Monday, April 29, 2024

Medusa, the Snake Haired Gorgon in Greek Mythology

snake hair

Unlike other creatures who were mortal, Medusa was mortal and capable of death. When Perseus arrived, he forced her to look into the shield and see her reflection, which turned her to stone. Most legends claim that the hero Perseus killed her with help from Hermes and others. The Greek hero came to see her on the orders of King Polydectes who ruled over Seriphus.

Gopher Snake

To the Greeks, monsters weren't seen as inherently evil or ugly. A monster was any creature that transgressed human perception, including the beautiful, winged horse Pegasus (born from Medusa's blood after her beheading by Perseus). In Greek culture, the world was composed of complementary dualities — day and night, Mount Olympus and Hades — and both good and evil could exist at the same time, even within the gods. These snakes are dark gray to brown on their sides with a lighter, tan to yellow stripe going down the middle of the their backs. Their undersides and bottom flanks are the same color as the strip on the top of their back. This snake’s base color ranges from cream to tan to light brown.

Medusa, the Snake Haired Gorgon in Greek Mythology

Lyre Snakes are nocturnal and mostly eat lizards, but they will also eat small snakes and mammals. The tend to camouflage themselves in the rock and sneak up on the lizards. There is another subspecies, known as the Smith’s Black-headed Snake, that is found in spotty locations of the Southern California desert such as Death Valley and Joshua Tree. It primarily eats lizards but it will eat rodents and smalll rabbits as well.

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There are two subspecies of Shovel-nosed Snake that live in Southern California, the Mojave Shovel-nosed Snake and the Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake. The Mojave Glossy Snake is native to the Mojave Desert including the Antelope Valley, and the upper third of San Bernardino County. Ring-necked Snakes are small, about pencil width, and inches in length. These are shy snakes that generally hide under things like rocks, logs, or leaf litter.

It is a fast moving snake and hard to photograph and identify because it doesn’t stick around long enough. It can be spotted near the rare river or pond that is located in this especially dry part of the state. The Desert Striped Whipsnake lives in the rural desert scrub and sagebrush flats of some of the most unpopulated areas in California. Where does the Desert Striped Whipsnake live in Southern California?

snake hair

The Exile of the Monster

They also had the power to petrify anyone who looked into their eyes. When she reached adulthood, the young Medusa had become a magnificent woman loved by all. Although the men tried to conquer her, the latter paid no attention. She wanted, since childhood, to become a priestess of Athena. For this fact, the apprentices of the temple had to have an exemplary conduct so as not to taint the goddess.

Red Stripe

The shorter and thicker body of the Water Moccasin can normally be used as field identification clues to distinguish between them. Many gods and men were madly in love with them and no longer went to the temple of Athena to adulate the goddess but to admire her disciple. Besides, Poseidon, god of the sea, had a disagreement with the owner of the Temple. In revenge, he decided that his most devoted and exemplary disciple should be defiled. There are various references to other Gorgons in early Greek literature, or to other versions of the myth of the Gorgons. After that was done, Perseus returned his magical gifts and gave Medusa's head as an offering to Athena.

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There are four subspecies of Gopher Snake in SoCal which I will list below. The Marcy’s Checkered Garter Snake is not seen in most of Southern California, but if you head out to the Colorado River to camp and play, you just might see one. It is an aquatic snake so be sure to watch for it in the water and safe places to hide along the shore. It is usually 2-3 feet long and is identified by two lateral stripes along the sides of the snake that are either yellow or gray. They eat a variety of small mammals such as mice, kangaroo rats, and jackrabbits.

Since they are pit vipers, they have pits on the side of their heads that sense heat and help them target prey. The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake is the subspecies of Western Rattlesnake that is most commonly seen in Southern California. It is the snake I most commonly see when I am out hiking in Orange County. You are most likely to see them sunning themselves in the spring and fall. The Human Wildlife Conflicts Program helps people to manage their relationships with wildlife, including snakes. However, most of the dangerous snakes found in California and other parts of the US are pit vipers.

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Both subspecies of Shovel-nosed Snakes in Southern California eat insects, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. The Shovel-nosed Snake uses its flat, slightly pointed snout to “swim” through desert sand. It is nocturnal so your best chances of seeing them are when they cross desert roads at night.

Here, a stripe of blonde and a slight undercut (in a much darker color) helps to mimic a mohawk. For more subtle versions of this color duo, opt for a half-and-half pairing, with your unnatural opposite on the lower half and the more natural of the two colors up top. You'll be playing tricks on eyes everywhere when you flip around what appears to be your solid-hued mane, only to reveal a peek-a-boo contrasting color below. For general identification purposes and for personal safety reasons, most people only need know that a rattlesnake can be identified by the rattle at the end of the tail. It’s the only snake with that physical characteristic and a good clue to keep away from the snake. Dekay’s Brownsake, first picture, might pass for a common garden snake in most areas of the east.

Where does the Red Diamond Rattlesnake live in Southern California? It mainly lives in San Diego County, Orange County, and western Riverside County. In many ways, the Northern Mojave Rattlesnake looks and acts like a Western Diamondback, but there are some differences in appearance.

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