New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-02-22
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RDEAI)I SEA SNz EE'|
IvlLEREPTILEs THAT lNFEsT THE Wa
TIERS or THE PHILIPPINES.
The Venom of These serpents Il More
| Fatal Than That Of tho Cobra and 8
Mere Scratch From Their Fangs VIII
Produce Serious Results.
s. Not only doYarious reptiles and other
queer creatures abound in the forests
and sWamps Of the Philippines, but the
surrounding Water of these interesting
islands team with veritable sea serpents.
These strange creatures. which pass
their entire existence in the water, pos
sess deadly fangs. They are a great
menace to the fishermen, who are con.
stantly exposed to their attacks.
Technically speaking, science has
named the group the Hydrophid@.
They differ from the terrestrial snakes
only in the possession of fiat, paddle
like tail. These reptiles inhabit the
tropical seas OF the cid world and ocoa-
slcnally attain a length OF s feet DIR.
Rudolph Weber, professor of drawing
in Princeton university, observed large
numbers OF these creatures while on
steamer bound for Sumatra. DIR. Weber
was in charge Of a scientific expedition
and naturally took special notice. of
them. He says that when the vessel was
some 80 miles off the coast myriads Of
sea snakes could be seen swimming
about as far as the eye could reach.
They kept upon the surface, and several
distinct species were recognized among
them.
During calm weather these reptiles
may be seen summing themselves upon
the surface Of the sea, remaining mo-
tionless except for a slight undufation
caused by the movement of the water.
When alarmed, the. agile reptiles dive
like arrows, leaving a train of bubbles
behind them. Some species are extreme
~ brilliant in celebration, being bright
yellow, banded with black, while others
are tinted with delicate shades Of green.
The food of sea snakes consists entire
~ Of fishes. frequently fishes armed
with long sharp spines fall victims to
their appetites. Among these are the
apogous and siluroids, which are fur
nished with spines three and five inches
long. But these do not embarrass the
voracious reptile il the least. The VIC
tim is first killed by the snakes poison,
after which it is swallowed head first.
The spines, naturally pointing toward
! the tail Of the victim, and being relaxed
in death, are compressed against the
body Of the fish as deglutition proceeds.
While in search Of their prey, sea
snakes sometimes venture a short dis.
lance up the mouth Of large rivers.
| DR.. Weber records an instance where
he was fishing in one Of the rivers on
the east coast of Sumatra. He was USING
q dragnet and had cornered number
Of medium sized fish. AS the net was
being brought in, two large sea snakes
suddenly made their appearance inside.
| They showed no signs Of uneasiness al
capture, but were hurriedly gobblina
! down the cornered fishes. Nor did thew
cease operations until the last fish had
disappeared, when the formidable crea.
lures made their escape.
Being air breathers, the sea snakes
lead similar existence to the whale.
Scientists have expressed much interest
as to how long they can remain under
water. Professor R. P. Whitfield of the
American Museum Of Natural History,
while dragging for corals, saw large
sea snake lying motionless among some
coral growths, some eight feet below
the surface. It showed no signs Of fea.
and remained in the same position fo1
half an hour. The venom of these rep.
tiles is even more. deadly than that Of
the cobra. The fangs are very short,
and consequently do not penetrate SC
deep as the fangs Of most serpents, but
only scratch from them is necessary
to produce serious results. Owing tc
their great shyness accidents are very
rare. When cornered, they snap upon q
victim. As the eyes are adapted only
for use in the water they strike blindly
when brought into the air, although
living for days when removed from
their native element.
! Many specimens hauled up in fisher.
| mems nets have been sent to geological
gardens. The London gardens even
went so far as to build special tank
for their accommodation. But these
captured specimns either die en- route
or a short time after being placed in
captivity. Seeking a dark corner OF
their tank, they refuse all food and ul.
timately starve to death. Around the
numerous Volcanic islands of the Malay.
an archipelago these reptiles are par
ticuiarly numerous. Frequent eruptione
occur among these islands, which are
hardly more than the body Of the vol
cano.
During the time Of an eruption the
few people residing near by take to the
water in their boats to escape the rain
of ashes and mud.
It is generally case Of jumping
from the frying pan into the fire, how.
ever. At such times the sea becomes
/ T1nc0mf0rfah1v warm fr.o,,, ;%c olo,r