Diamond Python with over 100 ticks on it.

[Poggle]

When i was in Darwin a couple of years ago i found the same thing gordo... had to go herping on my honey moon Was surprised to see little to no ticks, but work infestations, blew me away :S. Same with Townsville there was a higher worm infestation then where i am now, of course though ecology and nature settings play a huge part in this, what can survive where etc. To show the power of a tick, i had a calf go down to a paraylis tick, yet i got an echidna the other day with like 22 paraylis ticks and no real effect.

 

[n3xia]

After reading this entire thread, I'm leaning towards the 'let nature take its course' approach. However, the comment about rescuing wild animals caught in fences, traps etc got me thinking. Humans have been affecting the course of nature for centuries. What about all of the snakes that have died as a result of human impact on their environment (indirectly or otherwise)? Maybe it would have been the right thing, had the person been experienced enough, to help the snake; to make up, in a small way, for the ones who haven't died of natural causes.Also, if there was a bit more punctuation in this thread it wouldn't have taken me so long to read it. People are more likely to pay attention to you when you write stuff that reads easily, y'know.

and the reason we don't feed live food is to prevent injury

Or maybe coz it's illegal? Inhumane treatment of animals and all...

I honestly shake my head at some keyboard worriers

This made me giggle :lol:

 

[bracey91]

Rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble I'm right and your all wrong rabble rabble

 

[Poggle]

Rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble I'm right and your all wrong rabble rabble

can i be right also ??

 

[bracey91]

I'll throw in some jelly and we can all have a friendly wrestle over it

 

[Cockney_Red]

I am a self confessed de-ticker

 

[mmafan555]

I have had time to get over my initial reaction and after hearing more about snakes reactions to ticks I am more ok with it. I would be curious to know from a herp vet why mammals dies of heart failure with paralysis ticks but snakes can cope with so many.

Also interesting looking at the truth of things with the RSPCA and the ad they ran a few years back 'All Creatures Great and Small' which featured a python with a bandage around it... BHP from memory.

Because snakes are probably more resistant to neurotoxins in general( even through their is GREAT diversity in resistance to different neurotoxins)...They certainly seem to be with other venomous snakes. Their was a study I had seen a while ago involving "medical tests" conducted by humans in the 19th century involving dogs being forcibly bitten by cobras and pythons being forcibly bitten by cobras....All 37 dogs bitten died and I think only only 10 of the pythons died( out of like 30) and most had no effects at all.


As for ticks...They don't really seem to pass on pathogens to humans very often in Australia...so be thankful....Something like 50 percent of all deer ticks in Massachusetts are infected with Lymes Disease or something which is just absurd...and the rates for lymes disease in the northeast US are very high..... Glad I wasn't a big hiker when I lived in the North east.

This is the second thread in as many weeks regarding heavy tick infestations on carpets.It's got me wondering that perhaps the animals in both cases are unhealthy in the first place?

Or perhaps the warmer temperatures are allowing for increased tick populations?


[video=youtube;Rsd2i-qFHK4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsd2i-qFHK4[/video]

Atleast they don't commonly spread human disease in Australia like they do in other places..

Wow, I totally disagree with this. I reckon ticks are the most useless, non beneficial parasite found in the wild. I hate the mongrel things. What purpose do they serve?

Their doesn't need to be a "purpose" for things to survive...Thats just a human myth because we don't want to admit that this is a completely random world with no outside force or spirit or meaning that controls anything....A tick has no more purpose than that parasitic worm that lives in a frogs throat....Things don't exist because "they must serve some purpose" that is an absurd fantasy created by humans to sofen the harsh realities of this planet.... they exist because they A.) are good at what they do and B.) they want to exist....It's very much like capitalism...ticks found a survival niche and are good at it....so they survive...But theirs no need for their purpose or survival just like theirs no need for any other parasite(or creature) for that matter.

This is retarded.

I hope the majority of you NEVER go into the bush. Leave it for the people with half a brain to enjoy.

To the OP, thanks for posting. I enjoy nature at her best and her worst.

Human beings ARE part of nature...So that whole we must never interfere with nature argument is retarded....because we are every bit a part of nature as any dog or snake or tick is.

So either the op wants to interfere or not....I won't pass judgement on him because he has no obligation to do anything...Is a snake going to help him if he was covered in ticks...to weak to stand up and seek help? No...so it is not his obligation to help it and especially since he doesn't even like snakes.

I personally like snakes so I would have done something or called....but I won't pass judgement on the op and like people have said he may have thought it was venomous etc....Even through in reality a human life is no more/less valuable than a snake or anything else....self preservation is still the law of the land....and their is an evolutionary drive to protect your own life above everything else.

It is in no way beneficial for parasites such as ticks to kill their host and very rarely, if ever at all, happens.

That is just completely not true...Parasites in some instances very frequently kill their host....especially if the end goal is to exit the present host and enter the next....Disease such as African Trypanosomiasis and Visceral Leishmaniasis have nearly 100 percent untreated fatality rates....Some soft ticks inject a toxin that can always lead to the death of the host..

It is in many cases very beneficial for a parasite to kill/sterilize it's host and some of the worst diseases known to many kind are parasitic diseases


Good reading on "parasitoids" parasites that are highly likely to kill their hosts..You should read up on it.....

Parasitoid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

African trypanosomiasis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Visceral leishmaniasis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[waruikazi]

Human beings ARE part of nature...So that whole we must never interfere with nature argument is retarded....because we are every bit a part of nature as any dog or snake or tick is.

So either the op wants to interfere or not....I won't pass judgement on him because he has no obligation to do anything...Is a snake going to help him if he was covered in ticks...to weak to stand up and seek help? No...so it is not his obligation to help it and especially since he doesn't even like snakes.

I personally like snakes so I would have done something or called....but I won't pass judgement on the op and like people have said he may have thought it was venomous etc....Even through in reality a human life is no more/less valuable than a snake or anything else....self preservation is still the law of the land....and their is an evolutionary drive to protect your own life above everything else.

When talking about the landscape and biodiversity, by the definition of the word, we stopped being part of it when we ceased to live primitively.

But either way, when we start interfering with 'nature' we start to change it. Usually for the worse.

 

[TreeHugger]

After reading this entire thread, I'm leaning towards the 'let nature take its course' approach. However, the comment about rescuing wild animals caught in fences, traps etc got me thinking. Humans have been affecting the course of nature for centuries. What about all of the snakes that have died as a result of human impact on their environment (indirectly or otherwise)? Maybe it would have been the right thing, had the person been experienced enough, to help the snake; to make up, in a small way, for the ones who haven't died of natural causes.Also, if there was a bit more punctuation in this thread it wouldn't have taken me so long to read it. People are more likely to pay attention to you when you write stuff that reads easily, y'know.Or maybe coz it's illegal? Inhumane treatment of animals and all...This made me giggle :lol:

Trying not to comment on this thread because I am insanely pro-helping wildlife and am realy opinionated on this!!! However here goes, I gave in...This comment is COMPLETELY RIGHT. Sure, natural selection is a key feature in the evolution and health of fauna throughout the world, but we have created such a huge negative impact on nature, that we NEED to pick up the slack and make little contributions to try and even the scale the best we can. Sure, this snake may have already been on death row before these photos were taken, but in saying this, a wildlife carer may have been able to right this and release a healthy snake who is able to breed again and produce offspring. Honestly, I am a environmental science student, at the moment finishing my degree and have done so many courses on animal rehab, biodiversity and conservation... WE ARE COMPLETELY SCREWING UP OUR PLANET AND FLORA AND FAUNA by even by the smallest of changes to a environement. I just wish everyone was as educated/aware and MOST people on this sight (that's why we congregate on here because we are all nature lovers and love our reptiles for one...) Something should have been done about this snake. end of story. Everyone has their opinions, fair enough. OP wasn't comfortable coming into contact with this snake, or calling someone about it.... understandable to a degree, but maybe after reading the comments posters have entered on this thread... I think that he IS more aware now... and might think twice before walking past another snake or reptile in a state like this..., and has probably made others reading this thread think twice also. GOOD HAS BEEN MADE. So lets hope, because of this snakes sad story, we take another step toward leveling out the field with nature. Sorry N3xia. My punctuation has held me back though my education years.... I can except its pretty bad, so sorry.

 

[mmafan555]

When talking about the landscape and biodiversity, by the definition of the word, we stopped being part of it when we ceased to live primitively.

Yeah you could argue that and I could argue against it and we would both be right to an extent. I just dislike when people try to separate us from nature. It's irritating and a very dangerous way of thinking imo. If the planet goes down then we ultimately go down with it...and when people separate us from other animals it leads people to believe that this is not the case.

But either way, when we start interfering with 'nature' we start to change it. Usually for the worse.

Yes that is usually the case...But like I said I'm not convinced that "everything has a purpose" and all that jibe...Just seems like typical human wishful thinking...So I'm not that adamantly against making some modifications to the environment but thats another discussion....I see ticks to be for the most part worthless and I'm not just saying that because I'm afraid of getting Lymes Disease or something....They seem to take an awful lot from the ecosystem and give little/nothing in return which sadly seems to be a very successful survival strategy considering the fact that parasitic animals outnumber non parasitic creature on a 2-1 basis...

To bad humans are the only creature that can fathom the issue of suicide...Wouldn't it be nice if 1/2 of ticks thought their life was just not worth living
.

 

[waruikazi]

Yeah you could argue that and I could argue against it and we would both be right to an extent. I just dislike when people try to separate us from nature. It's irritating and a very dangerous way of thinking imo. If the planet goes down then we ultimately go down with it...and when people separate us from other animals it leads people to believe that this is not the case.




Yes that is usually the case...But like I said I'm not convinced that "everything has a purpose" and all that jibe...Just seems like typical human wishful thinking...So I'm not that adamantly against making some modifications to the environment but thats another discussion....I see ticks to be for the most part worthless and I'm not just saying that because I'm afraid of getting Lymes Disease or something....They seem to take an awful lot from the ecosystem and give little/nothing in return which sadly seems to be a very successful survival strategy considering the fact that parasitic animals outnumber non parasitic creature on a 2-1 basis...

To bad humans are the only creature that can fathom the issue of suicide...Wouldn't it be nice if 1/2 of ticks thought their life was just not worth living
.

In the context of this conversation i don't think you would be right.

What about population control? An animal with a heavy infestation won't be in a good position to reproduce.

Or reducing the snake's predation. Think about the time of year ticks are most common, this coincides with animals reproducing and raising their young. Maybe they knock the predator down a level so it doesn't take an unsustainable number of prey items.

 

[serpenttongue]

On a side note has anyone ever caught wild snakes and not had ticks on it

Yes. Every snake I have ever caught (which is hundreds) has been tick-free. Perhaps I live in an area where ticks aren't very prevalent?

 

[krait]

I used to enjoy letting my spotted sun itself on the grass in the backyard, not so sure that's a good idea after seeing these pics!!??!?

 

[Magpie]

Of course, taking the snake or killing it would both have been against the law. No problem with that though right people? Break the law when it suits you?

 

[mmafan555]

In the context of this conversation i don't think you would be right.

What about population control? An animal with a heavy infestation won't be in a good position to reproduce.


Or reducing the snake's predation. Think about the time of year ticks are most common, this coincides with animals reproducing and raising their young. Maybe they knock the predator down a level so it doesn't take an unsustainable number of prey items.

Yeah but ticks go for everything...It's not like they target snakes or just predators anything....they go for literally everything...Hell I've even read about Crocodiles having ticks...So they are not just knocking down the predator....They are knocking down everything ( Just ask that Moose in the video I posted) and I don't think it's to much to ask for some revenge!!! Like I said it's not just me being a selfish human.....name me 1 animal that enjoys the existence of ticks

Ticks being most common has to do with the warm climate right??? I think thats just a coincidence because nearly all biting bugs go away in the winter and then come back with a vengeance in the summer....I don't think I have ever gotten a mosquito bite in the winter...and probably 1000+ in the summer.

There a better ways for population control and the population will control itself in most instances anyway.(excluding when there is negative human impact!)

I don't think anything exists for a purpose...I just think Nature fills blank ecological niches and animals take advantage of them and the successful animals survive and the others die out...I don't think their is some magical spirit power holding it all together or any of that crap...Once again another excuse for humans to avoid the reality of an obviously random world.

And by the way...I just realized this...Since Ticks basically go on every land creature....and barely anything eats ticks...Does that make ticks the real king of the jungle??? Move over Lion, Elephants, Crocodiles and Bears....all of them "lose" to ticks...We have a new king of the beasts!