Spiders, snakes, and a word of caution in the Black Hills

No trip to the Black Hills is complete without a visit to Reptile Gardens.  Well, that isn't exactly true, we have made a couple of trips here without stopping at Reptile Gardens, but it is fun, and since my cousin Mike (thank you, Mike) paid for admission, surprisingly reasonable, free in fact.  It is a fascinating place, and I am always glad to have gone.

Reptile Gardens is an odd oasis of exotic animals from around the world, displayed beautifully in a group of buildings just south of Rapid City.  There are giant tortoises, alligators, crocodiles, tarantulas, scorpions, and snakes, oh the snakes. There are hundreds of snakes.  Snakes from all over the world, each displayed in a carefully designed habitat, that mimics the natural environment of the snakes home country, I guess.  They could just throw some stuff in there and I would't know it didn't look like Southeast Asia, or the deep jungles of Africa.  This would be a good place to point out that according to the website Most of the animals at Reptile Gardens are from Zoo Trades, and not captured in the wild.

According to the brave, young man who performed the show with the snakes there is no sure way to tell if a snake is venomous without looking for a venom gland in the mouth of the snake or getting bit. Thank you, but no.  I will just assume that all of the snakes are deadly, venomous, and looking for me, with malice, and awful intent.  Wretched things, anyway.

After the snake show, it is a short, quick walk to the alligator/crocodile/caiman show. Where a strong, brave, slightly foolish young man will walk through an enclosure filled with alligators (I know there is a difference, and it has been explained to me, at the show several times, but for the sake of convenience and fewer keystrokes we will refer to them as gators).  Using humor, and what appears to be a suicidal pokes, and jabs with a stick he explains a little about the giant animals.  Ultimately, he "wrestles a gator."  He does this by leaping on it's back, and holding it in place, in what I am assuming is a practiced, and at least somewhat safe routine.

The chosen "gator" this time did not really want to be part of the show.  He kept trying to escape, and the poor man would have to pull him back.  While doing this the other "gators" would come stalking
up behind him. He would have to shoo them away, while holding onto the wrestling opponents tail.  It was easy to worry that the show was going to get a little too exciting.

But, the show came off without incident, and we were off to the main exhibit hall. This is where all of the snakes are displayed.  Their enclosures are marked with helpful signs, and interesting facts, "Venomous," or "Very Venomous."  I can't speak for anyone else, but when I walk up the an enclosure and the words "very venomous" are screaming at me, and there is nothing inside it makes me a little nervous.  Where is that damned thing? creeping up behind me? hanging on one of exposed beams overhead, getting ready to drop, bite me and ring down the curtain on the final act of my way too short, not nearly finished life?  Time to move on, quickly.

Jellyfish Free Vacation, Central Ohio.

Today we are going to discuss the ingratitude of the animal kingdom.  Of course kingdom might indicate some form of cooperation, or leadership, but that is clearly not the case, so for the sake of this post we are going to discuss the ingratitude of the animal post game riot.  We do a lot for animals, and they don't always appreciate the effort. 

Take for instance, global warming,  ok, not everybody agrees that global warming is real, or really our fault, but mostly that seems political, but, it is probably real, and we are probably to blame and we should accept that fact.  Of course, we should also accept the fact that if it is real, and we are to blame greed, selfishness, and the inertia of government, society and mankind in general will probably prevent any efforts to ameliorate the problems, and a solution, no matter how feasible, inexpensive, or painless will be ignored.  

Which is not to say we shouldn't try to discuss the issue, but we should be prepared for failure.  That is really the lot of our future, to scrimmage in endless debate over issues that should bring us together.  No matter how large the dilemma, no matter how important the problem there will always be some who will claim there is nothing.  We can always find the means to bicker, to see differences, but we can never see the similarities, it is sad, but what can you do?

Of course, global warming (and for the sake of this post, please put aside your skepticism, and assume I am right, in fact, that might just be a good idea anytime you are reading anything around here) is not good for all of the animals.  It certainly hasn't done the polar bears, or Emperor Penguins any favors.  But, Jellyfish are really thriving.  Warmer waters, and rising oceans are like a luxury condo for jelly fish.

If you don't know much about jelly fish you are very lucky.  Many of them are toxic, terrible harbingers of doom.  Box jellyfish are kind of square (which in not really natural for an animal to begin with) and among the most venomous creatures in the world.  Box Jellyfish venom is a neurotoxin, attacking nervous system, which is an important part of living.  This can cause heart attacks, organ failure, and death.  It also may have a necrotic effect, causing the death of skin cells, and scarring.  Which is pretty mild compared to death.  It is the deadliest creature in the ocean, according to examiner.com the Box Jellyfish kills  fifteen to thirty times more people than the Great White Shark.

Thanks to global warming Jellyfish are reproducing faster, living longer and growing larger, and stinging more.  Of all the ingrateful, deceitful, seditious acts, it is difficult to imagine a less appropriate response to such a caring act, coincidental though it was.  

When you couple the increased size of the Jellyfish population, not to mention the increased size of the individual Jellyfish, rising oceans and submerged beaches it spells big trouble.  Imagine the day when coastal communities deal with artificially inflated restaurant food prices, streets crowded with tourists, humidity, and toxic, aggressive, almost invisible creatures with dozens of tentacles, each equipped with hundreds of venom delivery hypodermic syringes.  Well, maybe you shouldn't imagine that, it is not an appealing thought.  


This might be an excellent time to plan that vacation to Central Ohio.  We are here to make sure you have a good time.  We have a wonderful Zoo, with a very small, passive aquarium, a thriving entertainment district, and a professional hockey team.  Plus we are home to few venomous species of any kind, we did try to attract the Political Conventions of both parties, but fortunately they said no.  So, we are almost politician free as well.

Oh No, This May be the Worst Yet.

More Disturbing News from the World of Wildlife.

We here at "Understanding Life" are dedicated to bringing you all of the important news, all of the things you need to know to survive. We brave the untamed Internet to track down the dangers that lurk around every corner.

It is with that mission in mind we bring you the following story.


Scientists have found a new species of tarantula as large as the average human face.
Ranil Nanayakkara and his colleagues discovered Poecilotheria rajaei, a new species of tiger spider, in northern Sri Lanka. It was first noticed in 2009, when villagers brought a spider they had killed to researchers.
"Days of extensive searching in every tree hole and bark peel were rewarded with a female and to our satisfaction several juveniles too," Nanayakkara and his colleagues said in a study about the spiders published in the British Tarantula Society Journal.
P. rajaei was named after a police inspector, Puraja, who helped the researchers locate the spider.

British Tarantula Society Journal study. New tiger spider found: P. rajaei is about the size of a human face. IMAGE

While examining the spider, the researchers noticed it didn't look quite like any of the other tiger spiders known to live in Sri Lanka because of its markings and "other significant differences." After further study, they were able to establish it as a new species.

Tiger spiders typically live in tree hollows, under rocks and, during monsoon season, in human dwellings that are close to forests. The Poecilotheria species exists only in India and Sri Lanka and is known for its colorful markings and remarkable speed – as well as its size.
Tiger spiders are large enough to eat birds, small snakes and mice and catch them using speed and potent venom, rather than webs.
Several species of Poecilotheria are endangered due to loss of habitat.





That's right, remarkably speedy, potently venomous, face sized spiders!  Curse you nature, and remarkably incompetent copy editor!  What an awful way to describe the size of a spider.  Who would even think of such a thing?!?!?

We would like to go on about this a little longer, but we feel something crawling up our leg.

See, These are Things to Worry About.

Texas increases exports to Great Britian.

Britain's first infestation of the deadly Black Widow spider has been discovered in a machinery plant in East Norfolk.

Engineers at the plant discovered the notoriously vicious spider and, after a Google search to identify it, called in pest control. Factory workers and office assistants were evacuated by pest control officers as the spider was sealed in an air tight container.

A nest of eggs was later discovered in the same crate where the spider was originally found after more than 100 baby Black Widows hatched from a small sack the size of a pea.

'You could tell it was a Black Widow because of the hourglass pattern on the thorax and the aggressive stance the spider was taken once trapped in our containers,' said Ian Parkinson, a service manager at Abate Pest Control, who dealt with the request.

''We cordoned off the area in the yard where the spider was discovered and created a ring of insecticide around it. We then used electric and petrol based foggers on the rest of the site.

'After the factory was closed last night we then sprayed the office areas with a water-based insecticide as well.

'We are now satisfied that the premises is safe.'

It is believed that the spiders had come into the country from a delivery of imported machinery goods from Texas.

All products are fumigated before being exported but it remains a mystery as to how the spiders survived.

Mr Parkinson believes that Black Widows can survive up to some weeks after only one large meal so it is not unlikely that they would survive during transit.

Black Widow spiders are considered the most venomous spiders in North America.


The southern Black Widow has the shiny, black, globular abdomen with the distinctive red hourglass on the underside.

There was much skepticism about the potential problems caused by Aggressive Intercontinental Spiders jumping on jets and traveling the globe when first reported in "Another Thing to be Worried About." Experts ridiculed the idea saying "spiders will never be able to get through the rigorous TSA screening process."  Now who is laughing?

TSA head John Pistole refused to comment until reporters had emptied their pockets and taken off their shoes.  We hope to have a full report as soon they get through the metal detectors.

It is getting increasingly difficult to find safety in this world, but until then this site will bring you the difficult truth, because we care.