Snake nerd back at it again!
Today, very funny, very interesting. Defense tactics and two very unique ones.
Snakes in general, if they feel threatened start hissing and flattening themselves to look all big and scary. The degree to which snakes flatten themselves is dependent on the species and the snake itself.
A good extreme example of snakes flattening themselves, is the hognose snake.
This is a hognose snake.
This is a very angy hog nose snake.
As you can see, very flat. But flattening Horizontal isn’t the only option at your disposal. There is a group of snakes that flatten themselves Vertical. Thies snakes are call “old world rat snakes”. A very good and pretty example is the Vietnamese Blue Beauty snakes. (Also available in green and yellow) here is one being clam, which, rare. (very feisty)
Now look at that flat boy, he very angy.
Quick look back at hog nose snake, if hissing and flattening themselves doesn’t work, they have a plan B. And that plan B is playing dead.
They are Drama queens even babies fresh out of the egg will play dead. If you pick them up and turn them back on their belly they WILL turn back over. They will musk and even pop on themselves to really sell the fact that there are, in fact, dead.
A true theater kid.
Now if you will, do a little thought experiment with me. One of the Naga boys just vibin, doing a bit of sunbathing, not really paying attention to their surroundings. Yn slowly approaches, not really trying to be quiet because they think they have already been noticed. However, they weren’t in fact noticed.
They stand next to the Naga waiting for them to react, they don’t. So, they clear their throat and in the process absolutely scare the shit out of the Naga who is now standing defensively with hands firmly planted on the ground and flattened like an elongated pancake.
Both of them are shocked and confused.
I love that the one defensive of being scared means flat time and the little hognose snake!!! They're fantastic, they're dramatic, they're selling the part!!
Ohhhh ho, the vertical defense is so pleasing to see and just so intimidating! They are so scary and I'm sure their hiss sound is blood-curdling!
Naga!Sun would be perfect for the little thought experiment! He was enjoying his sunbathing and then his Y/N popped up out of the blue, of course, he's a little embarrassed to have been so caught off guard. Y/N is confused because they've never seen a scared naga before, but Sun quickly, a bit abashed, explores that Y/N just surprised him a little. But since they're here, won't they join him in the warm sunlight?
Y/N puts two and two together later, after thinking about the encounter, that oh, they startled a naga.