External links
- Wild Recon at IMDb
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Wild Recon (Tuesdays at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central) is hosted by animal expert Donald Schultz. The show hosts many deadly animals such as: death adder, saltwater crocodile, lion and many other countless species that can take lives in an instant. Near the beginning of the show Donald states where he is, the main animals he's looking for, and then says "This is not a stunt; this is my job" and jumps out of the helicopter. Schultz's mission is to extract venom and other rare attributes of some of the world's deadliest, most intriguing animals. These samples are used to catalog information of lesser known species as well as research possible antidotes and medicinal uses. The first episode aired on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 9 pm Eastern time on Animal Planet.
A list of episodes of the first season of Wild Recon, as well as the area(s) Donald Schultz traveled to.
"Venom in Vegas"
In this episode of Wild Recon, Donald Schultz lives in a clear box full of snakes for ten days. Schultz starts with 50 snakes, and is continuously introduced to more at a pace of 5 per day. Schultz is acquainted with species such as black mambas, rattlesnakes, and puff adders. Appropriate precautions were taken so that in the event that Schultz was bitten, medics would be on the scene instantly. During the ten days he is rooming with snakes, Donald extracts samples to learn more about the species. He claims his mission is to show people that humans can live along with snakes, regardless of whether they are venomous or not.
On the episode "Bitten" Donald is injected by a type of tree snake and his arm begins to swell, but he makes it on, and gets DNA samples from the elusive platypus.
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The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of venomous snakes found in most parts of the world, with the exception of Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, various other isolated islands, and north of the Arctic Circle. All have long, hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of snake venom. Four subfamilies are currently recognized. They are also known as viperids. The name "viper" is derived from the Latin word vipera, -ae, also meaning viper, possibly from vivus ("living") and parere, referring to the trait viviparity common in vipers but not in snakes at large.
Taipans are snakes of the genus Oxyuranus in the elapid family. They are large, fast-moving, highly venomous, and endemic to Australia. There are currently three recognised species, one of which, the coastal taipan, has two subspecies. Taipans are one of the deadliest known snakes.
A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occur. This may result in redness, swelling, and severe pain at the area, which may take up to an hour to appear. Vomiting, blurred vision, tingling of the limbs, and sweating may result. Most bites are on the hands, arms, or legs. Fear following a bite is common with symptoms of a racing heart and feeling faint. The venom may cause bleeding, kidney failure, a severe allergic reaction, tissue death around the bite, or breathing problems. Bites may result in the loss of a limb or other chronic problems. The outcome depends on the type of snake, the area of the body bitten, the amount of venom injected, and the general health of the person bitten. Problems are often more severe in children than adults, due to their smaller size.
Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous snake that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and as far as East Asia. The species is also the only venomous snake native to Great Britain.
Rattler is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Captain America vol. 1 #310, created by writer Mark Gruenwald and artist Paul Neary. The name Rattler was also used by two Marvel comics characters from the Wild West era, both enemies of the Rawhide Kid. A fourth Rattler appeared in the Spider-Man newspaper comic strip, who gained power by being bitten by a snake and then treated with an experimental anti-venom.
The inland taipan, also commonly known as the western taipan, the small-scaled snake or the fierce snake, is a species of extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia. Aboriginal Australians living in those regions named the snake Dandarabilla. It was first described by Frederick McCoy in 1879 and then by William John Macleay in 1882, but for the next 90 years, it was a mystery to the scientific community; no further specimens were found, and virtually nothing was added to the knowledge of this species until its rediscovery in 1972.
The Jeff Corwin Experience is an American wildlife documentary television program that premiered on the Animal Planet cable channel in 2000. It was hosted by actor and conservationist Jeff Corwin, who previously hosted Disney Channel's Going Wild with Jeff Corwin.
The black mamba is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra; mature specimens generally exceed 2 m and commonly grow to 3 m. Specimens of 4.3 to 4.5 m have been reported. Its skin colour varies from grey to dark brown. Juvenile black mambas tend to be paler than adults and darken with age.
Bitis nasicornis is a venomous viper species found in the forests of West and Central Africa. This large viper is known for its striking coloration and prominent nasal "horns." No subspecies are currently recognized.
Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake by playing and waving around an instrument called a pungi. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand. The practice was historically the profession of some tribesmen in India but this is no longer the case. Snake-charmer performances still happen in other Asian nations such as Pakistan. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and south-east Asian nations like Thailand and Malaysia are also home to performers, as are the North African countries of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
The puff adder is a venomous viper species found in savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions. It is responsible for causing the most snakebite fatalities in Africa owing to various factors, such as its wide distribution, frequent occurrence in highly populated regions, and aggressive disposition. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Nigel Alan Marven is a British wildlife TV presenter, naturalist, conservationist, author, and television producer. He is best known as presenter of the BBC miniseries Chased by Dinosaurs, its sequel, Sea Monsters, as well as the ITV miniseries Prehistoric Park. He is also known for his unorthodox, spontaneous, and daring style of presenting wildlife documentaries as well as for including factual knowledge in the proceedings. This has led some people to compare him to Steve Irwin. Nigel ran the 2008 London marathon in 4 hours 4 minutes to try to raise £20,000 for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society UK.
The berg adder is a small, venomous viper species endemic to mountainous regions in southern Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.
The Australian Reptile Park is located at Somersby on the Central Coast, New South Wales in Australia. It is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) North of Sydney, and is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, with close to 50 species on display. The wide variety of reptile species at the Park includes snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises, Komodo dragons, American alligators and crocodiles.
Donald Schultz is a South African film maker, writer and entertainer who travels the world working with dangerous species.
Fatal Attractions is a recurring documentary series on Animal Planet. First aired in 2010, the show focused on humans who have kept animals as unconventional pets that have turned out to be dangerous and sometimes fatal. This program held a TV-14 rating due to the disturbing content in each episode.
The Chennai Snake Park, officially the Chennai Snake Park Trust, is a not-for-profit NGO constituted in 1972 by herpetologist Romulus Whitaker and is India's first reptile park. Also known as the Guindy Snake Park, it is located next to the Children's Park in the Guindy National Park campus. Located on the former home of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, the park is home to a wide range of snakes such as adders, pythons, vipers, cobras and other reptiles. The park gained statutory recognition as a medium zoo from the Central Zoo Authority in 1995.
The coastal taipan, or common taipan, is a species of large, extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to the coastal regions of northern and eastern Australia and the island of New Guinea. According to most toxicological studies, this species is the third-most venomous land snake in the world after the inland taipan and eastern brown snake based on its murine LD50.
Freek Jacobus Vonk is a Dutch biologist who specializes in herpetology with a special interest in snake venom. He travels the world in search of the most spectacular and bizarre creatures. He has been bitten by a number of venomous snakes, almost lost his arm due to a Caribbean reef shark bite and has housed several parasites in his own body.