﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  279 
  

  

  where 
  many 
  very 
  dangerous 
  kinds 
  prevail. 
  The 
  Azores, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Canary 
  and 
  Cape 
  Verde 
  Islands 
  near 
  Africa, 
  have 
  none. 
  The 
  large 
  

   and 
  small 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indies 
  lack 
  poisonous 
  snakes, 
  except 
  

   Trinidad, 
  Tobago, 
  Martinique, 
  and 
  St. 
  Lucia. 
  In 
  the 
  Temperate 
  Zone 
  

   their 
  absence 
  from 
  Ireland 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  noted. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  

   missing 
  from 
  Iceland, 
  the 
  Shetlands, 
  and 
  the 
  Orkneys. 
  

  

  The 
  true 
  vipers 
  (family 
  Viperidae) 
  are 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Old 
  

   World, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  dangerous 
  rear-fanged 
  colubrid 
  (the 
  boomslang) 
  

   is 
  confined 
  to 
  Africa. 
  The 
  crotalids 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  and 
  

   in 
  Asia, 
  while 
  the 
  elapids 
  occur 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  continents 
  except 
  Europe. 
  

  

  Snakes 
  and 
  lizards 
  are 
  both 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  order 
  — 
  Squa- 
  

   mata 
  — 
  in 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  reptiles. 
  

  

  Only 
  2 
  kinds 
  of 
  lizards 
  out 
  of 
  nearly 
  3,000 
  now 
  known 
  to 
  science 
  

   have 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  poisonous, 
  with 
  1 
  other 
  very 
  rare 
  species 
  suspected 
  

   to 
  be 
  so. 
  The 
  2 
  poisonous 
  lizards 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  southwestern 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  Mexico. 
  The 
  1 
  suspected 
  of 
  being 
  poisonous 
  occurs 
  in 
  

   Borneo. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  living 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  — 
  turtles, 
  tuatara, 
  and 
  

   crocodilians 
  — 
  are 
  not 
  equipped 
  with 
  venom 
  glands. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  nonvenomous 
  reptiles 
  are 
  potentially 
  dangerous 
  

   to 
  man 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  lacerating 
  bite 
  or 
  their 
  muscular 
  strength. 
  The 
  

   crocodile 
  in 
  particular 
  has 
  a 
  bad 
  reputation, 
  while 
  the 
  crushing 
  power 
  

   of 
  anacondas 
  and 
  pythons 
  is 
  traditional. 
  Less 
  spectacular 
  because 
  less 
  

   widely 
  known 
  is 
  the 
  alligator 
  snapping 
  turtle 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  

   River 
  and 
  other 
  water 
  systems 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  States. 
  The 
  

   soft-shelled 
  turtles, 
  one 
  genus 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  North 
  America, 
  

   and 
  others 
  in 
  Asia, 
  while 
  usually 
  very 
  shy, 
  have 
  exceedingly 
  strong, 
  

   sharp 
  jaws, 
  which 
  can 
  administer 
  a 
  severe 
  bite 
  to 
  anyone 
  rash 
  enough 
  

   to 
  get 
  near 
  the 
  darting 
  head. 
  

  

  Not 
  all 
  giants 
  among 
  the 
  reptiles 
  are 
  savage, 
  however. 
  The 
  Gala- 
  

   pagos 
  turtles, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  easily 
  tip 
  the 
  scales 
  at 
  300 
  pounds, 
  are 
  

   noted 
  for 
  their 
  docile 
  temperament. 
  

  

  Many 
  reptiles 
  are 
  of 
  great 
  economic 
  value 
  to 
  man, 
  either 
  because 
  

   their 
  hides, 
  flesh, 
  or 
  eggs 
  are 
  useful, 
  or 
  because 
  their 
  food 
  consists 
  

   of 
  rats, 
  mice, 
  and 
  other 
  pests 
  which 
  annually 
  destroy 
  vast 
  quantities 
  

   of 
  agricultural 
  and 
  other 
  products. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  snakes 
  are 
  roden 
  eaters. 
  Through 
  lack 
  of 
  space, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   of 
  the 
  larger 
  snakes 
  are 
  mentioned 
  in 
  this 
  paper. 
  

  

  POISONOUS 
  REPTILES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  WORLD 
  

   THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  OF 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  Every 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  48 
  States 
  has 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  kind 
  of 
  poisonous 
  snake 
  

   living 
  within 
  its 
  boundaries. 
  All 
  except 
  the 
  most 
  northerly 
  have 
  

   several 
  kinds. 
  The 
  Gila 
  monster, 
  our 
  only 
  poisonous 
  lizard, 
  brings 
  to 
  

  

  