Collection of big snake picture – video clip.

Cobra is the world’s longest venomous snake and very dangerous snake species. But this videos show you how the Indian baby play with the cobra.

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The cobra and rat snake videos. Cobras are venomous snakes of family Elapidae, of several genera. (Elapidae also include the taipans, brown snakes, tiger snakes, fierce snakes, coral snakes, mambas, and sea snakes.) Cobras generally inhabit tropical and desert regions of Asia and Africa. The King Cobra is ophiophagous; it feeds almost entirely on other snakes, even venomous ones, although it sometimes preys on small rodents and birds. It will only attack humans if provoked or in other extreme circumstances that threaten its survival. King Cobras may reach up to 5.2m (17.1ft) in length, making them the largest venomous snakes in the world.

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Komodo dragon video fighting – The Komodo Dragon, also known as the Komodo Monitor, Komodo Island Monitor, Ora or simply Komodo (Varanus komodoensis), is the largest living species of lizard.

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Known locally as buaja daret (”land crocodiles’, these giant lizards were named after the mythical dragon because of their size and fierce predatory nature. It seems inconceivable that the enormous Komodo dragon could remain upknown (at least to western scientists) until the early 20th century. Referred to locally as the ora or buaja daret (”land crocodile”), early reported sightings were probably dismissed as superstition or simply as crocodiles. In 1912 a Dutch pilot, having swum ashore to the island of Komodo after crashing in the sea, reported seeing them; further investigation verified their existence. The first scientific description was by Major P. A. Ouwens, director of the botanical gardens in Buitenzorg, Java, in 1912. Soon afterward a government order closed the area in which they were found and limited the number of specimens allowed to go to zoos. The Komodo dragon is found only on Komodo and the neighboring islands of Rinca, Padar, and western Flores. Some of the populations are probably transient they are powerful swimmers and go from island to island in search of food. The total area of their natural habitat is roughly 390 square miles (1,000 sq. km), and it is generally hot, with an average daytime temperature of 80°F (27°C) or higher. Usually conditions are very dry, too, apart from a short monsoon season, when the Komodo dragons use pools caused by rain for wallowing.

During hot weather and overnight they take to burrows. Komodo dragons are top predators in their range. Adults will tackle anything, including deer, pigs, and goats. Occasionally even humans are said to feature in the diet. They are armed with a strong tail as well as powerful limbs and claws. Their teeth are serrated like those of sharks and can easily rip a carcass. They also produce bacteria that cause blood poisoning and death. Prey that is not killed immediately often dies later. Komodo dragons can scent the carrion up to 5 miles (8 km) away and come to gather at the site of the death. The Indonesian government regards Komodo dragons as a national asset, and they are protected. Hunting is strictly forbidden; trade in Komodos (or their parts) is banned under CITES. Tourists on Komodo are carefully controlled to prevent disturbance. The islands of Radar and Rinca are nature reserves where no tourists are allowed. However, Komodo dragons have been smuggled. In 1998 a Malaysian was arrested in Mexico City after investigation by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Komodo dragons were seized.

Protecting the Species

The main threat to Komodo dragons comes from habitat destruction and the poaching of their prey by inhabitants on Komodo Island. Radar and Rinca are uninhabited, so this is not a problem; however, there, as on Komodo, natural fires destroy the plants and animals on which the dragons depend. Recent reports claim that many specimens on Komodo are emaciated from lack of food. The first captive-breeding attempt was carried out in the National Zoo, Washington, in 1992, when 13 out of a clutch of 26 eggs hatched; this was followed by two successful hatchings at Cincinnati Zoo in 1993.

Currently around 300 specimens are held in zoos worldwide; 186 of the specimens are juveniles bred in captivity. This is encouraging, but many zoos are unable to set up breeding groups due to lack of space. Zoo populations are seen as a “reservoir” from which specimens could be reintroduced into the wild. No further introductions will be made, however, until the genetic makeup of wild and captive-bred specimens has been studied, since variations between the two have been observed. The Komodo dragon is a giant lizard about 8feet (2.4 m) long. The largest recorded example, which was displayed in Saint Louis in the 193 0s, measured 10.2 feet (3 m) and weighed over 350 Bounds (160 kg).

Komodo dragon
Varanus komodoensis

• Family: Varanidae
• World population: 3,000-5,000 in the wild
• Distribution: Indonesia; islands of Komodo, Rinca, Padar, and western Flores
• Habitat: Lowland islands, aril forest, and savanna
• Size: Length: males over 8 ft (2.4 m); females 7 ft (2.1 m). Weight: males 200 lb (90 kg); females 150 lb (67 kg)
• Form: Lizard with large, bulky body and powerful tail, strong limbs, and claws. Rough scales give a beaded appearance. External ear openings are visible on each side of the head. Sharp teeth for ripping carcasses. Coloration is brown, black, reddish brown, or gray
• Diet: Hatchlings and juveniles eat insects, reptiles, eggs, small rodents, and birds. Adults eat deer, pigs, goats, possibly water buffalo, and reputedly, humans
• Breeding: Up to 30 eggs, buried. Incubation period about 8 months
• Related endangered species: Gray’s monitor lizard (Varanus olivaceus)

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Before permanent settlers arrived on the Galapagos Islands in the 1830s, there were huge numbers of giant tortoises. Since then habitat destruction and immigrant predators have taken their toll. Lying off the coast of Ecuador and almost on the equator, the Galapagos Islands achieved lasting fame after the English naturalist Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution in The Origin of Species (1859). The book was written after his visit to the islands in 1835. The area was already well known to whalers and other seamen who, between 1789 and 1860, took tortoises to keep on their ships as sources of fresh meat. The tortoises, with water stored in their bladders, would survive on the ships for several months until they were needed. Whaling declined after 1860, when petroleum started to be used instead of whale oil for lighting. Apart from humans, the tortoises had no predators except some birds, which took hatchlings. Galapagos tortoises are the largest in the world. One male specimen measured 4.3 feet (1.3 m) and weighed about 425 pounds (200 kg). There is considerable variation in the shape of the shell, depending on which island they inhabit, a phenomenon that was noted by Darwin and helped form his theories.

Some tortoises have domed shells; others have “saddleback” shells that allow the head to be raised higher. The length of the neck and size of the head also vary; they were considered to be a single species, but scientific study showed that there were 15 different “races” from the various islands, and each one has a third name to distinguish it from others. Three races are now extinct, and some of the others are very rare. When settlers came to the islands in the 1830s, they brought pigs, goats, dogs, cattle, and burros (donkeys), some of which escaped and began to breed, causing a further decline in tortoise numbers. Pigs and dogs eat eggs and hatchlings; the other animals destroy the vegetation and trample tortoise nests. Rats and fire ants, both introduced species, also eat large numbers of hatchlings. In 1928 a New York Zoological Society expedition collected 180 tortoises and allocated them to zoos as far away as Australia. Some of them have bred to second generation, and one from San Diego zoo was returned to the islands for a captive-breeding program. Following pressure from scientists, the Charles Darwin Foundation was formed in 1959, followed in 1964 by the Charles Darwin Research Station. The islands became a national park, and laws were passed to prevent the removal of any animals.

Long-Term Plans It is estimated that some islands may need 100 years to recover their vegetation and tortoise populations. The recovery program instituted by the research station has included collecting eggs from the wild and incubating them artificially, and removing introduced animals. The first young were released in 1970. Collecting eggs in the wild for incubation has progressed to breeding some tortoises at the research station. The first hatchlings were released in 1975, and in 1991 the first wild-bred hatchling was found on the island. The highlight of the program was the release, early in 2000, of the thousandth tortoise on Espanola.

The tortoise population of the islands has almost doubled in recent years, and laws have been passed to restrict settlement and protect the coastal waters. Quarantine laws forbid the introduction of nonnative plants and animals. One problem was that some of the races had been reduced to very low numbers, and their lack of genetic diversity was a cause for concern. Even today it is possible that more tortoises may be found on islands where populations are low. This would seem to be the only hope for a tortoise nicknamed Lonesome George, the sole survivor of a race from Pinta Island. He was discovered in 1971 and moved to the station with two females of another race, but as yet no eggs have been produced, and no Pinta female can be found. Galapagos giant tortoises are now rare or extinct on many of the islands because of habitat destruction and the introduction of animals thatprey on the young or compete with adults for food.

Statistics: Galapagos giant tortoise Geochelone nigra

• Diet: Almost any green vegetation
• Family: Testudinidae
• World population: About 10,000
• Breeding: About 7-20 eggs buried in soil
• Distribution: Galapagos Islands, Pacific Ocean
• Habitat: Volcanic islands; hot and dry with rocky outcrops; some forested areas with grassy patches
• Size: Length: up to 4 ft (1.2 m). Weight: up to 500 (b (227 kg)
• Form: Huge tortoise with gray-brown shell and hard­scaled legs; some have domed shells; others are saddleback (resembling a saddle in shape)
• Related endangered species: All subspecies of Geochelone nigra are on the IUCN Red List, including the Abingdon Island tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni) EW; Duncan Island tortoise (G. n. ephippium) EW; Charles Island tortoise (G. n. galapagoensis) EX; Hood Island tortoise (G, n. hoodersis) CR. The Brazilian giant tortoise (G. denticulata) is VU

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