﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  

  

  293 
  

  

  ported, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  sea 
  snakes 
  are 
  disinclined 
  to 
  bite, 
  although 
  some 
  

   are 
  equipped 
  with 
  very 
  deadly 
  poison, 
  and 
  are 
  said 
  never 
  to 
  attack 
  

   bathers. 
  Their 
  food 
  consists 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  marine 
  or- 
  

   ganisms. 
  They 
  are 
  now 
  established 
  along 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Central 
  

   America, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Panama. 
  

  

  The 
  Mexican 
  Beaded 
  Lizard 
  

  

  The 
  Mexican 
  beaded 
  lizard 
  {Heloderma 
  horridum, 
  pi. 
  7) 
  is 
  the 
  

   only 
  other 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  poisonous 
  lizard 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  besides 
  its 
  

   relative, 
  the 
  Gila 
  monster. 
  It 
  occurs 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  Mexico 
  

   to 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  Central 
  America. 
  Its 
  habits 
  are 
  very 
  similar, 
  

  

  Figure 
  2. 
  — 
  The 
  yellow-bellied 
  sea 
  snake 
  (Pelami/dms 
  platurus), 
  entirely 
  aquatic, 
  

   and 
  having 
  a 
  compressed, 
  rudderlike 
  tail. 
  

  

  to 
  those 
  of 
  its 
  northern 
  relative, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  larger, 
  being 
  known 
  

   to 
  reach 
  30 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  its 
  tail 
  is 
  proportionately 
  longer. 
  

   Its 
  head 
  is 
  usually 
  black, 
  and 
  its 
  beadlike 
  scales 
  are 
  colored 
  with 
  ir- 
  

   regular 
  patches 
  of 
  black 
  and 
  yellow. 
  The 
  very 
  young 
  lizard 
  has 
  

   vivid 
  yellow 
  stripes 
  with 
  bands 
  of 
  yellow 
  on 
  the 
  tail. 
  With 
  age 
  this 
  

   regular 
  pattern 
  disappears, 
  and 
  some 
  specimens 
  turn 
  nearly 
  black 
  or 
  

   dark 
  brown. 
  The 
  bite 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  poisoning 
  symptoms 
  as 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  Gila 
  monster. 
  

  

  POISONOUS 
  REPTILES 
  OF 
  THE 
  OLD 
  WORLD 
  

  

  The 
  family 
  Viperidae 
  (true 
  vipers) 
  is 
  as 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  

   World 
  fauna 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  rattlesnakes 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  World. 
  Some 
  repre- 
  

   sentatives 
  of 
  the 
  Crotalidae, 
  the 
  family 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  rattlesnake 
  be- 
  

  

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