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SHOCK: 11-year-old girl finds favorite doll left on doorstep with death threat stuffed in throat
An 11-year-old girl from Powell had her Raggedy Ann doll taken from her home, and returned with its throat cut and a threatening message stuffed inside.
Bella Mastracci found her Raggedy Ann doll with the threat that read "Bella…Kill yourself or I will kill you."
She immediately showed the doll and the note to her mother, Cami Amato.
WCMH: News, Weather, and Sports for Columbus, Ohio


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Governor Cuomo: 'Extreme conservatives have no place in New York'
By most measures, New York is pretty much already a one-party state. All three statewide office holders are Democrats, as are both U.S. Senators, and 22 out of the state's 27 members of Congress. A Democrat hasn't lost statewide since 2002; a Republican presidential candidate hasn't carried the state since 1984.
But when Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested on a public radio station on Friday that "extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault—weapon, anti-gay…have no place in the State of New York" it set off an uproar on right wing radio stations, blogs and Twitter feeds.
Never mind for the moment that even a cursory listen of Cuomo's remarks reveals that he was not talking about whether or not extreme conservative New Yorkers are welcome in the state, but the political prospects of extreme conservative political candidates—a subject Cuomo knows well, since he defeated a Tea Party-backed opponent by 27 points in 2010 to win his seat.
By the end of the weekend, stories that the governor of New York thinks that conservatives have "no place in New York" were posted on Glenn Beck's website"The Blaze;" and the National Review online, where a blogger said that Cuomo was promoting a "culture of death" and wanted to banish "anyone with a heart for the unborn to New Jersey."
In an open letter to the governor, Beck himself wondered if Cuomo wanted to bring tyranny to the state. "Would you stand against your constituents and blot them out into the darkness merely because you disagree with them, or because it serves you or your party politically?" he wrote. "Would disenfranchised peoples have ever gained their freedoms in this country were it not for the right to free speech, and the pluralistic and truly diverse society that free speech facilitates?"
On the website of the Archdiocese of New York, an aide to Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote that, "It is deeply troubling when an elected official, who took an oath to uphold the Constitutions of our state and nation, casts out of polite society all those who disagree with him. Remarks like these reflect not only a noxious political climate in our nation, but a deep-seated spiritual malady that St. Augustine called the libido dominandi, the lust to dominate and rule."
A number of conservative bloggers called for a state boycott and Sean Hannity took the occasion to threaten to move out of state, although it appears as if taxes and the lack of local fishing holes had more to do with his apparently imminent departure.
"Now I want to tell you something—I was born and raised in New York," Hannity said on his radio show on Monday. "I want you to know that and I can't wait to get out of here. I really can't. I don't want to pay their 10-percent state tax anymore. I live in the second-highest property taxed county in the entire country in Nassau County. I can't wait to sell my house to somebody who wants it. I can't wait to pay no state income tax down in Florida or Texas. I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning Florida because I like the water and I like to fish."
On Sunday, the Cuomo administration fired back, naming in particular the New York Post and its influential Albany bureau chief, Fred Dicker—a one-time Cuomo supporter who turned on the administration after the governor re-upped a tax on upper income earners that was set to expire in 2011—for misleadingly reporting Cuomo's claims.
Read The Full Article On The Daily Beast
More articles from The Daily Beast:
- What Do Threats To Roe V. Wade And Domestic Violence Have In Common? Patriarchy.
- Will the World Buy NSA Reform?
- The Loud Truth About Abortion Protesters
© 2013 Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC

subset: commoncrawl


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Optimize Offers and Cross Sell with Big Data & Analytics
Available On Demand
Duration 60min
Vivek Bajaj
Director, Global Banking & Financial Markets
IBM Big Data Industry Team
Vivek Bajaj
Vivek is the Global Banking & Financial Markets Leader for IBM's Big Data Industry team. In this capacity Vivek leads a team of 40+ experienced Industry consultants and architects who work directly with clients in all major markets globally to deliver measurable business value by leveraging Big Data & Analytics Alongside his leadership responsibilities Vivek works directly with C-suite executives to share best practices based on his 15 years of expertise in banking & financial markets. He has personally driven strategic transformation initiatives by leveraging information & advanced analytics at major financial institutions in the recent past. Vivek has played numerous roles directly related to the financial services industry over the last several years. Directly prior to his current role Vivek led the European Business Analytics and Optimization industry team for Banking & Financial markets for over 2 years. In the years before that Vivek has held a number of leadership positions in financial services including managing the client executive relationship with a top-10 financial institution and heading a strategic consulting practice for financial services globally. He also setup up and grew a financial services sales & delivery practice at Microsoft in the past. He is recognized as an industry expert and invited to speak at a multitude of industry executive roundtables, technology conferences and universities to highlight real world financial services and big data use cases. Vivek is also regularly interviewed and published by industry journals and think tanks. Vivek is a recognized IBM sales and sales-management leader with numerous awards and citations having been part of IBM's hundred percent club and awarded IBM's Sales Eminence award most recently in 2011 and 2012. He is an economics and management university graduate from the University of Mumbai and has a post graduate MBA degree from Henley Business School, UK. When not at IBM, Vivek is passionate about sports, travel and spending time with his family.
Banking organizations require better customer insight to improve their ability to optimize offers and cross sell. While banks currently perform analysis of customer data to obtain insight to improve customer offers, many still struggle with exploiting mountains of internal and external big data. Common challenges faced by banking organizations include:
Join this webinar to discover how IBM's Big Data solution provides the platform needed to analyze, predict and deliver more targeted, personalized and effective offers.
Attendees will learn how to achieve the following benefits:
- Uncovering insights from unstructured information
- Ensuring offers are relevant to the individual for improved
acceptance rates
- Promoting offers when they matter – before the customer's
point of decision
Join this webinar to discover how IBM's Big Data solution provides the platform needed to analyze, predict and deliver more targeted, personalized and effective offers.
Attendees will learn how to achieve the following benefits:
- Increased revenue through better response rates to offers
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asset/balance values and increased customer advocacy
- Reduced costs through improved FTE productivity, lower campaign
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Scientific Research
An Academic Publisher
Chua, K.B., Lam, S.K., AbuBakar, S., Koh, M.T. and Lee, W.S. (1997) The Incidence of Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection in Children with Febrile Convulsion Admitted to the University Hospital. Kuala Lumpur, Medical Journal of Malaysia, 52, 335-341.
has been cited by the following article:
The Role of Human Herpesvirus Type-6 (HHV-6) in Convulsions Seen in Children at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra
Ankrah Lennox-Mac, Adiku Theophilus, Badoe Eben, Kwamena William Coleman Sagoe, Anna Aba Kafintu-Kwashie, Makafui Seshie
Convulsions; HHV-6; Large Tegument Protein (LTP) Gene; PCR; Neurological Diseases
Open Journal of Medical Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.1,
Background: Since the isolation of HHV-6 in 1986, extensive investigation has revealed it to be ubiquitous and responsible for the majority of cases of a common febrile rash illness of infants known as roseola. Other clinical associations including seizure disorders, encephalitis and meningitis have also been stated in various publications. Objective: The aim of the study is to find out if there is any association between HHV-6 infection and the convulsions prevailing at the Child Health Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra-Ghana. Methods and Results: Children admitted into the Department of Child Health with episode of convulsions were recruited after informed consent had been sought from subjects. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and Plasma were obtained from patients. PCR directed at the detection of the large tegument protein (LTP) gene in the SIE strain of the HHV-6 in Plasma and CSF from patients was done. The mean age of study subjects was 37.44 months with 53 (64.6%) being males. There was a significant relationship between the convulsions and fever (P
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Motorhead cancels European tour over Lemmy's health
Listen to Motorhead on iHeartRadio
Motorhead is further delaying their return to the stage. After spot-canceling their last few dates, the band has scrapped the rest of their European tour.
Band member Mikkey Dee explains that frontman Lemmy Kilmister needs more healing time following "a nasty blow to his hip." He tells Sweden's "Aftonbladet" that the singer recently suffered the injury, which was aggravated by rushing down a flight of stairs during a fire alarm.
The drummer explains that because Lemmy "can't move properly" right now there are concerns he'll develop other health issues. Dee adds that Lemmy "is devastated beyond belief" that he can't perform.
Lemmy's fall came on the heels of a reported procedure in which he had a defibrillator implanted in his chest to address a heart problem. Dee admits he's worried because Lemmy is "not doing so well right now," but says the singer's condition is "improving."
Photo Credit Getty Images


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Olympus launches the new PEN E-P3Wednesday July 06 2011
Olympus has recently launched the Pen E-P3 which is a compact, metal-body and retro-looking camera. With this offering Olympus targets the hobbyist to advanced photographer audience.
Equipped with a touch display and a 12.3 MP Live MOS Sensor and a trademark FAST AF tracking system that features 35 focus points.
The ISO can be propped up to 12,800 and it also has a fast shutter with a speed of 60 milliseconds.
Click here to see the Olympus PEN E-P3 manufacturing specifications.
The new Olympus Pen E-P3 replaces the E-P2 which has already been reviewed by DxOMark.
Click here to see the Olympus E-P2 measurements and data.
Stay tuned for the upcoming reviews of the Olympus PEN EP3 here on DxOMark.
Further readings for the Olympus launches the new PEN E-P3
To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.


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Mr. 4,000: Ichiro reaches career milestone with classic base hit
Ichiro Suzuki joined elite company on Wednesday, joining Pete Rose and Ty Cobb as the only professional baseball players to collect 4,000 hits at the major league level. Of those 4,000 hits, 2,722 have now come in Major League Baseball (Rose and Cobb's hit total are both exclusive to MLB), which ironically moved him past New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig on the all-time hit list. The first 1,278 hits of Ichiro's all came while playing in Japan's equivalent of MLB.
Fittingly enough, No. 4,000 was an Ichiro special — a slap single just past a diving Brett Lawrie at third base. The clean hit came against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, whom Ichiro had been 0 for 10 against lifetime.
After reaching first base, Ichiro's teammates all flooded out of the dugout to congratulate him on his milestone. An emotional Munenori Kawasaki — Toronto's starting second baseman on Wednesday and another of MLB's Japanese stars — was shown applauding several times as Ichiro tipped his cap and acknowledged the crowd's standing ovation.
It was a special moment for a very special player. Though as Yahoo!'s Jeff Passan wrote recently, when the dust settles for Ichiro, he'll simply view it as another gift rather than a round number or a milestone.


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Adult Common (or Eastern) Brown Snakes, Pseudonaja textiles, are uniformly brown. Juveniles have a black head, with a lighter bar behind, a black nape, and numerous red-brown spots on the belly. Occasionally they have dark cross-bands. The Common Brown has 17 rows of mid-body scales, a divided anal scale and 45–75 divided subcaudal scales. In some specimens a few anterior subcaudal scales are single. It is a relatively slender species and can grow to just over 2 m long.
Adult Common Brown SnakePhotographer: Peter Robertson / Source: Wildlife Profiles Pty Ltd
This species is widespread over most of Victoria except for the Otways and most of Gippsland. In the Melbourne region it is restricted mostly to the western and northern suburbs. It prefers dry, open habitats.
The Common Brown Snake is active both day and night. It will eat a wide variety of vertebrates but prefers lizards up to the size of the Stumpy-tailed Lizard. Females lay up to 35 eggs in cracks in the soil.
This is a fast-moving snake and is extremely dangerous. Even subadults have caused fatalities. If bitten on a limb, apply a pressure bandage, immobilise the limb and seek medical advice immediately. If bitten elsewhere, apply continuous direct pressure to the bite site. Do not wash the wound, as the venom on the skin can be used to identify the appropriate antivenom.
Juvenile Common Brown SnakePhotographer: Peter Robertson / Source: Wildlife Profiles Pty Ltd
Coventry, A. J. and Robertson, P. 1991. The Snakes of Victoria – A Guide to their Identification. Department of Conservation & Environment/Museum of Victoria.
Cogger, H. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Reed Books.
Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2003. Reptiles of Australia. Princeton University Press.
Hi Liam -
A juvenile brown snake is highly venomous. And the best thing is to leave them alone – you are more likely to get bitten trying to kill them, so it is not a good idea to try to kill a snake. If you see a snake move away from it slowly and tell an adult immediately.
Snakes are protected wildlife in Victoria, so it is illegal to kill a snake. However, if the snake is in a place that it could be a problem for people or pets (e.g., near a house), residents can arrange for a licensed commercial snake catcher to remove them. Snake catcher contacts are available through Department of Sustainability and Environment on Ph. 136 186 and local councils.
Hi Tammy,
My advice would be to leave the snake alone, as you are more likely to get bitten if trying to move or contain it. Make sure kids and pets are kept well away from the snake – the best bet would be to stay indoors – until a registered snake catcher can come to remove the snake.
Hi Nafet,
Here is some information from the DSE;
Whilst the Eastern Brown Snake occurs throughout much of Victoria, including the north-east of the state, there are few reliable records above 1000 m, and it is not considered to be a resident species in the alpine and sub-alpine parts of the state. Snakes that occur in the alps include the small White-lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides), Highland Copperhead (Austrelaps ramsayi) and the Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus). The first two species are very common in the alps. Tiger Snakes are less common, but have been observed in recent years around Dinner Plain and on the Dargo High Plains Road. It is always possible that snakes can be inadvertently transported around the landscape, so it is not out of the question for Brown Snakes to appear in the alps. However their breeding biology (they lay eggs, whereas the other 2 species give birth to live young) is not well suited to a cold and unpredictable environment, where eggs left to the mercy of the prevailing conditions would be likely to fail. All 3 of the snake species that reliably occur in these areas can be variable in colour. Although most Tiger Snakes are banded, unbanded forms do occur, and their uniform brown colour often leads people to believe that they are Brown Snakes. Similarly, the White-lipped Snake can vary from greyish to brick-red. The Highland Copperhead is usually a dark charcoal colour, but lighter variations do occur.
Hi Brittany, it could be that the snake you found on your property was trying to find a resting place and under wood is a perfect spot. If it is still resting under there you may want to have the individual removed from your property as it sounds like it has taken up residence on the balcony. If it has moved on already maybe it was just using it as a resting place as it was moving through the area. To stop it happening on the balcony or other places close to the house the best thing you can do is remove the hiding places that they want to stay in. By providing habitat away from your residence will help keep the snakes away from where you are.
Hi Meryl, apologies for the delay in getting back to you. Brown Snakes are about 27cm in length upon hatching from the egg. A Brown Snake 5 feet in length is likely to be an adult.
A female Brown Snake is capable of laying anywhere from 10-35 eggs. Females remain in the nesting burrow for up to 5 weeks after laying their eggs, possibly defending them against predators such as lizards or mice. Several females may lay their eggs in the same nest site, and return year after year to use the same location. If conditions are favourable, the female may lay a second clutch of eggs later on in the summer.
Brown Snakes are more common in dry country and as these snakes are attracted to things like mice, rats and birds can be common around farms and barns.
Hi Robyn - it appears that the snake reaches maturity at about 3 years of age; as the size of an adult Eastern Brown Snake is about 2 metres and you mentioned that your snake was about 1.5 metres, we would say that your snake would be close to fully grown. As to whether it has a mate, this is difficult to be certain; we advise you take care walking in that area, treat the area as if it has a mate close at hand. Females lay 10 to 35 eggs , and when hatched the young would certainly spend some time in the immediate vicinity
Regarding the red blotches are concerned, snakes in general often have variable colour patterns even in similar species, so the markings you describemay not be an indication of age. The following websites may be of interest: http://www.avru.org/general/general_eastbrown.html and http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Reptiles/Snakes/Common+and+dangerous+species/Eastern+Brown+Snake
Hope this is of some help
Hi Michelle - we have checked with our expert keepers from the Museum's Live Exhibits crew, who have the following reply for you:
A little dog will succumb to the effects of a brown snake bite very quickly and the chances of survival are fairly small. One of the Museum's staff members had a Jack Russell that was bitten by a Brown Snake and it died in less than ten minutes. Larger dogs have a better chance but the difference tends to be marginal. Even in humans the death rate from Brown Snake envenomation can be quite high. Early symptoms are usually vomiting and frothing at the mouth.
Brown Snakes generally prefer drier areas but it's unlikely that soaking the area would have much effect. If the snake is no longer around it has more than likely moved on by its own accord.
Hope this info helps
Marianne - All snakes are protected wildlife in Victoria; it is illegal to kill a snake. If the snake is in a place that it could be a problem for people or pets you should arrange for a licensed commercial snake catcher to remove them; apart from it being illegal to kill a snake, it is also potentially very dangerous as the animals naturally would behave in an aggressive defensive manner. Snake catcher contacts are available through Department of Sustainability and Environment on Ph. 136 186 and local councils.
We are not able to suggest an identification on the basis of what you have described here; in the absence of a specimen (hacked up or otherwise), it is impossible to suggest if there are likely to be more.
Hi Maia,The Australian Venom Research Centre has a great website with information about Brown Snakes and their venom.
Hi Cody - we've posed this to our Live Exhibits team, who have the following reply for you:
Snakes, like other animals, sometimes give rise to a range of unusual forms. This may be a one-off, or a genetic variation such as leucism, which often gives an animal blue eyes. However, in leucistic animals the rest of the body tends to be white or at least paler than usual.
Although this is possible, the more likely explanation is that the snake is sloughing. As the skin of the eye starts to separate, it can become cloudy and give the appearance of a bluish sheen.
Hope this helps
Hi Meredith, thanks for the question. We have contacted the Live Exhibits Team for their advice, and they have provided the following information for you.
Brown Snakes feed on rats and mice and prefer relatively open, grassy areas. They are most likely to stay out of the house, but if the rodent population is high indoors, they may venture in. Brown Snakes tend to shelter in long grass or under sheets of tin, or even under the house, but are less likely to come inside. They are no more common in inland areas than they are at the coast, but are more common in rural and remote areas (and particularly in wheat-growing areas due to the high rodent population).
Brown Snakes prefer to stay in sheltered areas and are more comfortable in long grass than in areas of short grass and exposed territory, where they are vulnerable to predators such as birds of prey. Motorbikes and dogs don't tend to keep snakes away, but if you keep the grass around the house very short and keep the rodent population down, your house will be less attractive to them.
Also, wear thick boots when outside the house and make sure your presence is felt when moving about. Remember too that snakes are protected wildlife in Victoria, so it is illegal to one. However, if the snake is in a place that it could be a problem for people or pets (e.g., near a house), residents can arrange for a licensed commercial snake catcher to remove them. Snake catcher contacts are available through Department of Sustainability and Environment on Ph. 136 186 and local councils.
We certainly hope this helps!
Hi Brad
A large blackish snake is most likely to be a red-bellied black snake, but it may also be an eastern brown snake or tiger snake (the latter species can sometimes appear dark at first glance). Snakes start to appear around this time every year, and for the last few years the abundant rainfall and warm summers have produced a higher than usual number of snakes, causing concern for many residents in the greater Geelong region.
It sounds as if you've done what you can to keep them away. In lieu of any other measures, you may want to call in a local snake catcher whenever a snake is spotted.
The species you have is most likely Caenoplana, which has been accidentally introduced to other parts of the world from Australia.
We hope this helps!
Hi Theresa, Eastern Brown Snakes lay their eggs in cracks or depressions in the soil, or in old animal burrows, and abandon them once laid, but will remain in the general area. Therefore the eggs may have been laid by the snake in your yard, or by any other snake in the area. The average clutch size is about 16 but may be as high as 35, and take approximately 75 days to hatch.Brown Snakes feed on vertebrates such as rodents and lizards, so the best way to keep them away is to remove anything that may shelter either the snakes or their prey.
Hi Bee, the best option you have is to contact a local snake catcher. There are a number of professionals available, and they can be readily found online or in the phone book.
Brown Snakes are responsible for the majority of venomous bites (and fatalities) in Australia each year. If the snake is causing concern, your best option is to contact a professional snake catcher. There are a number of them available online or in the phone book.
Hi Danny. although Brown Snakes can lay up to 35 eggs in a single clutch, the average number is around 15 so the group of 12 eggs you found certainly could be from the local Brown Snakes. The eggs are laid in cracks in the soil or in abandoned animal burrows, unless the soil is particularly sandy or friable, in which case the snake may dig its own hole. Because the female snake will only leave its eggs in holes that are easy to get into, this makes it easy for the hatchling snakes to emerge from.
Hi Stephanie, Museum Victoria's Information Sheet is available online here, which should have some useful info for you. In addition, the Department of Sustainability and Environment fact sheet here contains the following specific information: "Brown Snakes cannot maintain a constant body temperature without help from the environment. This means that they use the sun's warmth to raise their body temperature. They spend the duration of the cold weather in shelter."
Hi Trish! Check out the identification guidelines, and send your image to the email@example.com and we will see if we can identify it for you.
Hi Jen - we checked with our Live Exhibits experts about this, and they have responded as follows:
The snake is most likely to be an Eastern Brown Snake (if it has black markings on its head) or a Copperhead. In either case the snake would be a juvenile and therefore there won't be any eggs to worry about. There are no other snake species that fit that description in Victoria.
Hi Claire- we checked with our Live Exhibits experts about this, and they have responded as follows:
The snake is most likely to be an Eastern Brown Snake. The female produces a clutch of eggs then moves on, leaving them to hatch on their own and fend for themselves. So the presence of a juvenile doesn't mean there are any more around, although the vineyard might be an attractive habitat. You're doing the right things to keep your house snake-free – removing all food, cover and potential hiding places.
Hey Erin,
Female Eastern Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) lay clutches of up to 35 eggs but the female does not stay with the eggs and they hatch to make their own way independently. Consequently the snake you encountered may have siblings, or it may be the only one to have survived or to have remained in the area. It depends on the local environment and other factors, so there is no real way to tell. Local snakecatchers (found in the phonebook or on the internet) will remove venomous snakes but only if their location can be readily identified.
Hi Andrew,
Eastern Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) don't have a nest and the mother doesn't stay with or care for the young after they have hatched. If there is sufficient food available, the young will remain in the same area as their mother, but if food is scarce they will have to move off and find their own hunting grounds. The large one you saw may be the mother or, if food is abundant, may be another snake living in the same area.
Snakes generally bite only to catch prey or defend themselves, but if a snake perceives itself to be under threat, it will bite even if the threat is accidental or inadvertant (eg someone gets to close without knowing the snake is there).
The best way to avoid coming into contact with snakes is to eliminate their sources of food and shelter. Rats and mice are a favourite food, so do everything you can to get rid of them and the snakes will seek food elsewhere. Eastern Brown Snakes also like the protection of long grass and will shelter under sheets of tin, wood piles etc. Keep the grass cut short at least 10m around the house and yard, and don't store items large enough for snakes to hide in or under around the house.
Snake deterring sprays are available on the market or are made at home from recipes on the internet, and they usually contain fox urine, ammonia, moth balls (naphthalene) or sulfur, or a combination of these. Independent research suggests that none of them work.
Both garlic and geraniums are reported to keep snakes away, but this is undoubtedly a myth. Particularly as there are reports of Copperhead snakes being found basking in garden beds alongside geraniums.
A snake will be attracted to a location by food more than anything else, and any deterrent must be overpowering to keep the snake away from a food source. And anything so overpowering to a snake will also be overpowering to us.
The best option is to make your house unattractive to snakes:
- remove as many rodents as possible, which are the snake's primary source of food;
- remove sources of shelter, such as sheets of tin or wood piles;
- prevent snakes getting under the house or into other cool dark locations;
- cut the grass low around the house - snakes don't generally like to cross open areas without shelter.
Hi Jarrad - in most cases a permit is required to keep native animals depending on the species, and in all cases the animals kept in captivity should come from captive stock such as from keepers or pet suppliers rather than capturing the animal yourself.
You shouldn't capture a wild native animal and keep it as a pet for a number of reasons, so we strongly recommend you let the snake go in the same location you found it for its best chance at survival. You can read more about wildlife permits, animal welfare considerations and regulations at the DSE website here.
Hi Caroline - we checked this question with our experts, and they've replied as follows:
It is really hard to give much information without a positive ID – there are a number of small snakes in the regions & yes, could also be juvenile brown snakes. This time of the year is a common one to see juvenile snakes – as many species will give birth (in the case of live bearers – e.g., Tiger snakes) or have eggs hatch (e.g., Brown Snakes) in early to mid summer. Snakes do not stay in a nest but will disperse after hatching – but it is possible to see a number from one clutch in an area after hatching. But again it is difficult for me to say much more than these general comments without a confirmed ID on each snake seen.
Both Eastern Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) and Red-bellied Black Snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) prey on frogs and other reptiles that hang around water bodies. In addition Red-bellies feed on fish and tadpoles and may actively hunt underwater, completely submerged, stirring up sediment to flush out bottom-dwelling fish. In dry areas the majority of suitable prey (including other reptiles, birds and mammals) tend to stay close to water, so the snakes do too.
Hi Rhonda,
This answer was given to a previous enquirer on 28th November 2011. A cat would react the same;
...we have checked with our expert keepers from the Museum's Live Exhibits crew, who have the following reply for you:
A little dog will succumb to the effects of a brown snake bite very quickly and the chances of survival are fairly small. One of the Museum's staff members had a Jack Russell that was bitten by a Brown Snake and it died in less than ten minutes. Larger dogs have a better chance but the difference tends to be marginal. Even in humans the death rate from Brown Snake envenomation can be quite high. Early symptoms are usually vomiting and frothing at the mouth.
Hi Wayne,
Check out our bioinformatics website to see images of snakes found in Victoria and perhaps you will find a match. Alternatively if you can safely take a photograph of the snake please send it through to us via our Ask the Experts page and we will help you identify it.
- removing potential cover such as sheets of iron and wood piles;
- reducing the amount of food available, especially rodents;
- blocking off entrances underneath buildings, including outbuildings;
- keeping grass cut very low around the house.
The growth rates of brown snakes would be variable depending on food supplies and environmental conditions, but the elapid snakes (such as the brown snakes) have relatively fast growth compared to other groups of snakes – usually they reach sexual maturity in two years approximately (for females), perhaps a little less for males. The brown snakes usually reach 1.5 metres length at maturity with extremes a little more (up to 2 metres). You may want to read a little more at this reference.
Hi Grace,
It is possible there are more snakes under the path. The eggs of Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) take 1-3 months to hatch, depending on temperature, so if eggs are present under the path they may emerge and disperse up to three months after you first saw them. When the three months is up, the best option is to fill the hole with concrete to prevent any further snakes using it.
Hi Dani, our manager of Live Exhibits has said snakes don't have a family or social structure so there is no such thing as an alpha male. Most species of snakes will not tolerate the presence of other individual snakes (other than during the breeding season) and the largest or strongest or most aggressive individual will kill and consume any other snakes.
The best way to avoid snake encounters is to make your property as unattractive as possible to snakes – they prefer areas with plenty of places to hide and plenty of food available. So to keep snakes away, remove any rubbish from the yard (including wood piles, sheets of iron, etc), clear away low-growing vegetation, keep a wide barrier of well-mown grass around the house, and keep water sources to a minimum. Snakes like to live under houses and outhouses, and will enter a hole about the size of a ten cent piece, so make sure all such holes are covered with fine chicken wire or similar. Rodents are usually the preferred prey of snakes so these should be controlled wherever possible, particularly around chicken coops and compost bins.
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Baby South West on the way for Kanye and Kim?!
Listen to Kanye West on iHeartRadio
It's only been about five months since Kim Kardashian gave birth to daughter North West, but she's already got her eye on baby number two. In the latest issue of Us Weekly, a source reveal that Kardashian, 33, and her fiancé, Kanye West, are ready to give little North a little brother or sister..
Kim K "wants her kids to be close in age," and Yeezy "wants a huge family."
Apparently the couple already has a timeline when it comes to their second child.
Word has it that she's eyeing the summer of 2014 to get pregnant again. "She'll try to get pregnant next summer, after the wedding," our source continues.
Kanye proposed to Kim on her 33rd birthday on Oct. 21 at San Francisco's AT&T Park with a giant Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring, and has already hinted that their nuptials will be quite the spectacle.
"Two words: Fighter jets," West teased in a interview.
If a air force escort is needed for the nuptials, we can only guess what he's goign to require if and when Kim get's pregnant with a baby boy. Can't you just see it now, sagging skinny jeans and baby gold chains?! How adorable!
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