Snake

[ozzydom]

A harmless non-venomous Keelback nailed me on the ankle last week, trouble was the blood thinning medication following my heart op and the fact it got me on an artery meant I bled like a stuck pig, I spent a couple of days in the lounge chair to weak to stand up.

And NO,I didnt kill it ,only because I couldnt catch it,but every snake on our farm is on borrowed time from this day on.

Sh1t, don't sound good mate. Hope you're on the mend!

Hi mate,Yep coming good now,since the heart episode I have been bitten by the snake then a swarm of wasps and yesterday a spider got me on the hand, (boy ,they sting ) all I need now is a love bite.

[ClaytonSeymour]

I spent over 3 years living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, I found that EVERYONE knew about what reptiles were harmfull and what ones were not, they all had respect for the wildelife and environment and never killed harmless snakes out of ignorance and mis-understanding.

There all country bumkins there, that's why.

Maybe when you're in Thailand you should accept the way Thais do things. Next, you'll be wanting them to eat black puddings made from blood.

BTW, why is killing a snake worse than killing a cow? Try going to India and telling them there.

Well seeing as you've mentioned India, you may like to know that Indian's are far less likely to kill snakes than Thais; they are revered there both for their important role in Indian mythology & the essential role they play in the environment. I'd also add that Indian children are taught at school what snakes are/aren't venomous, behaviour and basic first aid.

Even, in Africa, people are far less likely to kill a passing snake just for the sake of it, than their Thai counterparts. They are also more likely to be able to correctly identify & distinguish between venomous/non-venomous snakes.

South East Asia in general as a negative attitude towards snakes & indeed nature in general; countless animals, including snakes, perish purely for unfounded/false medicinal purposes.

Farang attitudes stem from how snakes are depicted in fiction; the facts are completely different. Yes, there are times when venomous snakes need to be removed from one's property, but this doesn't mean they have to be killed. On the other hand, most snakes that find their way in to someone's house or garden will soon find a way out of their own accord. As for the poster who killed a snake because he feared for his dog, I can assure you that unless it's a python eyeing a dog for dinner; dog's are more than capable of looking after themselves & know how to "hound" snakes away.

[ozzydom]

Quote...okidoki

Have to ask...

I have now read about green cobras and very deadly green snakes in the jungles outside Chiang Mai in this thread.

Cant help you mate, I also was a bit puzzled about the green cobra but cant find any reference to it anywhere.

There are plenty of green vipers in theTrimeresurus family,the White-lipped Tree Viper,Big-Eyed Pit Viper,Popes Pit Viper, Bamboo Pit Viper you mentioned,Indonesian Pit Viper and the Temple Viper all classified as dangerous and all found in Thailand.

[jackr]

A harmless non-venomous Keelback nailed me on the ankle last week, trouble was the blood thinning medication following my heart op and the fact it got me on an artery meant I bled like a stuck pig, I spent a couple of days in the lounge chair to weak to stand up.

And NO,I didnt kill it ,only because I couldnt catch it,but every snake on our farm is on borrowed time from this day on.

Sh1t, don't sound good mate. Hope you're on the mend!

Hi mate,Yep coming good now,since the heart episode I have been bitten by the snake then a swarm of wasps and yesterday a spider got me on the hand, (boy ,they sting ) all I need now is a love bite.

Onya mate. Didn't realise you were havin the op. Was gonna say, you wouldn't want any more blood-thinning potions in yer body or is one on the wagon?

[Okidoki]

Quote...okidoki

Have to ask...

I have now read about green cobras and very deadly green snakes in the jungles outside Chiang Mai in this thread.

Cant help you mate, I also was a bit puzzled about the green cobra but cant find any reference to it anywhere.

There are plenty of green vipers in theTrimeresurus family,the White-lipped Tree Viper,Big-Eyed Pit Viper,Popes Pit Viper, Bamboo Pit Viper you mentioned,Indonesian Pit Viper and the Temple Viper all classified as dangerous and all found in Thailand.

I know quite a lot of Trimeresurus. Most of the pure green ones are Albrolabris, towards Vietnam you find Steijnegerii, etc. Unfortunately I am not too good with the english names. Even Sri Lanka has at least one, very beautiful specie called Trigonocephalus. Quite possible to compare in its beauty with Wagleri, The Templeviper.

However, to call them dangerous might be a good word (since if they can, they will bite you...), but their poison is absolutely not fatal. (If you aren´t very sensitive, allergic, etc.) But you will be in a very bad mood... and feeling like you have your worst experience ever. At the same time, you wonder if you are right about the facts you have studied, lying in E.R.... :-)

As far as I know, the only really green snakes that are dangerous in the world are some of the mambas. (All of the green mambas are actually not green... More Olive or greyish in their colouration.) I can´t remember any other snake that is green and really dangerous. (There might be some Chinese or Australian one I do not know of, but hardly....)

www.gherp.com is an american site that offers both Mambas and Pit vipers among many other snakes. In Thailand, Kobras are offered for 500 THB and King Cobras for 800THB/kg. If the Thai´s understand the value and how to keep the snakes healthy, it might be a new business opportunity for them!

The big problem is that even the people who has this as a profession in Thailand (catch/keep snakes) knows what they are doing. So all snakes seems to be Cobras or Mambas. And the green ones are especially evil!!! :-) Well... that lack of competence is probably true for people all over the whole world. It is more knowledge you learn out of interest then based on proper learning in school, etc.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Okidoki

[Acquiesce]

OMG, you think it's ok to kill people but not snakes!

It is a big step to take another human life, It is not to be done lightly.

Don't start talking about something that you could not even begin to understand.

[ozzydom]

A harmless non-venomous Keelback nailed me on the ankle last week, trouble was the blood thinning medication following my heart op and the fact it got me on an artery meant I bled like a stuck pig, I spent a couple of days in the lounge chair to weak to stand up.

And NO,I didnt kill it ,only because I couldnt catch it,but every snake on our farm is on borrowed time from this day on.

Sh1t, don't sound good mate. Hope you're on the mend!

Hi mate,Yep coming good now,since the heart episode I have been bitten by the snake then a swarm of wasps and yesterday a spider got me on the hand, (boy ,they sting ) all I need now is a love bite.

Onya mate. Didn't realise you were havin the op. Was gonna say, you wouldn't want any more blood-thinning potions in yer body or is one on the wagon?

Do little piggies fly?

[ThaiFelix]

As for the OP and Neeranam's wife killing Rat Snakes, well that is just ignorance and a lack of education about the environment in which they live.

Go to Australia and anyone can tell you which snakes are harmless and which are not.

Have you had much to do with reptiles in Oz.??? I dont think so !

We regard everything as dangerous (which they usually are ) until proven otherwise.

Its very obvious that you have never been chased by a bad-tempered venomous snake , or struck at by a Chappel Island Tiger snake or a King Brown,I have and it is not a pleasant experience..

Its a bit late to reach for your Snakes of Thailand book or go Googling after getting bitten.

Nail the suckers first ,identify it later....

I spent over 3 years living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, I found that EVERYONE knew about what reptiles were harmfull and what ones were not, they all had respect for the wildelife and environment and never killed harmless snakes out of ignorance and mis-understanding.

Totally agree. I come from West Australia and we were always given up to date info re what snake/spider etc was what and whether they were poisonous or not. The school I went to was alive with venomous Dugites and the gardeners were always chasing them out of or from under the classrooms. In fact the mates and I used to steal corrugated iron sheeting from the school demo yard and lay it out in the bush to attract legless lizards for Science projects and would often ponce on a dugite or tiger snake. I also farmed in the southwest which has more than its share of deadly tigers. The last few years I was in Oz I worked in the Northwest and saw many a snake at the plants I worked/lived on..........to cut the story short its like I said to my wife the other day when she wanted to reaarange the front yard after seeing a snake...How many people do you know who has been bitten by a snake? killed by a snake? none! We were always told in Oz that, generally speaking, people were bitten by snakes while trying to kill them or accidently standing on them..so tread noisily and dont try to kill em.

If you are really worried about the real killers in this world then keep away from bees, dont stand under coconut trees, nor swim with hippos, avoid US military, and most certainly keep your distance from those two and four wheeled machines that whizz down your Soi!! Snakes are too far down the list to worry about.

[Sakeopete]

Where did yu get that photo of the roo and snake? I'm aussi and I've seen some huge King Browns and Tigers but what on earrth is that thing?

That is an olive python (Liasis olivaceus olivaceus)

[Okidoki]

Where did yu get that photo of the roo and snake? I'm aussi and I've seen some huge King Browns and Tigers but what on earrth is that thing?

That is an olive python (Liasis olivaceus olivaceus)

hmm... More looks like an Amethystine Python... Morelia Amethystinus. Based on the length and body size... But I might be wrong.

[gburns57au]

Where did yu get that photo of the roo and snake? I'm aussi and I've seen some huge King Browns and Tigers but what on earrth is that thing?

That is an olive python (Liasis olivaceus olivaceus)

hmm... More looks like an Amethystine Python... Morelia Amethystinus. Based on the length and body size... But I might be wrong.

I actually believe it is a Photoshop python

[gburns57au]

I have had a few encounters with dugites, bitten twice.....very few snakes will attack, most will go away.....

However I understand that when there are kids involved then killing is an option....kids dont have the same ingrained fear that most adults have and they are naturally curious, that combination along with snakes means that the likelihood of a bite is greatly increased.

Thailand has very few poisonous spiders....Australia has many venomous spiders...the first thing I show any visitor to here is the common redback spider and let them know that it is poisonous spider and care should be taken....especially after unseasonal weather here a couple of years ago saw a plague of them inside and outside the house.

[Pundi64]

Here is one you do not want to see in your backyard

[Acquiesce]

I spent over 3 years living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, I found that EVERYONE knew about what reptiles were harmfull and what ones were not, they all had respect for the wildelife and environment and never killed harmless snakes out of ignorance and mis-understanding.

There all country bumkins there, that's why.

Maybe when you're in Thailand you should accept the way Thais do things. Next, you'll be wanting them to eat black puddings made from blood.

BTW, why is killing a snake worse than killing a cow? Try going to India and telling them there.

Well seeing as you've mentioned India, you may like to know that Indian's are far less likely to kill snakes than Thais; they are revered there both for their important role in Indian mythology & the essential role they play in the environment. I'd also add that Indian children are taught at school what snakes are/aren't venomous, behaviour and basic first aid.

Even, in Africa, people are far less likely to kill a passing snake just for the sake of it, than their Thai counterparts. They are also more likely to be able to correctly identify & distinguish between venomous/non-venomous snakes.

South East Asia in general as a negative attitude towards snakes & indeed nature in general; countless animals, including snakes, perish purely for unfounded/false medicinal purposes.

Farang attitudes stem from how snakes are depicted in fiction; the facts are completely different. Yes, there are times when venomous snakes need to be removed from one's property, but this doesn't mean they have to be killed. On the other hand, most snakes that find their way in to someone's house or garden will soon find a way out of their own accord. As for the poster who killed a snake because he feared for his dog, I can assure you that unless it's a python eyeing a dog for dinner; dog's are more than capable of looking after themselves & know how to "hound" snakes away.

Great post

[Neeranam]

SHREDDED SNAKE WITH RAINBOW VEGETABLES

Ingredients:

1 one-ounce package bean thread noodles

1 cup corn oil

3 wonton wrappers, cut in half then into very thin slivers.

2 Tablespoons rice wine

2 Tablespoons red vinegar

1/4 pound Chinese celery, cut into one-inch-long pieces

1 green pepper, cut into thin one-inch-long slivers

1/4 sweet red pepper, cut into thin one-inch-long slivers

1 small daikon, cut into thin one-inch-long slivers

2 Tablespoons dried tangerine peel. Soaked and slivered as are the vegetables

1 tablespoon corn oil

2 cloves garlic, slivered as are the vegetables

2 slices fresh ginger, cit into thin slivers

1 Tablespoon wine, dry sherry, or vermouth

1/2 pound snake meat, cut into one-inch thin slivers

Preparation:

1. Pull bean threads apart in half.

2. Heat cup of oil and fry half the bean threads until they expand completely, drain them, put on paper towels and repeat with the other half. Put both batches on a platter and crush them ever so slightly, just until the top seems flat.

3. Fry the wonton wrapper pieces, drain and set aside on a paper towel.

4. Soak snake meat in wine and vinegar for one hour, drain and discard the liquid.

5. Mix celery, peppers, daikon, and tangerine peel and set aside.

6. Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic and ginger until it gives off a strong aroma.

7. Fry the vegetable mixture for one minute, then add the wine and the snake meat and stir-fry about three minutes, Put on the bean threads and serve topping with the fried wonton pieces.

Serves six to eight.

One ounce of snake has 26 kilocalories, 5.8 g protein, 0.5 g total carbohydrate, 19 mg sodium, and 0.2 g total fat.

[tb42_So]

2 years ago when i was sitting on the chair at the beach bar on the island in Trang, there's a 3 meters cobra crawled underneath my chair. It came from the back so i didn't see it until it was passing me. I was frozen on the chair, didn't move at all.But luckily it went in the bar underneath the fridge and the resort staff killed it and Burmese builders had it for dinner. i got a few photos somewhere, might be able to share it with you guys later.

[Acquiesce]

the resort staff killed it and Burmese builders had it for dinner.

Yep, usualy find is the lower classes that eat them, taxi drivers, builders, security guards, TEFLers etc.

[Neeranam]

the resort staff killed it and Burmese builders had it for dinner.

Yep, usualy find is the lower classes that eat them, taxi drivers, builders, security guards, TEFLers etc.

Strange thing to say when you were a TEfler 4 years ago

What's your occupation now?

The Chinese are the biggest eaters of snakes in Thailand.

[xyborg]

<br />

the resort staff killed it and Burmese builders had it for dinner.

<br />Yep, usualy find is the lower classes that eat them, taxi drivers, builders, security guards, TEFLers etc.<br />

<br />Strange thing to say when you were a TEfler 4 years ago <img src="style_emoticons/default/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> <br /><br />What's your occupation now?<br /><br />The Chinese are the biggest eaters of snakes in Thailand.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I thought cobras were the biggest eaters of snakes in Thailand?

[Acquiesce]

Strange thing to say when you were a TEfler 4 years ago

Never have been.

[papaya9]

I'm sick of Thais who indiscriminately kill animals/bugs/plants just to kill them. Mindless.

[macb]

Well my German Shepherd killed this one similar colouring to the one Neeranman is showing. In the village its a called a frog snake and they say not venomous but I dont trust any snake so I support my dog and my big stick

This green one was climbing down the carport, but went into the Papaya tree so I left it

[ozzydom]

I'm sick of Thais who indiscriminately kill animals/bugs/plants just to kill them. Mindless.

A statement from somebody who has not got a clue, its called survival, many Thai do not have the luxury of pockets full of cash to visit the supermarket or restaurants as you do.

The fields ,marshes and rivers are their supermarket, even roadkill, skittle a dog or big lizard and sit back to see how quickly it goes in a tucker bag for dinner.

Indigenous people the world over are mainly hunter -gatherers and Thais are no different.

[mpdkorat]

Sorry Double post

Edited November 4, 2007 by mpdkorat

[mpdkorat]

Not sure whats going on with the edit selection today?

Edited November 4, 2007 by mpdkorat

[mpdkorat]

A harmless non-venomous Keelback nailed me on the ankle last week, trouble was the blood thinning medication following my heart op and the fact it got me on an artery meant I bled like a stuck pig, I spent a couple of days in the lounge chair to weak to stand up.

And NO,I didnt kill it ,only because I couldnt catch it,but every snake on our farm is on borrowed time from this day on.

I know it's not politically correct, but any snake that comes near my house is a dead one. A Ngoo Sing is not poisonous, but if they bite a adult there will be considerable swelling and pain. If it was to bite my 2 year old the result could be far more serious. I would not consider myself to be a sole mate of Neeram, but on this point I agree with him. My house and child my choice.

Edit: Oh forgot to mention the wife took out a poisonous one yesterday that was climbing up the gate at the back of my house, where my son regularly goes to, to visit my neighbour. Cheeky Farang was quite impressed with the wife's ferocity.

[Neeranam]

I would not consider myself to be a sole mate of Neeram , but on this point I agree with him

[Mosha]

Because I'm out in the sticks, and our cats regularly bring snakes home. Including King Cobra hatchlings. I bought a book.

A Photographic guide to Snakes and other reptiles of Thailand and South East Asia." An Asia book publication.

The locals around here tend to kill first and ask questions later. Although I have seen a fully grown KC at the back of our house. I did have a too close encounter with a 6 footer. I was scraping my meal remains into the dogs bowl', when a movement caught my eye. It was slithering away, with it's hood extended. It had found a hole under our house which we later filled in. We also had a fully grown monocled cobra in our kitchen, now my wife knows why I kept telling her to leave the doors closed.

A couple of years back one of our friends come running in shouting snake come quick. I went to look and it was a Blood Python. The book says it's the smallest and least common of the pythons in Thailand. As I walked away, they asked was I going to kill it? I replied leave it alone, it's not posonous. They only get to 2.75 m

[Sakeopete]

Because I'm out in the sticks, and our cats regularly bring snakes home. Including King Cobra hatchlings. I bought a book.

A Photographic guide to Snakes and other reptiles of Thailand and South East Asia." An Asia book publication.

The locals around here tend to kill first and ask questions later. Although I have seen a fully grown KC at the back of our house. I did have a too close encounter with a 6 footer. I was scraping my meal remains into the dogs bowl', when a movement caught my eye. It was slithering away, with it's hood extended. It had found a hole under our house which we later filled in. We also had a fully grown monocled cobra in our kitchen, now my wife knows why I kept telling her to leave the doors closed.

A couple of years back one of our friends come running in shouting snake come quick. I went to look and it was a Blood Python. The book says it's the smallest and least common of the pythons in Thailand. As I walked away, they asked was I going to kill it? I replied leave it alone, it's not posonous. They only get to 2.75 m

Wow that's lucky finding a blood python I used to captive breed them in Canada, though my pythons were Sumatran Blood Pythons. They are harmless but do have a nasty temper if handled similar to reticulated pythons. What area do you live in? Have you seen any nice monitor lizards? If you see a blood python again please post a photo I would be interested to see the coloration compared to my Sumatran.

[Sakeopete]

Where did yu get that photo of the roo and snake? I'm aussi and I've seen some huge King Browns and Tigers but what on earrth is that thing?

That is an olive python (Liasis olivaceus olivaceus)

hmm... More looks like an Amethystine Python... Morelia Amethystinus. Based on the length and body size... But I might be wrong.

I actually believe it is a Photoshop python

You could be correct it may be a Amethystine Python the photo is too small to be sure. I was basing my guess on the lack of pattern and that the Amethystine Pythons I've seen tend to have a more angular head. Olive pythons can get over 4 meters so size wise would be possible and they tend to not have a strong pattern. I'm not sure why you think its a photo shop python it looks real to me including the habitat and the roo.