This danger noodle isn’t very dangerous—unless you’re a lizard, arthropod, or rodent! Meet the Arabian sand boa (Eryx jayakari), a non-venomous snake found in parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Notice its unusual eyes? Because they’re positioned at the top of the boa’s head, this species can remain almost perfectly concealed in desert sand while watching for prey. After ambushing its victims, this snek constricts its soon-to-be meal, squeezing until suffocation or immobilization occurs.
The remains of a female “vampire”, pinned to the ground with a sickle across her throat to prevent her returning from the dead, were found during archaeological work at a 17th century cemetery in the village of Pien in Poland.
