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Stiking Pose
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Please meet KingKane. He is our 3 year old California Albino Kingsnake.
Here is some information on Kingsnakes.
Scientific name: Lampropeltis getulus californiae
(Lampro= shiny; peltis=shields)
California Kingsnakes usually are solitary creatures. They search for rodents, lizards, frogs, etc. by themselves. The only time Kingsnakes are not solitary is when they hibernate during cold weather. During hibernation you can find many Kingsnakes at one site. During the spring they separate and continue their solitary lifestyle. This snake is a frequent consumer of other snakes including venomous snakes and other Kingsnakes. They frequently eat other snakes because the shape of snakes allow ease of swallowing.
The meal is swallowed head first as saliva lubricates the victim's body. The ability of the jaw to unhinge makes it easy for the Kingsnake to devour its prey. Eating a prey is time and energy consuming. It was once thought that these snakes were able to eat venomous snakes due to their immunity to the venom. It is now known that Kingsnakes are not immune to venom but has tolerance towards it. This snake can be aggressive if provoked. Despite all the positive features of this snake, it also has some negative features. This snake, similar to most snakes, has bad eyesight due to the positioning of the eyes on the sides of the head. This positioning of the eyes make it difficult for the snake to focus although the California Kingsnake has good "close up" vision. A prey has a better chance of survival if it stays still.
Special anatomical, physiological or behavioral adaptations:
* The California Kingsnake has many special features. It has a spine consisting of 100-400 vertebrae and each vertebra is attached to a pair of seperate, thin ribs. This anatomical adaptation allows the snake to coil, climb and move in an S shape.
* The Kingsnake's jaws are hinged, allowing them to swallow prey that is larger than their head. They also have a tolerance towards rattlesnake venom which enables them to kill and consume the rattlesnake. If a large dose of venom is injected into the head or heart of the Kingsnake, death may occur.
* The Kingsnake can hear low frequency sounds and feel vibrations. This enables them to sense an approaching animal well before the animal actually reaches the area where the snake is located.
* The Jacobson's organ and the snake's fork shaped tongue allow the snake to smell its environment. |
Dave, annagrace, sAner, liquidsunshine has marked this note useful
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- Dave
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 503 W: 43 N: 657]](https://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(2178) - [2005-11-20 21:49]
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Interesting pet. Beautiful snake!
The first albino snake I have seen.
Nicely framed and composed. If I were going to do anything different, I think I would have extended the frame to not crop off the snake at the bend on the right. I think it would have also been nice to capture that Jacobson's organ sticking out.
Otherwise, excellent shot!
Thanks for sharing,
Dave
I bet they sense earthquakes, too, LOL! I know my cat always did.
Good capture with a strange red eye. Welcome to TN!
Alli
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- sAner
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1455 W: 74 N: 1426]](https://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(4750) - [2005-11-21 2:07]
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Good shot and well exposed. Crop on the right is too tight I think. I would have rather seen the entire snake in the frame. POV is great and so are the details. Well done & TFS!
Regards,
Pieter
Great capture Tiffany,
Great colours, sharpness and detail.
Well composed, good DOF, POV and framing. What a great pet to have.
Thanks for posting, have a good week.
