Venomous pythons...?

[snakeluvver]

I've had a herpetologist tell me that Aspedites (womas and black headed pythons) have small venom glands, but no way of injecting the venom. He also said that their bites show up as Tiger Snake bite on a VDK. Is this true? Are these pythons evolving venom glands or losing them?

 

[Braidotti]

I thought the reason they show up on a VDK is because they eat vens.

 

[snakeluvver]

Aspedites

*Aspidites

 

[-Peter]

I read somewhere that Aspidites had vestigial venom glands but it may have been a misunderstanding or a cart before the horse moment.
Anyway Aspidites are older than all the other pythons. To put it simply all the newer pythons came to the Australian continent from Asia after the continents reconnected. Aspidites was already here from the previous connection. So while the snake is evolving the gland would be de-evolving if itd there.

 

[da_donkey]

Dr Fry has just finished a paper on this subject but last time i spoke with him he didnt let too much out.

Look forward to reading his findings.

donks

 

[Reptile-Man]

im not sure but i do know that the womas and black headed pythons lack heat sencing pits as they feed on cold blooding animals in the wild

an amazing fact about the black headed python is that it is imune to the taipan venom!
and eats them as they are ven eaters. im not sure if this goes with the woma but i know it goes with the black headed python,

it might have a bit of venom who know, like the penninsula tiger snake, has venom but will also constric it prey.

 

[-Peter]

Thats what I was alluding to Donk but didn't want to give anything away.
Aspidites do have heat pits, they more rudimentary and found on the nose.

 

[snakeluvver]

Thats what I was alluding to Donk but didn't want to give anything away.
Aspidites do have heat pits, they more rudimentary and found on the nose.

Really? Wow, you learn something new each day!
And reptile-man, womas also eat vens.

 

[snakeluvver]

I'm really curious about this. What do people think?

 

[CamdeJong]

I have a BHP in my show and talk a lot about them. They're immune to the venom of just about any ven in their locality, including Pseudechis, Pseudonaja and Oxyuranus spp. but obvously not snakes like Tigers and Copperheads which they do not come into contact with. I've heard a few mentions of their possible venom glands, seems very plausible. Consider monitors, it was the Komodo dragon that was first found to carry a powerfully anticoagulant venom, now some are suggesting that many if not all Varanus spp. have primitive venom glands and/or modified salival enzymes. I'll be interested to hear whether Aspidites carry vestigial venom glands or they're just starting to evolve them, heading in the direction of mulgas.

 

[snakeluvver]

Someone said the bites from aspidites are itchy and more irritating than bites from other pythons. Evidence?

 

[CamdeJong]

Yeah, could be. I've taken a few hits from them though and never felt anything abnormal.

 

[snakeluvver]

I dont think theres any way for them to get venom into animals, and they certainly dont use venom to kill their prey, as they are clearly constrictors.
Even if they are mildly venomous, I dont think it'd be fair to list them as venomous otherwise some crazy snake fearers will go out and kill these beautiful animals

 

[CamdeJong]

Yeah venom is just a modified saliva and takes many thousands of years to develop into anything substantially dangerous like we see in elapids and some colubrids. I hear too many stories of people killing them. The majority of Australians are amazingly ignorant when it comes to snakes, and many try to hide their fear with a bravado that manifests in them killing every reptile they lay their eyes on.

 

[FAY]

Well, frogs that are venomous like the Poison Dart frog are only venomous because of what they eat........who knows, maybe the same with BHP's, maybe to a much smaller degree!!

 

[junglepython2]

Well, frogs that are venomous like the Poison Dart frog are only venomous because of what they eat........who knows, maybe the same with BHP's, maybe to a much smaller degree!!

They are poisonous not venomous

 

[snakeluvver]

Well, frogs that are venomous like the Poison Dart frog are only venomous because of what they eat........who knows, maybe the same with BHP's, maybe to a much smaller degree!!

But I've read that they found actual venom glands in Aspidites?

 

[FAY]

They are poisonous not venomous

You know what I meant......lol

 

[snakeluvver]

You know what I meant......lol

Dont worry we all make THAT mistake

 

[PilbaraPythons]

The heat sensing pit is located under the rostral sale, here is a video with showing it briefly [video=youtube;EAbIzjFEjRo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAbIzjFEjRo[/video]