For the first time in more than a decade, a group of tentacled snakes was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
The eight baby snakes,
which sport little feelers on their noses, were born Oct. 21 after four
years of unsuccessful breeding attempts, the zoo announced Thursday
(Nov. 8).
The unusual aquatic species
from Southeast Asia is not endangered, but researchers say it's poorly
understood. The creatures, referred to as Erpeton tentaculatus
in the scientific community, are relatively small, growing to about
20-35 inches (50-90 centimeters) in length, and they're the only snakes
with two short tentacles on their snouts, which allow the reptiles to
sense vibrations from fish that swim by.
Tentacled snakes spend their
lives in water and use their tails to steady themselves as they wait to
ambush their prey. Recent research has focused on how the snakes use
their sharp hunting skills
to scare fish right into their mouths. A study detailed in the journal
PLoS ONE in 2010 showed that the adept predators have evolved a
mechanism to capture spooked prey that end up parallel to their heads
instead of in front of the snake's open jaws. Apparently, their nervous
systems allow them to predict where a fish prey will end up when
startled.
The tentacled snakes also
develop at an astonishingly fast rate, which staff at the zoo in
Washington, D.C., witnessed firsthand.
"Within a few hours of being born, the snakes were already acting like adults," Matt Evans, a keeper at the Smithsonian's Reptile Discovery Center,
said in a statement. "Instincts took over and they were hunting. We
don't know much about this cryptic species, but we're already learning
so much just watching them grow."
The snake babies will likely be
sent to other zoos when they get older, Smithsonian officials said.
Four adult tentacled snakes, meanwhile, are on display at the zoo's
Reptile Discovery Center.
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