User:Abyssal/Portal:Lepidosauria

The Lepidosaur Portal Introduction Selected article on lepidosaurs A Cook's tree boa from Trinidad Forty-seven species of snake have been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago, making the snake population of this area the most diverse in the Caribbean. Forty-four of these snake species are found in Trinidad and twenty-one in Tobago. Many of these species are South American, most of which are present in Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and several smaller islands. The Bocas Islands, which lie between Trinidad and Venezuela, in the Bocas del Dragón (Dragon's Mouths), consist of Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos and Gaspar Grande. Several smaller islands lie off Trinidad, but snakes have been recorded on only one of them, Caledonia Island. Snakes have been recorded on one island off Tobago, Little Tobago. Four species are venomous: two coral snake species (Micrurus spp.), the fer-de-lance (Bothrops atrox) and the South American bushmaster (Lachesis muta). The common coral (Micrurus fulvius) is found on at least two of the Bocas Islands: Gaspar Grande and Monos. No venomous snakes inhabit Tobago.(see more...) Selected article on lepidosaurs in human science, culture and economics Christian snake handling, as popularized by Hensley George Went Hensley (2 May 1881 – July 25, 1955) was an American Pentecostal minister best known for popularizing the practice of snake handling. A native of rural Appalachia, Hensley experienced a religious conversion around 1910: on the basis of a literal interpretation of scripture, he came to believe that the New Testament commanded all Christians to handle venomous snakes. Hensley was part of a large family that had moved between Tennessee and Virginia, before settling in Tennessee shortly after his birth. Following his conversion, he traveled through the Southeastern United States, teaching a form of Pentecostalism that emphasized strict personal holiness and frequent contact with venomous snakes. Although illiterate, he became a licensed minister of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in 1915. After traveling through Tennessee for several years conducting Church of God-sanctioned services, he resigned from the denomination in 1922. Hensley was married four times and fathered thirteen children. In 1955, while conducting a service in Florida, he was bitten by a snake and became violently ill. He refused to seek medical attention and died the following day. Despite his personal failings, he convinced many residents of rural Appalachia that snake handling was commanded by God, and his followers continued the practice after his death. Although snake handling developed independently in several Pentecostal ministries, Hensley is generally credited with spreading the custom in the Southeastern United States. (see more...) Selected image A mounted skeleton of a Late Cretaceous mosasaurid species belonging to the genus Plioplatecarpus, probably P. ictericus. In life the animal would have been about 5.5 m in length. The mounted skeleton is actually a composite of two individuals collected from the Niobrara Formation, of Kansas, USA and is exhibited in the Museum für Naturkunde in Karlsruhe, Germany. Photo credit: H. Zell Did you know? ...that the Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (pictured) of Central America is the world's fastest lizard, being clocked at 21.7 miles (34.9 km) per hour? ... that the red-naped snake is a small, venomous snake and is listed as threatened in Victoria? ...that the stock for the captive breeding program of the Galapagos Land Iguana descended from iguanas which William Randolph Hearst translocated from Baltra Island to North Seymour Island in the 1930s? ... that Ankarafantsika National Park in Madagascar is home to the rhinoceros chameleon and the greater big-footed mouse? ...that the Western Blue-tongued Lizard displays its tongue to frighten off predators? Need help? Do you have a question about Abyssal/Portal:Lepidosauria that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk. Topics Lists - List of snakes by common name - List of Serpentes families - List of snake genera - List of dangerous snakes Families - Acrochordidae - Aniliidae - Anomochilidae - Boidae - Bolyeriidae - Colubridae - Cylindrophiidae - Elapidae - Loxocemidae - Pythonidae - Tropidophiidae - Uropeltidae - Viperidae - Xenopeltidae - Anomalepididae - Leptotyphlopidae - Typhlopidae Anatomy and physiology - Infrared sensing in snakes - Pelvic spur - Snake scales - Snake skeleton Culture - Snake worship - Serpents in the Bible - Snake handling - Glycon - Wadjet Quality Content Featured lepidosaur-related articles - Blue iguana - Cyclura nubila - George Went Hensley - Komodo dragon - List of snakes of Trinidad and Tobago - Noronha skink Good lepidosaur-related articles - Agkistrodon piscivorus - Beaded lizard - Bitis arietans - Bitis gabonica - Black mamba - Black-necked spitting cobra - Ctenosaura bakeri - Daboia - Eastern green mamba - Forest cobra - Gila monster - Green iguana - Hydrophiinae - Many-banded krait - Snake scales - Solomon Islands skink - Trachylepis tschudii - Tuatara - Varanus salvadorii - Vipera berus - Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero - Western green mamba Subcategories Lepidosaurs Extinct lepidosaurs Lepidosaurs by location Rhynchocephalia Squamata Things you can do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Stubs : Snake stubs Current Snake FACs - none currently Related content Reptiles Snakes Turtles Dinosaurs Birds Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic Amphibians Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikispecies Directory of species Wikiversity Free learning tools Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus Category:Biology portals