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Eve, the world’s most famous rainbow boa, has died. Reaching 25 years of age, she was an old snake. And my favorite. She arrived via Federal Express on the day of the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack. Then she was just a foot long, curled up in a tiny container. By the time she […]
Marty’s photos of the day #4437-4438: I may have the weirdest 4th of July tradition. Every Independence Day and every Christmas week (usually a few days after Christmas) I clean my rainbow boa’s cages. Of course, whenever the snakes defecate, I spot clean the mess. But twice a year I take everything out, wash all […]
Marty’s photo of the day #3651: What makes a snake the “most deadly”? This is a fer-de-lance—a snake many consider the deadliest snake in the Western Hemisphere. Some snakes, such as a bushmaster, have more potent venom, but fer-de-lances are difficult to see in the rainforest and are easily stepped on. When that happens, their […]
Marty’s photo of the day #3396: When hiking in the rainforest, it’s always important to look down, so you don’t accidently step on a venomous snake. Then again, it’s important to look up too. In this photo, I’m in the rainforest of Borneo, standing underneath a Wagler’s pit viper.
Marty’s photo of the day #3315: I photographed this fer-de-lance in Costa Rica. Known as the “deadliest snake in the western hemisphere,” it’s not actually the most venomous. Snakes such as the bushmaster have more powerful venom. The fer-de-lance only gets the deadliest title because it blends in with the leaf litter and has the […]
Marty’s photo of the day #3069: The following story, “Russians and the Cottonmouth,” comes from my second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico: After a great day of alligators, snakes, and birds, I reluctantly turned my car around and headed west on the Loop Road. […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2772: Because I have some followers who are not fond of snakes, I generally avoid posting such photos close together. Since I posted a snake photo earlier this week, when I came across this photo I took of an Amazon tree boa in Peru, I almost passed it by to […]
Marty’s photo of the day #2368: Marty Essen, python caller. “Here’s snake! Come here, boy! That’s it. Good boy! Come to daddy!” This technique works equally well with cats. (Photographed in Zimbabwe)
Marty’s photo of the day #2205: On September 11, 2001, Eve arrived, via Federal Express, from a breeder in Ohio. All air traffic had been halted on that day, but somehow she made it through. She was so small, she fit into a fruit cup. Now at more than seven-feet-long, she is about a foot […]
