COLUBRINE

January 24, 2010

Colubrine
\’käl-ye-‘brin\ adj 1: relating to a snake 2: relating to a large family (Colubridae) of chiefly nonvenomous snakes.*

Recently, I have developed what might be considered an unhealthy affinity for The Animal Planet. At the risk of sounding like my mother, I find it so fascinating. There is one show in particular that really strikes my fancy; I’m Alive. This show tells the stories of individuals who have been attacked by members of different wild habitats and who, against the odds, survive to tell the tail.
The majority of attacks are colubrine. One episode in particular told the story of an older man who worked with venomous snakes. While trying to shed a Taipan, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, he was bitten and soon was dizzy and out of breath. Watching this man’s downward spiral toward the afterworld was nervewracking, especially because the anti-venom that he needed was in San Diego and had to be flown out. Ok, no problem, you say? Think again. It was September 11th, 2001; no planes were allowed to fly.
After pulling some strings and getting him the anti-venom, the individual made a full recovery. Despite the harrowing stories of adventure and chance, The Animal Planet still makes me go a little wild!

* letter “e” is upside down producing sound of “uh”