Snake killer.Many animals--and lots of people--are afraid of snakes Snake 1 n. pl. Snake or Snakes See Shoshone. snake n. 1. . But not the mongoose mongoose, name for a large number of small, carnivorous, terrestrial Old World mammals of the civet family. They are found in S Asia and in Africa, with one species extending into S Spain. . Mongooses (not mongeese) may be small (only about 60 cm or 24 inches long), but they are custom-made cus·tom-made adj. Made according to the specifications of an individual purchaser. Noun 1. custom-made - an item made to the customer's specifications custom-built for snake killing. They move lightning-fast, have five long claws on each foot, and a mouthful of sharp teeth. When a mongoose attacks a snake, it strikes at the snake's head snake's head see fritillaria meleagris. and cracks its skull with one powerful bite. Scientists recently discovered a secret defense mongooses have against snakes: they're immune to the snakes' venom! Even if a mongoose suffers a snake bite, it will live. Scientists hope to use the mongoose's secret weapon to create anti-venom drugs that protect people against snake bites. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion