APS Trivia

[africancichlidau]

Cos he's into Necrophilia?

 

[sobrien]

LOL, i was gonna say that but i restrained myself

 

[Slateman]

Question
What is smallest Australian snake specie?

 

[ReptileRascals]

Pygmy or anthill python...
Antaresia Perthensis

 

[Fuscus]

The smallest snake is proberly the Darwin blind snake Ramphotyphlops tovelli. It is known from only 2 specimens (Is it the rarest as well?), the largest of which was only 12 cm.

Incidently, there is another blind snake Ramphotyphlops braminus that is being spread by human activity and has been introduced into Australia. It has a common name of the flowerpot blind snake as it likes flowerpots or regularly watered gardens. And of the 100 or so animals examined all have been female!

 

[Fuscus]

Sorry RR, but at 61 cm the anthill is a giant compared to the DBS. However the anthill is the smallest python.
Of course you could argue that a blind snake is nothing more than a glorified worm ....

 

[Brodie]

Pot Plant snake!!! well I think it came from Asia to Australia...so it isnt really an australian species.............oh well....I would say Ramphotyphlops towelli (darwin blind snake)....

 

[Slateman]

You are right again Fuscus. it is Ramphotyphlops braminus
It is introduced to australia, but it is now current australian smallest tiny snake. called Flower-pot snake.

Fangs.............. 1 point
reptile rascal.......... 6 points
Astrobeca ...................1/2 point
Fuscus ...................4 points
Morelia man ..............1/2 point
brendan_spencer ..........1/2 point
python_guy44 ..............2 point
Brodie..............1 point
Next question
Why seasnake tend to shed more often than land snakes.

 

[Guest]

it is really wet and they shed so they dont get diseased

 

[Fuscus]

Hang on, I'm going to argue here (even though it may cost me the point :-( ). I said the smallest was R.towelli(Darwin Blind Snake) not R.braminus(Flowerpot Blind snake ). According to H.Ehmann (National photographic Index - Australian Museum) the R.towelli has a TL of 12 cm (thats a small snake! Whats the TL of a hatching carpet snake?) while the R.braminus has a total length of 17 cm. These measurements are repeated in H.G.Coggers book "Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia".

Now for the sea snake question. Sea snakes have the additional problem of marine growths particularly algae. Shedding the skin frequently would prevent a potentially fatal build up. This would cost the snake though, I wouldn't be surprised if sea snakes eat considerably more than land snakes.

 

[Guest]

so is my answer correct

 

[Slateman]

wel i am sorry, but i am not the expert in the feald. I am using book from Richard Shine and he is claiming that R.braminus(Flowerpot Blind snake ) is growing arownd 12 cm. You are mabe right Fuscus, but i will reward points as my book say.LOL
I can't wait til some of you smart boys will win this trivia and take ower running it for me. I am strugling here. But i learn lot in the process.

Brendan you would have to explain more and give me some details to get point.

 

[Alexahnder]

as algae grows on the skin of the sea snake

 

[Guest]

um so they dont get blisters on there skin and algy will grow on them

 

[Slateman]

Answer is: to stop the build-up of small marine organisms like barnacles. They can form colonies and grow on the snakes.

I am giving point to brendan for this one after his addition to his original answer. And fuscus for his answer.

Fangs.............. 1 point
reptile rascal.......... 6 points
Astrobeca ...................1/2 point
Fuscus ...................5 points
Morelia man ..............1/2 point
brendan_spencer ..........1+1/2 point
python_guy44 ..............2 point
Brodie..............1 point

Next question
What is Eydoux's Seasnake diet.

 

[ReptileRascals]

I dont want to run a trivia so I will say they eat spaghetti bog lol!
But I think they may eat fish eggs...

 

[python_guy44]

they eat the eggs of ground dwelling fish

 

[africancichlidau]

How can you have a ground dwelling fish ?

 

[Brodie]

mudskippers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111 or arent they fish!!!

 

[Fuscus]

Exclusively on fish eggs -- but what fish? H.G.Cogger claims they are normally trawled in 30 to 50 meters of waters, far from the habitat of mudskippers (which are fish Brodie). Ehmann claims the snake forages for fish eggs in crevices and burrows. The only common bottom dwelling fish I can think of that burrows are gobies.
And during my research I found a closely related sea snake Aipysurus fuscus!
That the third animal I know whose descriptor is fuscus