NEW ZOO SHAKE

Evening Star, Issue 20049, 14 December 1928, Page 12

NEW ZOO SHAKE

“CANNIBAL" EATS RATTLERS Among tiro recent additions to the London Zoological Society’s reptile collection is a 7ft long specimen of a South American non-poisonons snake known as the Cribo, a species which feeds, entirely on other .snakes, poisonous as well as harmless (writes a correspondent of the ‘ Daily Telegraph : ). The Cribo is the arch enemy of tin; justly dreaded Fer-do-Lance and rattle snake, from the poison of which it is immune, and is capable of overpowering and swallowing specimens as large as itself. As a result of its cannibalistic tendencies, it receives Government protection in the State of Sao Paulo, where tbs Fcr-dc-Lance is specially abundant. In certain parts of Brazil a premium of fourponce per bead was formerly placed on every Eer-de-Lance. The payments, however, had to be discontinued owing to the fact, that the natives started to breed the snake in captivity, and the Fer-de-Lance brings forth broods of up to seventy young. The Cribo is not the only snake that is immune from the bites of its venomous compatriots; our common grass snake is not affected by the poison of the adder. Recent experiments have proved that, amongst mammals and birds, the hedgehog, mongoose, dormouse,’ and secretary bird arc more or less immune front normal doses of snake poison.