eyed green pit viper raises its head in southern Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park in May 2000. The park is a stronghold for the new snake species, which inhabits a rather small geographic range where pressures on forests are high, Malhotra said.

It's not known how well the snake might adapt to other habitats, so it's not clear whether the ruby-eyed green pit viper should be considered an endangered species. But Malhotra and colleagues hope the snake doesn’t fall victim to status-seeking collectors of rare animals.

Rubies, as the snakes are called, "might be very vulnerable to that," she said, "because it's such a beautiful species."

Golden Tabby Tiger!!!!!!

The very unusual Golden Tabby Tiger is sometimes known as Strawberry Tiger has light gold fur, pale legs and faint orange stripes. Its fur tends to be much thicker than normal. There are extremely few Golden Tabby Tigers in captivity, around 30 in all.

A Golden Tabby Tiger is one with an extremely rare color variation caused by a recessive gene and is currently only found in captive tigers. It is a color form and not a separate species. These tigers tend to be larger and all Golden Tabby Tigers have mainly Bengal parentage like their cousins -the White Tigers.

Photo of Huge (55ft) snake shocks World

A photograph purporting to show a 55ft snake found in a forest in China has become an internet sensation.

It was originally posted in a thread on the website of the People’s Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper in China.

The thread claimed the snake was one of two enormous boas found by workers clearing forest for a new road outside Guping city, Jiangxi province.

They apparently woke up the sleeping snakes during attempts to bulldoze a huge mound of earth.

“On the third dig, the operator found there was blood amongst the soil, and with a further dig, a dying snake appeared,” said the post.

“At the same time, another gold coloured giant boa appeared with its mouth wide open. The driver was paralysed with fear, while the other workers ran for their lives.

“By the time the workers came back, the wounded boa had died, while the other snake had disappeared. The bulldozer operator was so sick that he couldn’t even stand up.”

The post claimed that the digger driver was so traumatised that he suffered a heart attack on his way to hospital and later died.

The dead snake was 55ft (16.7m) long, weighed 300kg and was estimated to be 140 years old, according to the post.

Impossible Friendship: Guepards And Little Impala

About month ago there was a similar documentary on Animal Planet about a friendship between helpless young antelope and old hungry lion. The old lion was following a newly born antelope for more than a week to protect it while it finds its herd. Lion wasn’t eating nothing for a days but newer tried to eat that helpless creature.

This amazing story will show you how even animals have a compassion and even they are not just instinctive killers as we believed they are.

Here you can see a similar case from Masai Mara, Kenya where a few of guepards found young impala that was obviously lost its herd. As you can see, they didn’t eat it they rather tried to help it to find its relatives.

Kevin Richardson and his Lions

Kevin Richardson Lions - These pictures and videos are amazing and so heartwarming to see a human being accepted by these wonderful creatures.just wish there were more like him and less of the kind who kill these magnificent creatures for fun!

Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson has such an intimate bond with big cats that he can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of attack. Richardson, 32, who is based in a wildlife conservation area near Johannesburg in South Africa, works his unusual magic on other species too. Cheetahs, leopards and even unpredictable hyenas hold no threats for him.

So instinctively in tune is he with these beasts, whose teeth are sharp enough to bite through thick steel, that mother hyenas even allow him to hold their newborn cubs without pouncing to the rescue.

But lions are his favourite. He lavishes them with unconditional love, he says, treating each individual differently, speaking to them, caressing them and, above all, treating them with respect. A former student of human physiology who once worked with pre and post-operative human patients, Kevin turned to animals ten years ago when he came to the conclusion that he could trust a lion over one of his own kind every time - well, nearly every time.A close encounter with an aggressive four-year-old male in the early days taught him a lesson he has not forgotten. The animal pinned him to the ground and started biting him until something about Kevin’s passive attitude stopped him in his tracks.

Kevin says he is most confident with animals he has known since birth, but claims he can become close friends with any lion less than a year old, when it is still flexible enough to accept him as part of its own pride.

“I have to rely on my own instincts to gauge an animal or a situation, and I will not approach a creature if something doesn’t feel right,” he says. “I don’t use sticks, whips or chains, just patience. It may be dangerous, but this is a passion for me, not a job.”

The Chinese Angel-Cat

This weird cat with wings was spotted in Chonqing, China.

Although you might think the angel-cat of Chonqing is unique, there have been other cats with wings in Russia and the United States. Her owner says she wasn’t born like this, her wings started growing when she was one year old.

A worker from the Chonqing Museum of Natural History says this kind of oddities are becoming quite common and are the results of pollution in the area. This particular angel cat will be adopted by the Chonqing Museum.

Rare Prehistoric Shark In Japan

A rare prehistoric shark was discovered by local residents in Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo. The huge eel-like creature, considered to be a living fossil, was taken to Japan’s Awashima Marine Park and placed in a seawater pool. But the new environment was fatal and, only just a few hours after it was moved, the unusual shark died.

Animals With Super Power

Sumatran Tiger

The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a subspecies of tiger found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The wild population is estimated at between 400 and 500 animals, occurring predominantly in the island's national parks.Sumatran male tigers average 8 feet in length (2.4 meters) from head to tail and weigh about 265 pounds (120 kilograms). Females average 7 feet in length (2.2 meters) and weigh about 200 pounds (90 kilograms).

The smaller size of the Sumatran tiger makes it easier to move quickly through the jungle. Also, their stripes are narrower than other tiger species. The tiger's patterned coloring is an adaptation for camouflage in their natural habitat, which is often tall grass. The males, especially, have a more bearded and maned appearance — neck and cheek hair are well developed.