By Kim Atienza
Alam n’yo ba? Na merong water snake na ang mukha ay parang sa aso?
Dog-faced water snake can be found in the Philippines and in other Southeast Asian countries. Ang physical features nila ay strong upper jaw, prominent and round eyes. Hitsura ng isang aso.
These snakes also have dark spots and bars with gray, brown and olive colored backs. Their belly’s color varies by gender.
Males have brown covered smears while females have bright yellow or orange smears.
•
The length of a dog-faced water snake measures up to 47 inches.
It has gray, brown or olive colored backs with dark spots and bars.
Ang dog-faced water snake ay namumuhay sa mga shrubs, estuaries at mud flats. Pwede rin silang maka-survive sa fresh and salt waters, ngunit mas type nila ang dark, blackish waters.
•
Ang dog-faced water snake ay aktibo sa gabi.
Upang protektahan ang sarili laban sa mga predators, nakakapagpalabas ito ng mabahong amoy upang lumayo ang kalaban.
Ang lason nito ay di gasinong matapang. Gayunpaman, hindi rin naman masyadong agresibo ang ahas na ito.
Ang dog-faced water snake ay marunong tumalon. Kaya nitong maglambitin sa puno. Ginagamit nito ang kanyang buntot upang manghuli ng isda.
Ayon sa IUCN Red list of Threatened Species, ang dog-faced water snake ay kabilang sa listahan ng endangered animals in the Philippines.
Ito ay bunga ng urbanisasyon ng mga coastal areas sa bansa.
•
MORE USEFUL TIPS FROM THE BOOK, LIVING WITH FOLK WISDOM, BY ABERCIO V. ROTOR, Ph.D.): Peanut oil can be processed to produce glycerol, which can be used to make nitroglycerin, one of the constituents of dynamite. There are, however, other processed foods that can be used to make dynamites without using peanuts at all.
•
Coconut water can be used (in emergencies) as a substitute for blood plasma.
•
Fresh bread is the most commonly purchased food.
•
Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.
Atingtuklasinangmgabagay-bagayna di niyo pa alam. Walang ’di susuungin, lahataalamin.Ito posiKuya Kim, Matanglawin, only here in Tempo.
