Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

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Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby corn snake » Mon May 24, 2010 4:30 pm

hi
I am doing a speech on snakes for school. I have to talk to our home school group this is the speech please tell me what you thin

Snakes are good.

Are you one of those people that will kill a snake on the spot when you see it? Most of you will answer yes to this question.
Did you know that more than half of the 151 species of snake in Southern Africa have fangs? Technically they are venomous.
But … only 16 species carry venom that is strong enough to kill you.
You will only find about 5 of these species in Gauteng. They are:
• 1 The puff adder.
• 2 The rinkals.
• 3 Spitting cobras.
• 4 Bushveld cobras.
• 5 And the shield cobra.
The black mamba has been found here … but they are mostly stowaways or escapees. Normally you will not find a black mamba in Gauteng.
The boomslang and the vine snake also are deadly … but very few people have been bitten by these shy snakes. There is special anti-venom made for the venom of the boomslang.
Most back fanged snakes are not dangerous, as the venom is very mild.
And other snakes have don’t have venom.
And even snakes that do have venom are helpful. They play an important role in controlling pests.
• Many snakes eat rats and mice
• The mole snake eats moles and mole rats
• The slug eater eats snails and slugs
• Blind snakes eat ants and termites
And snakes also make good pets … you don’t have to pick their pooh up every day and you don’t have to feed them every day!
Today I brought my pet Corn Snake, Cornelia, with me … to show you that snakes are good.
Where do corn snakes come from?
What does she eat?
When did you get Cornelia?
Where do you keep her?
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Gaawie » Mon May 24, 2010 5:20 pm

Maybe explain what back fanged is...?
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Bushviper » Mon May 24, 2010 5:31 pm

Well just check up on your facts a bit. Black mambas do regularly occur in Gauteng, as do Boomslang and Vine snakes. Bushveld cobras are better known as Snouted cobras. That takes the tally up to eight species.

Possibly explain the difference between the Rinkhals and the Mozambique spitting cobra. Most lay people think they are the same snake.

Be careful that your snake does not get too hot or too cold when she is at school with you. Dont let anyone else handle her as they might drop her or hurt her.

Chat about snake sheddings a bit too and if you have one take this with.

Good luck.
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Fooble » Mon May 24, 2010 5:35 pm

What is Bushveld cobras?
What grade are you in as the choice of words is important like explaining monovalent antivenom and poloyvalent may be a little over the top fro say a grade 3 ect
Also i think include egg eaters only eat eggs and are quite common in Gauteng too.

You can also include why back fanged snakes are usually not extremely venomous/dangerous
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby corn snake » Mon May 24, 2010 6:04 pm

Okay thanks.
Fooble I forgot about egg eaters thanks. Bushveld cobras, are two species of cobra which were grouped together they are
Anchieta's Cobra: Naja anchietae and the Snouted cobra: Naja Annulifera.
I'm in grad 7 Thanks.
Bushviper thanks for the tips I will use them. I do home schooling so we're only going to a friends house 5 minutes from here so when it’s my turn I'll
just go and fetch here and take her home when I’m finished.
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Iggy » Mon May 24, 2010 8:01 pm

I think it is great that you are so interested in snakes and in putting the positive side of them forward! Maybe go into the importance of snakes in the ecosystem, eg WHAT pests do they control, rodents in particular carry many diseases which are harmful to man, so snakes controlling rodents helps to control the spread of disease. You can also talk about the balance necessary in ecosystems, and from a more "selfish" perspective, the useful components being isolated from venom which may help to treat many diseases including alzheimers, cancer....and so many more, thus really highlighting the fact that not only are snakes not as dangerous as they are often perceived to be, they are also actually "useful in our world". Sadly some people only appreciate their "value" if it is seen as contributing to humans.....
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Fooble » Mon May 24, 2010 8:14 pm

Great corn snake.
thought as much i just thought you were referring to a single cobra as THE Bushveld cobra.
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby alexander » Mon May 24, 2010 8:33 pm

I think you should also explain about snake's tendancy to hide rather than to attack. Most people are misinformed about this and perceive snakes as evil creatures that want to bite you. If people understand this they should hold more respect for snakes.
Explain why snakes bite predators and relate it their own survival. It is ultimately an escape mechanism as those which survive will be able to reproduce and influence future generations.

Hope this makes sense.
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby corn snake » Tue May 25, 2010 7:18 am

Thanks could you please tell me more about useful parts in the venom that could cure some diseases.
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Rishaad » Tue May 25, 2010 11:38 am

Good on you for taking the initiative to educate. Also explain to them that snakes are important in our ecological system as many other animals eat snakes as well, and that some snakes even eat other snakes.
And God has Created every animal from water, of them are some creeping on their bellies, some walk on two legs, and some on four. God Creates what He wills, for sure God has Power over all things. (Noble Quran 24:45)

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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby corn snake » Tue May 25, 2010 12:21 pm

I changed it what do you think.

Snakes are good.
Are you one of those people that will kill a snake on the spot when you see it? Most of you will answer yes to this question.
Did you know that more than half of the 151 species of snake in Southern Africa have fangs? Technically they are venomous.
But … only 16 species carry venom that is strong enough to kill you.
You will only find about 6 of these species in Gauteng. They are:
• 1 The puff adder.
• 2 The rinkhals.
• 3 Spitting cobras.
• 4 Bushveld cobras.
• 5 The shield cobra.
• 6 And the black mamba.
Spitting cobras have the same coloration as a rinkhals but they are two different types of snake spitting cobras have polished scales and the rinkhals does not. And the rinkhals’ has a sharper snout than the spitting cobra, and the spitting cobra has a broader head with a blunt snout. There is all so a size difference between the rinkhals and the spitting cobra.
The boomslang and the vine snake also are deadly and are in Gauteng … but very few people have been bitten by these shy snakes. There is special anti-venom made for the venom of the boomslang.
Most back fanged snakes are not dangerous, as the venom is very mild. Back fanged snakes are snakes that have fangs in the back of their mouth. Back fangs are different from a normal fang because they are not hollow but have a groove along the fang in which the venom runs down into its pray. And the positioning of the fangs makes it difficult for back fanged snakes to bite a human effectively but some back fanged snakes like the boom slang can open their mouth wide enough to bite a human anywhere on the body not just on the finger or the hand.
And other snakes have don’t have venom. And other snakes don’t have teeth like the egg eater.
And even snakes that do have venom are helpful. They play an important role in controlling pests.
• Many snakes eat rats and mice.
• The mole snake eats moles and mole rats.
• The slug eater eats snails and slugs.
• Some snakes like file snakes eat other snakes like puff adders and black mambas. That is amazing because file snakes don’t have fangs and are not venomous.
• And blind snakes eat ants and termites.
And snakes also make good pets … you don’t have to pick their poo up every day and you don’t have to feed them every day!
Today I brought my pet Corn Snake, Cornelia, with me … to show you that snakes are good.
Where do corn snakes come from?
What does she eat?
When did you get Cornelia?
Where do you keep her?
How often has she shed?
Next time when you find a snake … think twice before you kill it. And don’t forget to call me!
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Puff the Magic Adder » Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:35 am

corn snake wrote:Thanks could you please tell me more about useful parts in the venom that could cure some diseases.


This is probably too late for you to use in your talk, but here is a little info anyway:

- An enzyme found in the Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix), called contortrostatin has been found to be able to halt the growth of cancerous cells and tumors and prevent the spread of tumors to other parts of the body. It's quite a recent discovery, so scientists are still working on ways to make this into a usable drug for hospitals to be able to use.

- Batroxobin comes from the Common Lancehead (Bothrops atrox) and is used in hospital labs to calculate the clotting time of blood. Ecarin from the venom of Saw-scaled Vipers (Echis carinatus) is used for similar purposes. The venom of the Russel's Viper (Daboia russelii) is the most sensitive of all of the clotting agents, and it is used in hospital labs to detect lupus anticoagulant - the process is known as Dilute Russell's Viper Venom Time (dRVVT).

- The venom of the Jararaca (Bothrops jararaca) contains an enzyme used in making angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors - used in drugs that treat high blood pressure, heart problems and kidney diseases.

- Certain enzymes from the venom of Saw-scaled Vipers are also used to make echistatin (an antiplatelet drug used to treat arterial blockages) and tirofiban, which is a similar thing.

There are probably more, and as research continues more will almost certainly be discovered - and there is still a LOT more research to be done when it comes to snake venom and its intricate properties.

Good luck with your talk (or if you've already done it, I hope it went well). :)
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby nafizcobra » Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:14 am

Hi guys can you give me a good snake speech topic please
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby nafizcobra » Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:18 am

Hi guys can you give me a good snake speech topic please I have to say to my school
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Re: Snakes are good speech. What do you think.

Postby Skyeli » Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:17 am

You can add, what to do if you were to find a snake in the wild.
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