Small fish, frogs and even other turtles are often fooled into believing that they found dinner, but as soon as they enter the gator snapper’s jaws to attack the worm, the turtle closes its mouth with tremendous force, instantly killing its prey. Its tongue has a fleshy appendage that looks much like a worm, and the turtle can move this appendage to make it even more worm-like. It lies motionless in the water, looking very much like a harmless rock, with its jaws wide open. Instead, it uses a hunting technique very similar to that of the Cantil pit viper. Although armed with powerful jaws and sharp claws, the alligator snapper is still a turtle, after all, and can’t chase after prey at high speed. This infamous predator is the largest freshwater turtle in North America it can weigh up to 100 kgs or more, and lives in southern US lakes, rivers and swamps. Other snakes known to use the same hunting technique, called “caudal luring” by scientists, are the North American copperhead, the Australian death adder and the Dumeril boa from Madagascar. Although Cantil vipers are not the only snakes that use their tail to trick prey, they are possibly the best known for it.īecause of their yellow or white tail, in some parts of Mexico and Central America these snakes are often called “rabo de hueso”, which means “bone tail”, because, since the rest of the snake’s body is dark colored, it looks as if the tail had been stripped of its skin. Since many of its favorite prey feed on worms, they are tricked into approaching or even attacking the lure, and then the snake can strike and inject its deadly venom on the unsuspecting would-be predator. Its tail has a bright yellow or whitish tip, and the snake can move its tail so that it resembles a wriggling worm. Instead, it uses a clever trick to lure their victims into attack range. Unlike fast-moving elapids such as cobras and mambas, the Cantil has a short, heavy body and can’t chase quickly after prey. They feed on any small animal they can catch, from birds and frogs to lizards and small mammals. They are highly venomous their bite causes necrosis, hemorrhage and even renal failure victims who don’t receive any medical attention after a cantil bite are likely to die in a few hours.īut these pit vipers prefer to save their venom for their prey. Found in Mexico and Central America, this snake belongs to the pitviper subfamily, and is closely related to the cottonmouth and copperhead vipers from the southern United States.
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