• Identifying snake species in Hong Kong can be very difficult

• Mimicry is a common defense tactic in the natural world and harmless snakes mimicking deadly species is one of the more common examples produced through evolution

• Wolf snakes in particular and especially juveniles of the species mimic Hong Kong’s most venomous snake the Many Banded Krait

• We find out in this Snake Diary how effectively they accomplish this and why its so dangerous to assume you may have properly identified a snake correctly

We spoke about Wolf Snakes mimicking Many Banded Kraits in a previous Snake Diary, but now we have observed juveniles of each of the species in question and have additional photographic supplements to aid a more comprehensive review. So let’s dive in!

Take a look at the three snakes below, and without cheating see if you can tell which is the Banded Wolf Snake, the Futsing’s Wolf Snake and the deadly Many Banded Krait…

How’d you do? Well for those who knew or guessed correctly congratulations, for those who didn’t don’t feel bad, most people including many experts can easily get this one wrong especially in the jungle late at night. (If you’re not familiar with these species check them out on www.HongKongSnakeID.com before you continue).

So, how do you tell the difference between these three species and avoid potentially deadly interactions with a Many Banded Krait?

To start, we can discuss the single most effective differentiator between these three snakes: Dorsal Scales. What are ‘Dorsal Scales’? As you’d imagine they are the scales that run along the middle of the snakes spine on the top of the body and if you look closely here you’ll see one of these snakes is not like the others. Can you see it? That’s right, the snake in the middle has enlarged dorsal scales, where the snakes on the left and right have uniformly sized scales. As you might have guessed the one in the middle is the Many Banded Krait and this point of differentiation, as far as we know is consistent across individuals of the species. With that said in order to make this determination you’d have to be quite close to the snake which would have to be quite still so even though it is an effective differentiator it’s rarely safe to use it.

Now let’s talk head scales. On snakes this small getting this close to their head could be quite dangerous so unfortunately we need to lead off by saying this is not a great approach to differentiating the species. Perhaps more importantly, if you look closely at the above image and ignore the color differences for a moment you’ll see that each of these snakes have very similar head scales. If you don’t believe me go ahead and count them! Also, just to clarify, even small snakes can have wide variation in color so the differences here will not be consistent across individuals.

What about markings? Well, yes there are some difference in the markings in general, but there is also so much variation amongst individuals as noted before that you could find yourself looking at a Banded Wolf that looks just like a Many Banded or worse the other way around! That said let’s talk about the general differences. The Futsing’s is arguably the most unique with pink/grey bands that all have very rough edges against the black. Like the Many Banded Krait the Futsing’s bands are generally evenly spaced but become very roughly defined towards the tail. The Banded Wolf Snake is much more similar to the Many Banded Krait in terms of it’s bands being evenly spaced and generally well defined, however they are often more widely spaced than the Many Banded especially towards the tail. The Many Banded Krait has well defined smoothly delineated white bands that are slightly more wide spread towards the head and more tightly grouped towards the tail. Each snake can have more or less white coloration around the head depending on the individual but the Futsing’s tends to have consistently more either white or pink coloration across the whole head right up to the nose.

Just to overemphasize, markings is probably the worst way to assume an identification of these snakes so don’t take any chances, but if you can view from a safe distance or get a reliable picture the above points might be helpful.

So what’s the major takeaway on telling these three species apart? Unfortunately as with the last article on Kraits and Wolf Snakes there is no surefire way to tell these three apart on the fly, but for the experienced observer or people in a position to safely observe stationary animals the dorsal scale size is a pretty consistent way to know if you’re dealing with a Krait or not.

Now to end on a sobering note, an acquaintance of ours who is a professional snake catcher and experienced snake keeper was given an adult Banded Wolf Snake to take care of before releasing back into the wild. In order to make sure it was healthy and ready to go our friend wanted to feed it several meals, but it was reluctant to eat. As a result it had to be force feed which involves holding the snake by the head and pushing the food item into its mount until it begins to swallow it. This was done several times before our friend noticed two little nubs at the front of the snakes mouth. Out of curiosity he opened the snakes mouth wider and quickly realized that he was looking at the short fangs of a Many Banded Krait! Luckily he avoided a bite which could have proved deadly and is also a testament to the snakes lack of interest in attacking a human.

I think this serves as a good reason not to be too cavalier when interacting with white banded snakes in Hong Kong, and hope that the information provided here was both useful and interesting.

If you would like to learn more about the Wolf Snakes or Kraits please visit their pages on www.HongKongSnakeID.com.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

*From left to right: Futsing’s Wolf Snake, Many Banded Krait, Banded Wolf Snake

• Hong Kong is home to many highly venomous snakes

• The King Cobra is the largest and one of the rarest of this group

• Fast, intelligent and capable of delivering massive amounts of venom in a single strike, it is one of the most formidable snakes anywhere in the world

• We explore this amazing snake in this diary following a lucky discovery of a King on All Hallows Eve

“The Pumpkin King”. This is the name given to the King Cobra we found on Halloween due to the orange shading of his ventral scales and the auspicious timing of the encounter. In a previous article we wrote about a juvenile of the species and while they are fantastic and very pretty, almost nothing in the world compares to a mature King Cobra. Before getting into details on our own interactions with the worlds largest venomous snake we would like to talk a little bit more about the species.

The scientific name for the King is ‘Ophiophgus hannah’ with ‘Ophiophagus’ derrived from Ancient Greek meaning ‘snake-eater’. As we explored in our previous Snake Diary ‘Snakes That Eat Snakes’ the name is well deserved as King Cobras feed almost exclusively on other snake species with a particular fondness for Common Rat Snakes and Copperhead Racers. Based on observations the King will first stalk its prey then attempt to deliver a killing bite near the back of the head of its victim. If it doesn’t have the opportunity immediately it may also follow closely behind and strike the lower body and tail while waiting for its venom to take effect before going in for the kill. King’s don’t seem to be picky going for both venomous and non venomous species as well as more risky prey like Pythons and on occasion may even take small mammals or birds.

In addition to their size at maturity Kings are able to take down their prey largely due to the ability to deliver a huge amount of venom with a single bite. It is not unheard of for a single bite to deliver between 500mg and 7ml of venom, enough to kill and Asian Elephant in a matter of hours or a single human in less than 30min. In fact, putting allergic reactions to venom aside the King Cobra is one of the few venomous snakes with recorded fatalities occurring less than 30min after a bite. The venom itself is largely neurotoxic meaning it attacks your central nervous system but it can also be destructive to tissue as a result of cytotoxins or cell destroying venom also found in the deadly cocktail. King Cobra bites are less common than many other venomous snakes due to the rarity of the species and their intelligence which helps them avoid humans in the wild.

In terms of appearance, King Cobras range in color and pattern from dark chocolate brown with faint bands running the length of the body to grey, golden brown or almost white when mature.

As juveniles there is much less variation with almost all individuals presenting perfectly contrasting black and yellow bands running the length of the body.

Kings also have very large venom glands and as such their heads are quite large relative to their body with big powerful looking occipital scales on top. Juveniles as well as adults display this physical characteristic but the colors on the head scales change from yellow and black bands as juveniles to solid color with black outlines in maturity.

It should also be noted that Kings are also not technically a ‘true cobra’ and are instead a member of their own Genus, ‘Ophiophagus’. Despite this unique aspect of its scientific categorization it still exhibits many characteristics of other true cobras including its local cousin the Chinese Cobra - Naja atra. For example they are both part of the same ‘Family’ of snakes, the Elapids. They are also both noted for their ability to rise off the ground and flatten out their necks displaying the characteristic cobra ‘hood’. In addition they are both highly visual when engaged in defensive behavior often striking at any objects that get too close. They also both have short highly efficient hollow fangs to deliver venom, and despite a difference in pitch, both are known to hiss as a defensive tactic.

There are some key differences from an outward appearance and behavior stand point between these two species however. For example the Chinese Cobras tend to present a monocled pattern on the back of their hoods while Kings are banded, lightly when mature, from head to tail with a single chevron band stretching across the wides part of the hood.

When not displaying their hoods the Chinese Cobras still have visible markings on their necks behind the head where as the King looks almost solid in color. On this point, both Chinese Cobras and King Cobras can be mistaken for harmless Common Rat Snakes. The King is especially close in color and markings making for possibly dangerous misidentifications.

In order to properly distinguish between the two you would need to see the King display its hood or be highly trained in observing and working with both species and even then mistakes can be made. With that said, once a King Cobra is fully mature they exhibit a physical characteristic unique to their species - their size.

King Cobras are rightfully crowned the largest venomous snake in the world with mature specimens frequently achieving lengths of 4+ meters. In fact the largest King Cobras on record have reach lengths of around 6 meters making them as long or longer than almost any other species of snake included many species of python.

At 4 meters a King Cobra rising up off the ground would nearly be staring an adult human in the eyes brining us to our next point, the Kings defensive behavior.

As snake observers we have to say that there really is no other snake like the King Cobra certainly in Hong Kong and arguably the world. The King is the most intelligent and situationally aware of all the snakes we have encountered in Hong Kong and it is also the most aggressive when cornered. For some context, when photographing a Chinese Cobra they frequently strike at the air and hiss, but as with most snakes if they feel any opportunity to escape they will quickly slither away. King Cobras on the other hand tend to rush their captors rising up off the ground and slithering quickly and smoothly forward ready to strike the moment the opportunity presents itself. They also appear to be able to track multiple subjects at a time and we even noticed them changing behavior if it appeared we were less or more tense at a given moment. One of the most dangerous aspects of their defensive/offensive behavior in addition to their propensity to rush forward is their ability to turn back on them selves extremely quickly. So in the event you find yourself behind a hooded King be ready to back off quickly as their ability to turn and rush over their own body is just as good as their ability to rush forward.

Most of these observations were proven true with the King we found on Halloween, and despite some of the more dangerous aspects of this snake we have to say that it was by far the most impressive and beautiful species we have interacted with to date. In fact Hong Kongers should be proud that their Island Nation is home to such an amazing animal. And defensive behavior notwithstanding it is also worth noting that when we first encountered the King it was neither scared nor aggressive and was simply going about its business looking for a meal, so as long as this wonderful species is observed from a good distance there should be no reason to be concerned.

If you would like to learn more about the King Cobra please visit the King Cobra Page on www.HongKongSnakeID.com. Rob has also written a great piece highlighting these and some other interesting facts about the King on www.wildcreatureshongkong.org that you can find here.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• There are several species of arboreal and semi arboreal snakes in Hong Kong

• Snakes of the genus ‘Boiga’ fall into this category and Hong Kong is home to a species in this genus called the Large Spotted Cat Snake

• A slender and beautiful snake we take a deeper look at the Cat Snake in this weeks Snake Diary

It was a dark rainy night walking down a forest trail when the flashlight picked up shiny spots on the path. A quick sprint over and it was clear we had found Hong Kong’s only Boiga, the Large Spotted Cat Snake!

Finding this species on the path was quite lucky since the Cat Snake is very at home in the trees as a semi arboreal species. In fact each of the four Cats Snakes we have found this year were on the ground which leads us to believe they must be virtually impossible to find in the trees given their camouflage. Speaking of their camouflage, it is just one of the many interesting things about this endemic species each of which we’ll explore in this Snake Diary.

Starting with the camouflage, as you can see from the image above, the Large Spotted Cat Snake is the only species in Hong Kong to exhibit large discernible spots running the length of the body with the possible exception of the Burmese Python depending how you categorize its markings. As with many snakes markings when viewed in the open its not always clear how effective they are as camouflage but once seen in their native environment the Cat Snakes spots help break up their profile and let them melt into the forest, which is probably why we only find them when they happen to be out in the open.

In addition to helping them blend in it is possible that their markings are also partially a mimic of a venomous species, in particular the Pointed Scale Viper which is rare but does exist in Hong Kong. The Cat Snake adds to this possible defensive tactic by flattening its head to appear like a viper when threatened, and despite being technically venomous they are not dangerous to humans or large predators so this behavior could be considered a mimic or false threat in nature.

To round off their venomous snake fakery they will also twist up into the standard ‘S’ position and strike readily at their would be attackers with largely false strikes.

This species is also largely nocturnal and rarely seen during the day time. We have observed them from early evening just after dusk through midnight, and sometimes later. They seem to locate near water sources but not necessarily and we have seen them eating geckos, though there are documented cases of them also eating other small lizards and even small frogs. When attacking prey they bite and hold on whilst constricting as they chew in order to envenomate with their rear fangs.

As a semi arboreal snake their bodies are fit for purpose with long slender necks and long thin tails. This long slender frame helps them extend their bodies to move between branches when climbing or up into bushes or small trees from the ground.

The Large Spotted Cat Snake is the only representative of its genus in Hong Kong and is a charming addition to the many other species that call the Island Nation home. Due to its great camouflage and nocturnal nature it is not likely to be seen by the casual observer but should you encounter one on the trails they surely won’t disappoint!

For more information on this species stop by the ‘Large Spotted Cat Snake’ page on www.HongKongSnakeID.com.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• Snakes are an important part of the ecosystems they inhabit as predators of other species that would otherwise proliferate unchecked

• In addition to rodents, lizards and amphibians some snakes also eat other snakes in a surprising twist of evolutionary fate

• We explore this phenomenon with a particularly riveting real life encounter with the ‘King’ of snake eating snakes

“Ophiophagus”, the Greek-derived word which translates to ‘snake-eater’ is the term most closely associated with, you guessed it, snake eating snakes. It also happens to be the Genus name of the largest venomous snake in the world, the King Cobra - Ophiophagus hannah. So it goes without saying that the King Cobra does in fact eat other snakes but there are several other species in Hong Kong that also engage in this behavior. They are:

For those in the snaking world the first three species listed won’t be a surprise, but a little known fact is that the Mock Viper is also known to eat small snakes from time to time. On that point snakes are all predators and there may very well be examples of other local Hong Kong species eating other snakes so we look forward to informed comments to this article in the interest of accuracy.

With that said, the two Krait species, Banded and Many Banded, are prolific snake eaters whose diets are heavy on their slithery kin. The Chinese Cobra has a varied diet but also definitively enjoys meals of the snakey sort when the opportunity presents itself.

If you think about it this behavior actually makes a lot of sense. Snakes are perfectly shaped to be consumed by other snakes, they live in similar places and have similar habits based on their physiology.

So how does a snake fight and subdue another snake? Well in the case of the Mock Viper they tend to choose much smaller prey and may also benefit from their mild venom when they land a solid bite. For the other species mentioned they depend on their snake fighting skills developed through evolution and their highly potent venom. The King Cobra in particular is well suited to this task for two reasons. First, they are capable of delivering a large amount of venom with a single bite, and two they attain a very large size when fully grown giving them a physical advantage in a fight to the death. The King is also known to first bite and then stalk their snake victims, which although not completely unique can also be an advantage in terms of avoiding injury.

As luck would have it we actually got to observe this behavior between a juvenile King Cobra and a juvenile Indo Chinese Rat Snake. We have a long and short video of the encounter. The short version is embedded below and the long version can be found on our YouTube Channel.

As you can see the Rat Snake doesn’t make it easy for the Cobra but eventually the King takes his prey.

This is just one of countless interesting behaviors exhibited by the snake species of Hong Kong and we were very fortunate to have a chance to observe and document it here for your benefit.

We will continue to explore other behaviors in other species and look forward to your comments and feedback to this post.

For more information on each of these species stop by the ‘All Snakes Page’ on www.HongKongSnakeID.com.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• Hong Kong is home to many venomous snakes, some dangerous some not

• We explain the difference in this article to help the general public get more comfortable with the ‘Venomous But Not Dangerous’ lot

We’d like to open this post by stating emphatically that no matter what you learn here no one should ever put themselves in a position where they can be bitten by a wild caught snake in Hong Kong, there’s just too many ways to confuse species and too many dangerously venomous snakes to take the risk. It’s also important to note that the points we make here are not formal scientific positions and are based instead on our research, first hand experience observing and in some cases being bitten by some of these species.

With that out of the way it’s time to talk about the group of snakes that are technically venomous but present almost no danger to humans at all. The good news is these are fascinating snakes, some of which rank as my favorites in Hong Kong. So which endemic snakes fall into this category? Here they are:

So how can a snake be venomous AND not dangerous to humans? The short answer is that their venom is a) extremely mild, meant for things like geckos, fish and frogs and b) it is delivered through fangs or modified teeth located at the back of the snakes mouth.

Let’s unpack this a bit starting with the venom being ‘mild’. Why is it so mild and what does that mean for humans? We won’t speak to the chemistry of the venom but we can speak to it’s main application and effects. First we have witnessed all but two of these species eating and can confirm that in each case the snake holds on to its prey after the initial strike and in some cases actually constrict while they consume. This is different to some of the more strongly venomous snakes like the King Cobra which are often happy to deliver a single bite then stalk their prey as the powerful venom quickly shuts down their nervous system. By holding on to the prey the venom doesn’t have to kill the prey quickly so that it doesn’t get away so weather one thing was the cause of the other in the course of the snakes evolution is up for debate but the result is clear.

Being ‘rear fanged’ also contributes to this behavior as the snake has to chew its prey in order to deliver the venom. This is another reason why the snakes are not particularly dangerous to humans as a quick front tooth strike on a hand or foot will not be sufficient to deliver any venom. We have personally been bitten by both the Mock Viper and Large Spotted Cat Snake numerous times during my observations and in each case they were front tooth strikes causing a very small amount of pain with a tiny bit of blood, but no envenomation. We do however have several friends that have been envenomated by some of these species, the Mock Viper and Chinese Water Snake in particular and their effects seem similar and equally mild. In specific the Mock Viper venom is described as presenting with some initial discomfort like mild burning sensation followed by either or mild swelling and localized numbness that fades over the course of a couple of hours. It should be noted that the effects appear to differ by individual and are dependent on the extent of the envenomation. With respect to this we have been given at least one other first hand account of a Chinese Water Snake envenomation that presented the above mentioned symptoms but also some nausea and a mild headache. With all that said it is important to note that despite these numerous first hadn't accounts not resulting in any serious symptoms or long term effects it is always possible that an allergic reaction could occur so we want to reiterate how important it is to ensure you never put yourself in a position to be bitten.

Notwithstanding this point as you can see, resulting from the mild nature of the venom and the inefficient delivery systems these snakes do not present a specific danger to humans and if you see one in the wild you’ll know that despite their technically venomous status they are actually pretty harmless.

We should also note that there is always debate in the scientific community on which species are actually venomous so if there are any changes or if we receive credible feedback to this post we will make and share revisions.

For more information on each of these species stop by the ‘All Snakes Page’ on www.HongKongSnakeID.com and check out the ‘Venomous - Not Dangerous’ section.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• The SnakeID team head out for a jungle walk and discover some fantastic Wolf Snakes

• After some sketchy bagging and extended photo shoots it becomes clear how dangerous one particular species of Wolf Snake is due to its mimicry of Hong Kong’s deadliest snake

It had been a great year for Adam and Rob with HongKongSnakeID.com. Just this season they had discovered 27 species and recorded them in detail with new pictures and lots of video. But the season and the hunt was not over and they decided to head out to a jungle location where several species of Wolf Snake were known to be found. As a jungle walk it was going to be hit or miss in terms of what they might find, but as luck would have it the Snake Gods were on their side.

After a hour or so looking around some hot spots nothing had been found and the group decided to move on to another location, but just as they hit the road Rob spotted black and white bands slithering by a wall and called out to Adam. Adam took one look and said “juvie Many Banded?”, but Rob’s trained eye dialed in and he noted that he wasn’t sure. As soon as Rob said this Adam took a closer look and agreed that it looked much more like a Wolf Snake due to the spacing of the bands and the coloration on the top of the head. But this was a dangerous gamble as a juvenile wolf snake will bite but is completely harmless whereas a Many Banded Krait will bite and can kill you!

Just as they had gotten comfortable with their identification the little snake slithered into a storm drain, but Adam and Rob thinking quickly lifted the drain cover and managed to safely extract the snake before it got lost in the pipes. After safely bagging the little snake they moved to an open location to take some quick photos and send out to a wider group of Snake experts to confirm the identification. As luck would have it everyone concurred that it was a Wolf Snake, though there was some initial back and forth on which species it was, everyone eventually agreed it was a Banded Wolf Snake - Lycodon subcinctus (head over to the ‘All Snakes Page’ and look at the four species of Wolf Snake for yourself to see what everyone was on about…).

Before the evening was done the group found three more species including a Fustings Wolf Snake making for a great result to the trip.

The Banded Wolf Snake was held until the next day for a photo shoot, and it was after this session when Adam was doing some photo editing where he realized just how dangerous the Banded Wolf Snakes mimicry of the Many Banded Krait can be, and how important it is to never assume, even as an expert, that you have identified a snake properly. To illustrate the problem take a look at these comparison photos of a juvenile Many Banded Krait and the juvenile Banded Wolf Snake. Would you be willing to bet you've guessed the right one on a dark night in the jungle?….

So how do you tell the difference? Well unfortunately there is no 100% accurate way outside of checking for fangs and DNA testing, but there are a few basic indicators that are generally helpful though never definitive. Here they are:

• The bands on the juvenile Many Banded Krait tend to be a bit closer together and more uniform… But not always.

• The body of the juvenile Banded Wolf Snake tends to be more cylindrical and the Many Banded Krait more triangular… But not always.

• The juvenile Many Banded Krait tends not to move into an ‘S’ shape before it bites but the Banded Wolf Snake does… But not always.

• The white markings on the top of the juvenile Banded Wolf Snake tend to be broader and more in contrast than the Many Banded Krait… But not always.

Are you catching the theme? Despite there being some indicators there is no completely accurate way to differentiate these two in the field given how much variation there is in color and pattern between and within species.

For snakers this represents a bit of a conundrum but the good news is for the general population it just means never approach a snake in the wild, observe from a distance only, especially if its got black and white bands! Have some fun with the gallery below and see if you can figure out which are the Wolf Snakes and which are the Kraits! Helpful tip, the Many Banded Krait and Banded Wolf Snake pages on the All Snakes Page should be of assistance…

For more great pictures of the Banded Wolf Snake and the Many Banded Krait check out the gallery in their full write ups on the Banded Wolf Snake and Many Banded Krait pages of HongKongSnakeID.com or check us out on YouTube and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• Rob and Adam go on a snake search hoping for a break in the constant rain
• After a long hike, no snakes and a lot of rain they take a final look up by a big conduit and find one of Hong Kong's fastest snakes
• After determining the snake was stranded Adam and Rob find a way to perform a rescue

The rain just would not stop. It had been the better part of a week with no break in sight and Rob and Adam had decided to gear up and brave the weather in hopes of a window of sunshine that might draw the snakes out.

Rob arranged the location, one of his favorites for hiking and a known hot spot for certain species. The walk was beautiful winding through the forest and despite not being too happy about the precipitation both were pleased to see that the extra water created loads of mini streams and clear water pools adding to the already fantastic scenery. The enjoyment was short lived unfortunately as the sky opened up on the walk back toward the car making snaking virtually impossible, but just as the hike was about to come to an end the rain stopped and Rob thought it would be a good idea to check a nearby water culvert before heading out.

Good thing they did as after a short walk they noticed a Copperhead Racer - Coelognathus radiatus stuck on a ledge above a fast flowing and very full large water culvert.

The area around the Racer was completely devoid of branches and the walls were steep and smooth so it stood to reason that the Racer had been swept down the culvert and managed to gain purchase on this small exposed ledge to get out of the water.

People have different views on human intervention with nature but given that it was a man made object that caused the snake to become stranded Adam and Rob decided to see if they could find a way to safely extract the snake. After some back and forth they figured out a way to pull out the snake without putting anyone in danger and because the snake was quite cold from its time in the water it was very compliant during extraction.

Thankfully the Racer was in great shape and quite healthy.

As you can see Copperhead Racers have very distinct markings with copper and brownish tones highly contrasted with well defined black markings forming straps around the head and long lateral bands down the first half of the body. They are also very fast and capable of a number of defensive tactics including puffing up their neck to look larger and playing dead by flopping on their backs and opening their mounts. This specimen was no exception putting on a nice show before and after the photo shoot.

Rob and Adam were happy to be able to save this otherwise healthy snake but it should be emphasized that the extraction was done in a way that was safe for both the snake and the snake catchers and no one should ever attempt to do so themselves.

For more great pictures of this Copperhead Racer check out the gallery in the full write up on the Copperhead Racer page of HongKongSnakeID.com or check us out on YouTube and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

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]]>Saving Snakes in StormsAdam FrancisSun, 12 Aug 2018 03:23:54 +0000https://www.hongkongsnakeid.com/snake-diaries-input/2018/8/12/snakes-snake-mcsnake-face-a-wild-creatures-hong-kong-guest-post5b4b10e19d5abb222d2069fe:5b6138f870a6adeaf2ad644c:5b6f9c3e8985835525807a81Our latest blog comes to you courtesy of HongKongSnakeID.com co-founder Rob Ferguson's other site www.WildCreaturesHongKong.org! It's a great write up with a fun challenge, enjoy!

by Robert Ferguson:

I for one thing I can never see too many snakes when I am out walking...but I appreciate, nay I have been told many times, that this is not the case for everyone. But, most people want more information about snakes; good vs dangerous, or what to do if bitten etc.

So, with my friend Adam we have put together a website to enable easy snake identification: www.hongkongsnakeid.com

Now to have a bit of fun, here are some snake images, and its up to you to identify them using the information on HongKongSnakeID.com....over to you, and let me know if you get less than 100%.

Hope the site helped you get to 100%!

And here's the site featured in the Hong Kong Free Press article.

HONG KONG FREE PRESS ARTICLE ON HONGKONGSNAKEID.COM

For more of Rob's great pictures of these and other snakes check out the galleries in the individual snake write ups of HongKongSnakeID.com or visit his site www.WildCreaturesHongKong.com to see snakes and all other manner of native critters!

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• Rob and Adam have a second encounter with the Mountain Water Snake previously caught during the 'Sandals & Snakes' adventure
• Several nips later we hold an impromptu photo shoot with Rob's killer wildlife camera while Adam plays snake wrangler

Rob and Adam had spent the morning bouncing between some local trails and Kadoorie Farm with cameras at the ready looking for interesting wildlife subjects. After a missed Common Rat Snake and some exciting caterpillar shoots they decided to grab a quick lunch then make their way to the trail Adam had been on several nights prior where he bumped into a couple of Many Banded Kraits as well as a Mountain Water Snake. As a daytime visit both were hoping to possibly encounter some diurnal species and possibly get some good photos and video for HongKongSnakeID.com.

After walking nearly two thirds of the trail with no luck Rob suddenly spotted something in a water culvert and called out to Adam to have a look. At first glance Adam knew they had found another Mountain Water Snake and on closer inspection he was pretty sure it was the same one he'd caught during his previous walk.

After a brief but harrowing retrieval of the little water snake both decided it would be great to hold a short photo shoot in the daylight with Rob's great camera set up in order to add to the photo gallery of the Mountain Water Snake page. This was of particular interest as both had received several comments that the Mountain Water Snake photos may have been mistakenly switched with the Chinese Water Snake on the site due to the lack of color showing on the bands in those pictures. With daylight on their side and a clear reddish hue visible on the snakes bands a solid photo shoot would certainly help quell any remaining doubt on the original photo set.

With a suitable location found just up the trail they began to take pictures with Rob on the camera and Adam playing snake wrangler. Shortly into the shoot it was clear there were going to be some nice clear shots highlighting the characteristic pattern and coloration of the Mountain Water Snake.

In this photo as well as the one below the red color between the bands which is highly visible on juveniles of the species is still present making visual identification much easier.

As the shoot was wrapping up and just as Adam and Rob were about to let their new found friend go the little snake made a break for it on his own and managed to slip down into some rocks by the river bed. Fortunately neither he nor the two snake hunters were injured, aside from a few small nips Adam sustained on the initial catch.

The rest of the walk was relatively uneventful though Adam and Rob did find an unfortunately drowned White Spotted Slug Snake hatchling and a live but elusive snake that appeared to be a Striped Stream Snake.

For more of Rob's great pictures of this Mountain Water Snake check out the gallery in the full write up on the Mountain Water Snake page of HongKongSnakeID.com or check us out on YouTube and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author(s). You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• Adam goes on a solo night walk to see what's out and about
• Early success brings a Mountain Water Snake 
• After an uneventful walk thereafter he stumbles on Hong Kong's most venomous snake the Many Banded Krait
• Overgrown paths and a poor choice of footwear make for an exciting conclusion to the evening

After meeting up with Rob and another friend earlier in the afternoon I decided on a solo trip to an easy walk where we regularly find different species of snakes. Hopping out of the car I decided on a pair of sandals for my footwear as the trail was paved pretty much the whole way and off I went.

Right at the start, not even 100m into the trail I locked onto a snake swimming in a culvert by some weeds and after a little finagling managed to get it out so I could move it further up the path away from the heavy foot traffic and lights around the spot I'd found it. After a quick check it was clear that I had found a Mountain Water Snake. Not hugely common, but I had found them in the area before. They're a nice looking water snake and have distinct banding down the length of the body with juveniles presenting some really cool red and yellow coloration.

However, as a water snake it was very squirmy and eager to bite which he did vigorously as I packed him away for the short walk. More on this little gem in a future story, but in summary I set him on his way and started off on the trail again.

It was an entirely uneventful walk to the end of the trail despite the weather being perfect and tons of prey animals out and about. I assumed I may find something on the walk back but never expected to come face to face with Hong Kong's most venomous snake the Many Banded Krait less than 50m back down the trail.

The encounter was a bit unsettling as the path was more heavily over grown than it normally is and in many places, including near where I found the Krait I couldn't see my feet through the weeds. Had I chosen hiking shoes I'd have been a bit less concerned but my choice of open toe sandals was starting to seem like a bad idea. Nevertheless I managed corral the Krait gently using my long snake hook until he calmed down enough for me to grab some photos and video.

I've seen many 'Many Banded Kraits' in the past but this was the first example of one with yellow coloration on the upper body bands.

Rob had mentioned seeing this color variation in the past but I thought it was worth some documenting to help us add to the Many Banded Krait page on HongKongSnakeID.com.

As you can see from the image above the yellow is faint but clearly discernible when compared to a more standard black and white variant of the species like this:

Interestingly this standard black and white specimen was found in almost the exact same location as its yellow hued cousin several months prior speaking to both the diversity within species as well as the health of the population in at least this small stretch. 

I also managed to take some video but the coloration is a bit difficult to see given the dark setting. If you are interested to see this one in action despite the poor lighting watch the video starting at the 19sec mark on the Many Banded Krait page.

After a brief photo shoot I watched the yellow Many Banded slither off into the brush and started my walk back satisfied with the find and feeling lucky not to have taken a bite to my exposed toes. Then, about 200m down the trail, just when I had fully settled into this false sense of security I looked down to see ANOTHER Many Banded Krait only a meter or so from my feet slithering at me in full on hunting mode. Fortunately the trail had opened up quite a bit and I had my long snake hook at the ready but just as I was about to give him a nudge he seemed to take notice of my presence and hit the breaks. After an awkward few seconds I took a few steps to the side and waited to see what he would do. As it turns out and is normally the case he decided to slither away from me and down into the shallow culvert running along side the trail with no further incident.

I managed to walk the rest of the way back with no more encounters and plenty of time to reconsider my gear choice for the night, but also a great sense of excitement to get back and process the images I had taken of the yellow Krait.

If you enjoyed this post please share with anyone you think might like to read about our adventures and feel free to leave a comment if you have thoughts or ideas on this or future posts.

For more information on the Many Banded Krait or Mountain Water Snake visit the full write ups at www.HongKongSnakeID.com or check us out on YouTube and Instagram.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author. You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• We find a Mock Viper stuck in a storm drain and get a chance to film it
• Mock Vipers have a viper-shaped head which gives them their name
• They also display viper like defensive behavior but are rear fanged with an extremely mild venom that is not known to be dangerous to humans

Rob and I decided to go for a hike to a location where it was not uncommon to find diurnal snakes, and because it was due to heat up quickly we made sure to get out early before the rising temperature drove the snakes into hiding to cool down. Full disclosure, despite the Mock Viper being one of the more common snakes in Hong Kong I had never seen one in the field. Rob was always amazed by this given the number he has seen over the years and assured me the day would soon come. It turns out prophet Rob was right as we stumbled across a good sized beautifully patterned Mock in a shallow storm drain next to the path.

We did of course eventually help the little viper imposter out but managed to first spend some time observing, photographing and videoing our encounter.

The first thing that struck me was how convincingly our new friend displayed viperish defensive behavior moving into a flattened out 'S' position and striking at the air. This could certainly cause alarm for the uninformed hiker that hasn't yet discovered www.HongKongSnakeID.com (shameless plug), but for us it was fascinating to watch. Then we got a little surprise when the Mock started 'jumping' in an attempt to get away! It would literally lunge its entire body a couple of inches off the ground and flop down a few inches forward anytime we tried to extract it. I can imagine how shocking this could be if it did this as part of its biting defense, but as an escape tactic it was great fun to see. Unfortunately we didn't get any of the Mock's acrobatics on film but did manage to get a few seconds of it slithering in the drain. Have a watch here and notice the twitchy movements of the head and body: (click if video box does not display: https://youtu.be/R3-LO2dzNMY)

As you can see Mock Vipers are gregarious fun snakes to observe, but please also bear in mind that despite them not being dangerous to humans, Mock Vipers are technically rear fanged and venomous. There are no known cases of serious envenomation from this species but allergic reactions are always possible as well as infections so be sure to watch these nippy snakes from a distance if you find one in the wild.

Happy viewing and for more information on the Mock Viper visit the full write up at www.HongKongSnakeID.com.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author. You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

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]]>Don't Mock Me Viper!Adam FrancisThu, 02 Aug 2018 04:49:16 +0000https://www.hongkongsnakeid.com/snake-diaries-input/2018/8/2/teeth-like-knives-the-taiwan-kukri5b4b10e19d5abb222d2069fe:5b6138f870a6adeaf2ad644c:5b627bfc2b6a2845023b7d7bSUMMARY:

• The Taiwan Kukri is one of two species of Kukri snake in Hong Kong
• They have uniquely evolved rear teeth used for slicing eggs shaped like Kukri knives
• Generally docile but not good to handle due to their use of the Kukri teeth
• Defensive behaviors observed and recorded here for you to view

Waking up just before dawn after a good sleep I found the clouds starting to clear after a night of light rain. The temperature was up but not oppressive and the humidity was high but tolerable and I decided to go for a hike before it got too hot. I grabbed my gear, hopped in the car and after a short drive I was at the start of the trail I'd chosen for my walk. It was a long muddy trek through the forest before reaching a flat paved walkway and I was thankful to be on solid ground. A generally uneventful trip, I was just about at the end of the trail and ready to turn back to the car when I came across a Taiwan Kukri. It seemed to be a bit cold which I could tell because its color was dark and it was moving slowly. It was the perfect scenario to grab some shots and a little video for HongKongSnakeID.com, and I was happy I took the time to do so.

As you can see this was a good looking specimen with markings and coloration well defined. Some Taiwan Kukri's display stripes running from the head down the back for the first third of the body. They are great burrowers and use their small head and shovel like nose to push through the soil and leaf litter. 

Now despite the fact that this snake is good looking, relatively small and generally docile when encountered they are absolutely not to be handled due to their specially modified back teeth. It's these teeth that gives the Kukri snakes their name in that they are large and shaped like a Kukri Knife. They use the modified teeth to slice into eggs, one of their favorite foods, but it has also become an effective defensive tool against predators and unsuspecting snake handlers. Unlike most snakes, instead of biting head on the Kukri will open its mouth and thrash side to side when grabbed delivering slashing cuts with each pass. For the uninformed handler this can be a shocking experience coming from such a diminutive snake.

In addition to the use of its knife-like teeth it is also capable of some more standard defensive behaviors. Here is a video from our YouTube channel showing the Taiwan Kukri in the typical 'S' position as it looks for an opportunity to slither away. (Click here if video block does not display: https://youtu.be/_I_TfxTCOt0)

After a short photo and video session he decided he'd had enough of me and slowly moved off into the undergrowth leaving us with some great content and a nice story for the blog. Happy viewing and for more information on Hong Kong's Kukri snakes visit the Taiwan and Golden Kukri pages on www.HongKongSnakeID.com.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author. You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

• Hong Kong is home to many snake species both dangerous and harmless
• The harmless Greater Green is sometimes killed because it is mistaken for the Bamboo Viper
• Knowing how to tell them apart will help people act rationally during an encounter
• Knowing how they behave will help people see that neither species need be killed

Last night I went out on an impromptu hike on a trail known for snake encounters on Hong Kong Island. As usual I had my core gear including water bottle, snake hook, waterproof back pack, headlamp, flashlights and camera gear. About 4 km into the walk as the sun was setting and I had come up empty on the snakes I began to wonder if I should have brought so much equipment. Half an hour later as I started my walk back in the dark I was certain I could have gotten by with just the water bottle and a head lamp when to my great surprise, right in the middle of the path I came across a tiny Bamboo Viper. My first thought was that he had been stomped on by a jogger since they aren't normally resting out in the open, then on closer inspection I saw why he was lazing about on the trail. He was in mid feast having partially swallowed a gecko!

I then quickly fumbled around with my camera and lights and started filming as he finished his meal and despite not getting my aperture quite right I managed to get a little clip of him finishing off the tail end of his dinner. (link here incase video block does not show up: https://youtu.be/DqQ7WdrlzXo)

After watching him slither away, belly now full, I figured that would be where my luck ended for the night, but boy was I wrong. On the way back up the path I found another 7 Bamboo Vipers and a Taiwan Kukri all of which seemed to form out of the ether in the span of an hour. It was great fun watching them all from a safe distance and since I had my longer camera lens I could film and photo without having to move into the danger zone.

With all that great snaking there was a bit of a somber note towards the end of the trek when I came across a freshly killed Greater Green Snake.

In light of how many Bamboo Vipers I had just seen I couldn't help but reflect on the irony that the person who had killed this harmless snake did nothing to rid the world of the venomous species they no doubt believed it to be. Despite the unfortunate situation, at that moment I suddenly felt better knowing that 24 hours earlier we had officially launched HongKongSnakeID.com which includes specific information on telling the difference between these two wonderful snakes. Do I think that the website could have stopped this incident or will prevent all future misidentifications? Of course not, but knowing that there is accessible information available to the public now I'm sure it will keep at least a few more people and snakes safe.

Speaking of safety before I conclude, there is no doubt that the Bamboo Viper is a serious snake that can inflict very serious injury to anyone it bites. It is also true that they are responsible for more venomous bites in Hong Kong each year than any other species. HOWEVER, as is almost always the case, each of the 8 specimens I encountered on my way either tried to hide in the greenery where they were positioned or slither away when I stopped to observe them. If you are observant and don't toy with these snakes when you see them, outside of some very unlucky situations your chances of being bitten are quite low. More importantly, if you see a green snake actively slithering around during the day it is most likely a Greater Green which is completely harmless and certainly not worth the bottom of your boot.

As always the opinions included here are solely those of the author. You should never handle or approach a snake in the wild and if you are bitten contact emergency services at '999' immediately. See our Practical Venomous Snake ID Guide if you plan to be out and about with nature in Hong Kong, and scroll through the page to obtain more advice on what to do if you are bitten as well as for snake removal services.

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