Yellowbelly Sea Snake

I confess, I just really like the name of today's animal. It reminds me of an insult a pirate would use. These snakes are also known as Pelagic Sea Snakes, but that's far less fun. Pelamis platurus is found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. They are the most widespread of all the sea snakes, and as their second common name might suggest, they are capable of living in completely open sea, (pelagic zones) though they prefer coastal waters.

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Yellowbelly Sea Snakes are well adapted to their watery habitats. They still breathe air like any other reptile, but they are able to dive for very extended periods of time, sometimes up to 3.5 hours! These Snakes are also able to supplementary breathing through their skin, taking in oxygen at lower rates than when breathing normally, but overall the process assists with their dive times. They also have glands that remove excess salt and a paddle-like tail that helps them to move. All of these adaptation however, make them unsuited to land, and should they wash up on shore there can some trouble. Yellowbelly Sea Snakes still shed their skin like other snakes do, and in order to deal with this process they tie their body into a knot which they push downwards to the tail. This behavior is also used to remove barnacles and algae.

They are primarily diurnal creatures, and are carnivores. Yellowbelly Sea Snakes breed in open water when temperatures are above 20 degree C, and are ovoviviparous. They are very abundant and are not threatened or vulnerable. Oh, and have I mentioned that they are extremely venomous? The venom is actually stronger than that of a Cobra, but is administered in much smaller amounts. There have been no reported human fatalities.

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Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km) from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status : Not Listed Location : Cent

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