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One More "id This Snake" Topic

Sophon

By Sophon
in Plants, Pets & Vets in Thailand

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Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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We had this uninvited guest in our kitchen today. It wasn't very aggressive despite being chased around by our dogs, and I had no idea what kind of snake it was until I tried shoving it into a bucket with a broom and it raised up and flattened its neck. I now assume that it's some kind of cobra (or do other species also have the flattened neck?), but which kind?

post-5469-0-54195000-1361455841_thumb.jp post-5469-0-77089100-1361455901_thumb.jp

I estimate that the snake was a little more than 1 meter in length.

Luckily, despite the dogs being Bangkok street dogs and not very knowledgable about how to react to snakes none of them were bitten. The snake was pushed into one of the big black buckets for garbage and released in a nearby rice field.

Sophon

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wayned Ruby Member

wayned

Posted
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Looks like a common asian cobra, naja naja. Quite common where I live. Glad that you captured and released it.

Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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Thank you for the reply. Naja Naja, that's the "spectacled" cobra, right? I didn't see any markings on the back of it's neck, but then when it was rasing up I made sure to be in front of it so they might have been there.

Thanks again.

Sophon

Mosha Diamond Member

Mosha

Posted
Posted

Googling Naja Naja says Indian Sub continent. My money is on Monocellate Cobra, they get to 2 metres, many hood variations as well as colour variation. Luckily not a spitter, but potentially deadly.

candypants Gold Member

candypants

Posted
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I would have said Indochinese rat snake. Why does everyone say cobra?

the raised up and flattened its neck part?

could be either or, but it looks very like a cobra in thee second shot, the first one not so much.

i know which side of caution i would err on.

canuckamuck Diamond Member

canuckamuck

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would have said Indochinese rat snake. Why does everyone say cobra?

the raised up and flattened its neck part?

could be either or, but it looks very like a cobra in thee second shot, the first one not so much.

i know which side of caution i would err on.

Yeah my bad, didn't read it very well.

Op: when you say flattened its neck, do you mean it stretched out a hood, or just flattened its neck? Some snakes can flatten there neck a bit when trying to be threatening..

Edited by canuckamuck
Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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I would have said Indochinese rat snake. Why does everyone say cobra?

the raised up and flattened its neck part?

could be either or, but it looks very like a cobra in thee second shot, the first one not so much.

i know which side of caution i would err on.

Yeah my bad, didn't read it very well.

Op: when you say flattened its neck, do you mean it stretched out a hood, or just flattened its neck? Some snakes can flatten there neck a bit when trying to be threatening..

It didn't really present a full hood as I have seen in pictures, just flattened and expanded its neck a little (maybe 50%). It also didn't raise up that high, maybe only the first 20-25 cm or so of it's body. But as I said, it wasn't very aggressive and didn't try to strike at me, just raised up and hissed a little when I pushed it with the broom.

Sophon

Edited by Sophon
diddums Silver Member

diddums

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It didn't really present a full hood as I have seen in pictures, just flattened and expanded its neck a little (maybe 50%). It also didn't raise up that high, maybe only the first 20-25 cm or so of it's body. But as I said, it wasn't very aggressive and didn't try to strike at me, just raised up and hissed a little when I pushed it with the broom.

Sophon

Lots of snakes will do what you described there....so maybe not a cobra.....I would have said rat snake also based on first pic.
Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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Posted (edited)

I checked the internet for pictures of Indo Chinese Rat snakes, and although very similar in colouring they seem to have bigger eyes than "my" snake and a more delicate/narrow face. From the descriptions they also seem to move and flee quicker.

But I appreciate that not all snakes of the same species looks or acts exactly the same, so it could possibly be a Indo Chinese Rat snake. I would sure prefer it to be, but if I encounter other similar snakes I will act as if though it's a venemous snake until proven otherwise.

Sophon

Edited by Sophon
HeavyDrinker Platinum Member

HeavyDrinker

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Posted

I would treat it as a cobra, but I am not certain. If the hood would have been fully displayed, that would have been conclusive.

It's always better to err on the side of caution. In reality cobras seldom 'hood up'. That's just the image shown in the popular media. It is a real waste of their limited energy and most will just bolt off unless they're cornered.

If you really want rid of a snake, give it plenty of space and chance to get away and it will take it 100% of the time.

wayned Ruby Member

wayned

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, the Thais around where I live prefer the "whack" method with a bamboo pole and have the "remains" for dinner! They often come back with a sack of the ones that did not survive the sugar cane burn the night before and have a feast.

Mrjlh Gold Member

Mrjlh

Posted
Posted

I'd say you ran into a small male King Cobra. He has the right color and head shape. Young males have stripes along the sides of the body. Wrong shape for a rat snake. Females are more aggressive if defending the nest, males are not. Males are more interested in finding a female and eating the babies. Males will also kill the female. They actually will run from you rather than strike and very shy. They save their venom for prey.

http://ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes/king_cobra.htm

Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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I'm still wondering why it decided to venture into our kitchen where three or four of our dogs almost always sleep during the day to get out of the heat. I would have thought that the presence (and smell) of dogs would have deterred it from coming in.

Sophon

Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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King cobras eat snakes, so he probably smelled some at your house.

I kind of doubt it. We rent in a typical moo-bahn where the houses are on very small plots (ours is about 100 TW), so not much for snakes to eat here. This is also the first snake our dogs have alerted us to, and given the number of dogs we have (eight) and the size of land, I am sure they would have stumbled upon other snakes before now if there were snakes living here. We also have neighbours on all sides and all have dogs.

But the moo-bahn is surrounded by rice fields, so maybe it just got lost.

Sophon

steffi Gold Member

steffi

Posted
Posted

King cobras eat snakes, so he probably smelled some at your house.

I kind of doubt it. We rent in a typical moo-bahn where the houses are on very small plots (ours is about 100 TW), so not much for snakes to eat here. This is also the first snake our dogs have alerted us to, and given the number of dogs we have (eight) and the size of land, I am sure they would have stumbled upon other snakes before now if there were snakes living here. We also have neighbours on all sides and all have dogs.But the moo-bahn is surrounded by rice fields, so maybe it just got lost.Sophon

The head doesn't look like a cobra to me. Where was this?

Sophon Gold Member

Sophon

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King cobras eat snakes, so he probably smelled some at your house.

I kind of doubt it. We rent in a typical moo-bahn where the houses are on very small plots (ours is about 100 TW), so not much for snakes to eat here. This is also the first snake our dogs have alerted us to, and given the number of dogs we have (eight) and the size of land, I am sure they would have stumbled upon other snakes before now if there were snakes living here. We also have neighbours on all sides and all have dogs.But the moo-bahn is surrounded by rice fields, so maybe it just got lost.Sophon

The head doesn't look like a cobra to me. Where was this?

Ton Thong in Lamphun.

Sophon

Goshawk Gold Member

Goshawk

Posted
Posted

the size and arrangement of the scales on the head & around the eye.. the body colour.. the lack of any (visible) markings on the back of the neck.. it's apparent length.. and the behaviour described, points towards this being a relatively young King Cobra. I'm 99% certain. wink.png

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tw25rw Platinum Member

tw25rw

Posted
Posted

King cobras eat snakes, so he probably smelled some at your house.

I kind of doubt it. We rent in a typical moo-bahn where the houses are on very small plots (ours is about 100 TW), so not much for snakes to eat here. This is also the first snake our dogs have alerted us to, and given the number of dogs we have (eight) and the size of land, I am sure they would have stumbled upon other snakes before now if there were snakes living here. We also have neighbours on all sides and all have dogs.But the moo-bahn is surrounded by rice fields, so maybe it just got lost.Sophon
The head doesn't look like a cobra to me. Where was this?
A king cobra is quite a different snake to the familiar cobra. They aren't a 'true' cobra at all.

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