﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  311 
  

  

  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  was 
  greatly 
  esteemed 
  by 
  the 
  Indians, 
  for 
  its 
  

   bones 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  many 
  ancient 
  camp 
  sites. 
  It 
  occurs 
  from 
  Texas 
  

   east 
  to 
  southern 
  Georgia 
  and 
  northwestern 
  Florida, 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  

   the 
  Suwannee 
  River 
  drainage 
  system, 
  north 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Basin 
  

   to 
  central 
  Illinois. 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  Snapping 
  Tubtle 
  

  

  Found 
  practically 
  everywhere 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Rockies 
  south 
  of 
  Nova 
  

   Scotia 
  (excepting 
  peninsular 
  Florida), 
  the 
  common 
  snapping 
  turtle 
  

   (Ghelydra 
  serpentina 
  serpentina, 
  pi. 
  19, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  commonest 
  

   and 
  most 
  aggressive 
  reptiles. 
  It 
  strikes 
  with 
  its 
  head 
  as 
  a 
  snake 
  does 
  

   and 
  the 
  sharp-edged 
  jaws, 
  although 
  without 
  teeth, 
  can 
  cause 
  very 
  seri- 
  

   ous 
  injury. 
  A 
  large 
  one 
  may 
  weigh 
  about 
  40 
  pounds, 
  with 
  a 
  shell 
  

   length 
  of 
  14 
  inches. 
  It 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  shy 
  than 
  its 
  large 
  relative, 
  the 
  

   alligator-snapper, 
  and 
  its 
  fondness 
  for 
  shallow, 
  muddy 
  barnyard 
  

   streams 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  many 
  young 
  ducks 
  and 
  geese, 
  which 
  it 
  

   catches 
  by 
  the 
  foot 
  and 
  pulls 
  under 
  water 
  to 
  drown. 
  It 
  also 
  feeds 
  

   largely 
  upon 
  fish. 
  Its 
  flesh 
  is 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  markets, 
  and 
  the 
  soup 
  made 
  

   from 
  it 
  ranks 
  high 
  on 
  the 
  menu 
  of 
  most 
  sea-food 
  restaurants. 
  A 
  

   subspecies 
  occupies 
  the 
  peninsula 
  of 
  Florida, 
  similar 
  in 
  habits 
  and 
  

   disposition 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  snapping 
  turtle. 
  

  

  LATIN 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  large 
  turtles 
  found 
  in 
  Latin 
  America, 
  

   but 
  none 
  of 
  these 
  shows 
  much 
  inclination 
  to 
  bite 
  even 
  in 
  self-defense, 
  

   while 
  their 
  flesh 
  and 
  eggs 
  are 
  of 
  decided 
  value. 
  Though 
  snapping 
  

   turtles 
  related 
  to 
  those 
  discussed 
  above 
  occur 
  also 
  in 
  Mexico 
  and 
  

   Central 
  America, 
  they 
  are 
  rarely 
  encountered. 
  Several 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   caymans 
  and 
  crocodiles, 
  the 
  anaconda, 
  the 
  boa, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   lizards 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  scratch 
  and 
  bite 
  complete 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  poten- 
  

   tially 
  dangerous 
  nonpoisonous 
  reptiles 
  from 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  The 
  Anaconda 
  

  

  The 
  anaconda 
  (Eimectes 
  murinus, 
  pi. 
  20, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  is 
  aquatic, 
  often 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  found 
  submerged 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  rivers 
  in 
  the 
  Guianas, 
  Brazil, 
  

   and 
  Amazonian 
  Peru. 
  It 
  eats 
  birds, 
  mammals, 
  crocodiles, 
  fish, 
  or 
  

   anything 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  swallow. 
  Its 
  tremendous 
  muscular 
  power 
  could 
  

   be 
  immediately 
  fatal 
  to 
  a 
  human 
  being 
  who 
  was 
  constricted 
  within 
  its 
  

   coils, 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  some 
  fatalities, 
  especially 
  

   among 
  Indians 
  who 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  bathe. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  

   opinion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  maximum 
  size 
  attained 
  by 
  this 
  snake, 
  some 
  

   authorities 
  maintaining 
  that 
  specimens 
  over 
  30 
  feet 
  long 
  have 
  been 
  

   killed. 
  It 
  breeds 
  when 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  that 
  length, 
  however, 
  the 
  young 
  

   being 
  born 
  alive. 
  A 
  litter 
  from 
  a 
  19-foot 
  female 
  weighing 
  236 
  pounds 
  

  

  