Diadophis punctatus, commonly known as the ringneck snake or ring-necked snake, is a species of colubrid snake. It is found throughout much of the United States, central Mexico, and south eastern Canada. Ring-necked snakes are secretive, nocturnal snakes that are rarely seen during the day time. They are slightly venomous but their non-aggressive nature and small rear-facing fangs pose little threat to humans who wish to handle them. They are best known for their unique defense posture of curling up their tails exposing their bright red-orange posterior, ventral surface when threatened.
Dorsal coloration is solid olive, brown, bluish gray to black, broken only by a distinct yellow, red, or yellow-orange neck band. Head coloration tends to be slightly darker than the rest of the body with tendencies to be blacker than grey or olive. Ventrally the snakes exhibit a yellow-orange to red coloration broken by crescent shaped black spots along the margins
Ring-necked snakes use a combination of constriction and envenomation to secure their prey. The snakes do not have a true venom gland, but they do have an analogous structure called the Duvernoy’s gland derived from the same tissue.
Ring-necked snakes first strike and then secure the prey using constriction. Next they maneuver their mouths forward ensuring that the last maxillary tooth punctures the skin allowing the venom to enter the prey’s tissue. Ring-necked snakes are rarely aggressive to larger predators suggesting that their venom evolved as a feeding strategy rather than a defense strategy. Rather than trying to bite a predator, the snake winds up its tail into a corkscrew, exposing the brightly colored belly.
Fuente: 
LAS CULISUELTAS - MEGAMIX 2011 - (Sonido Oficial) (por maxi154ful)
do-nothing: Uranus’s Weird Sideways Orbit
Uranus’s highly tilted axis makes it something of an oddball in our Solar System. The accepted wisdom is that Uranus was knocked on its side by a single large impact, but new research revises our theories of how Uranus became so tilted and also solves fresh mysteries about the position and orbits of its moons. By using simulations of planetary formation and collisions, it appears that early in its life Uranus experienced a succession of small punches instead of a single knock-out blow. This research has important ramifications on our theories of giant planet formation.
Uranus is unusual in that its spin axis is inclined by 98 degrees compared to its orbital plane around the Sun. This is far more pronounced than other planets, such as Jupiter (3 degrees), Earth (23 degrees), or Saturn and Neptune (29 degrees). Uranus is, in effect, spinning on its side.
The generally accepted theory is that in the past a body a few times more massive than the Earth collided with Uranus, knocking the planet on its side. There is, however, one significant flaw in this notion: the moons of Uranus should have been left orbiting in their original angles, but they too lie at almost exactly 98 degrees…(read more: Daily Galaxy)
This fiery porcupine-looking nudibranch is Phidiana hiltoni. I don’t think anyone could deny that this is a beautiful creature, however its personality isn’t so lovely. They are quite brutish and will constantly pick fights with other aeolids, including others of its own kind. Better not to mess with this fellow.
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