King Cobra

Snake Face Paint Ideas

2010-09-26T12:20:00.000+08:00

Many kids would name the snake as their favorite animal. Snakes come in myriad colors, sizes, patterns, and degrees of dangerousness, from "harmless and kind of adorable" (the 4-inch, noodle-thin Leptotyphlops carlae) to "extremely deadly" (the 8- to 14-foot black mamba, Dendroaspis polylepis). Whether your child wants to be a snake for Halloween or if you just want to shake up the department meeting on Friday, focus your snake face painting efforts on the most distinctive features of snakes.

Forked Tongue

The snake's forked tongue is highly recognizable.

Paint a red or black forked (split) tongue flicking out of the person's mouth. Make the tongue a thin, straight line starting in the middle of the bottom lip, extending downward toward the chin. "Fork" the painted tongue just above the chin.

Fangs

If the person whose face is to be painted wishes to look like a venomous snake, such as a cobra, give her a pair of fangs. Snake fangs are long, pointy and close together (the two front teeth), unlike vampire fangs, which are smaller and spread farther apart (the canine teeth). Start the fangs from the middle of the upper lip. Paint two very narrow, pointy white triangles that go over and just past the bottom of the lower lip. For an optional accent, depict venom glistening at the points of the triangles.

Cobra Hood

Cobras used in snake charming performances are usually de-fanged.

Add character to your painted snake face by adding a cobra hood. King cobras are among the most well-known snakes because they are long (up to 18 1/2 feet long), have a flaring hood, raise themselves high when threatened, and are extremely deadly if they strike. (As "National Geographic" puts it, "It seems unfairly menacing that a snake that can literally 'stand up' and look a full-grown person in the eye would also be among the most venomous on the planet, but that describes the famous king cobra." "National Geographic" also notes that the venom in a single king cobra bite could "bring down an elephant.") Paint a downward-pointing triangular shape on the forehead, starting between the eyebrows and curving upward and outward to the hairline. Loop the lines down each side of the face, following the jawline, meeting under the chin.

Snake Sanctuary, Langkawi

2010-09-20T20:58:00.000+08:00

King Cobra, it looks pretty sad in there.

Unidentified, some kind of rat snake I think.

Beautiful Pit Viper, not as beautiful as its name. Looks miserable.

Green Iguana

Red Tail Racer. The only healthy species found by me, at least it doesn't look skinny.

Common Malayan Racer, badly managed.

I wonder how long that shed ed skin was left there by that red tail racer. Pathetic.

Mangrove Cat Snake, Looks huge and long, but not healthy I can say.

My guess is a Cameron Pit Viper, correct me if I'm wrong. Cute little fellow sticking on the wall.

Blood Python. I wonder how long since it had been handled.

Red Tail Boa, did they even feed it? The water and enclosure are dirty and not well kept. You can see rotten poop in some of the enclosure as well.

Cave Racer. Big fellow.

This looks like a Ptyas Mucosus to me. Correct me if I'm wrong again. I think is the fake looking cobra.

California King Snake.

Bond structure of a snake. No description, perhaps a retic.

Not identified

Orange Baboon
Rose hair something, haha. Not into spiders.

Paradise Tree Snake

Pope Pit Viper

There is a gaboon Viper too =) Forgot to take photo of it.

This sanctuary is situated beside Makam Mahsuri and poorly taken care of. It charged a fee of Rm10 per entry which is quite expensive. Photos taken are in bad quality because of the glass behind the snake. Water marks, dirt and stains haven't been wipe for ages.

Those snakes are WC as I can see, with badly shed skin, skinny bodies and faded coloration. From the moment I step in, after encountering one person, which is the ticket seller, I do not find anyone else inside the sanctuary. No workers or cleaners or guides. My gawd, this is bad.

Authorities, please do something ! If you don't have the fund to manage the place, why not just close it down than torturing those serpents?
Most reptiles display center I went which is manage by the government looks as sucky as this. Le sigh

Dealing with snakes and snakebites

2010-09-20T20:53:00.000+08:00

Snake! The very word seems to evoke a feeling of terror in the mind of the average person; but if one has better knowledge of these creatures, one can see that much of the dread is misplaced. Here are some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about snakes, answered by P Gowirshankar, a herpetologist who has been actively associated with the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), which has had the only telemetry project for tracking the King Cobra in that region. Gowrishankar is at present located in Bangalore, pursuing his doctoral studies.

The Spectacled Cobra has a distinctly visible black mark in the neck area, that forms the 'V' when the snake opens its hood. Pic Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.

1. I see a snake in my yard or house, and I don't want to go close to find out if it is poisonous or not. My first instinct is to panic. What should I do? Will my actions be different in case the snake is quiet, and in case it is moving about? What if it is in an odd place where it cannot be easily dislodged/chased off?
Yes, the first instinct is to panic, nothing much can be done about that. If you are aware and can do it, do your best to replace that fear with knowledge and act accordingly. If the snake is moving constantly keep a watch on it from a safe distance. If the snake is coiled up or resting nothing much to worry, do not disturb it but do keep a watch. Call any of the animal welfare organizations in Bangalore and they will help retrieve the snake.
2. In case I am bitten, or I see someone bitten by a snake, what should I do? (Especially if the snake is no longer around, and I cannot find out if the snake was venomous or not)
Not all snake bites are from venomous snakes. However do look out for the following symptoms and follow the first aid listed below:
General symptoms of a bite from a venomous snake:

Wound site: Fang marks, discoloration, burning sensation, blistering of skin, local pain, oedema
Bleeding from the wound that does not seem to stop
Bleeding gums
Progressive swelling of the bitten limb
Drooping eyelids
Difficulty in speaking
Difficulty in breathing
Drowsiness, unsteadiness

First Aid

Calm and reassure the patient. Only a small percentage of snakebites prove serious. Panic can increase the heart rate and speed the spread of venom in the body.
Remove any constricting items worn by the patient such as bangles, bands, bracelets, finger rings, watch and so on.
Completely immobilize the patient: Lay them down and keep them still. Splint the bitten limb to prevent movement.
A bitten leg should be splinted from below the ankle to the top of the thigh, and then strapped to the other leg to keep the entire lower half of the body still. A bitten arm should be splinted from the fingertips to the shoulder, and then strapped firmly (not tightly) to the side of the body.
Keep the wound clean; do not apply mud, manure or other poultices, if the wound requires washing use uncontaminated water to gently clean it.
Do not allow the person to walk or move about; keep them completely immobile and take them to hospital as soon after the bite as possible.
The victim should be kept warm. Watch out for the general symptoms (listed above) and inform the doctor:

The Common Krait. Pic Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.

The only remedy for venomous snakebite is anti-venom serum. Polyvalent anti-venom serum is effective against the bites of the Big Four: Common Cobra, Saw-scaled Viper, Common Krait, Russell's viper.
Note: Only if safely possible, try and get a good look at the snake (or photograph it) to help the doctor identify it, and treat the bite accordingly.
Here's what you should not do when a person has been bitten by a snake

Do not give sedatives to calm the patient.
Do not tie an electric cable, string or rubber tourniquet or ligatures, and do not cut the bite site, or the bitten limb.
Do not use ice packs, electric shock or suction at the site of bite.
Do not elevate the limb.
Do not use potassium permanganate.
Do not let the patient walk or run; keep them absolutely immobilized.
Do not administer alcoholic beverage or any medication
Do not give food or water, as both may be a choking hazard if the person vomits.
Do not waste time with quack ‘remedies' such as ‘snake stones', or chanting mantras. Go for anti-venom serum without delay.

3. Where would I be able to get snake anti-venom in Bangalore?
Anti-venom is stocked in most leading hospitals of Bangalore, including Manipal Hospital, Baptist Hospital, Mallya Hospital, Bowring Hospital and St John's Medical Hospital.
4. Should I administer anti-venom in any case? If the snake was not a poisonous one, will the anti-venom have bad effects?
No. Medical assistance is mandatory as it has to be administered through intravenous means. It is best for doctors to take a call on whether to administer anti-venom after observing the symptoms. Unnecessary use of anti-venom may cause allergic reactions.
5. What should I do to prevent snakes from entering my garden or home? I know they are good for the ecosystem, but I don't want to deal with them.
Keep the garden clean and free from mounds of litter. Keep flower pots away from doors and windows and do not stock them close to each other. Make sure there are no rats breeding in the garden or in the house. Keep the place well lit; else use a torch to move around.

The Russel's Viper has a distinctly triangular head, prominent because of a slender neck, with a thick body, and a thin tail. Pic Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.

6. Is it true that snakes are to be found where there are termite mounds?
Not necessarily. They need to regulate their body temperature so depending on the temperature, humidity, habitat and prey base they select resting places, and a termite mound is just one such resting place.

Breeding King Cobras part 1 – feeding and sexing (Including a new Discovery in hemipene transformation)

2010-09-20T20:46:00.000+08:00

I know many visitors to the web site have been waiting patiently for information on this subject. Starting now with feeding and sexing is seasonally correct as now is the right time. If you’re considering breeding King Cobras, you should be aware of the sexes and feeding your snakes the correct amount of food to ensure they’re in good shape for breeding.
Sexing King Cobras is not as straight forward as it is for most species of snake. Adult King Cobras can be sexed buy looking at their size, build, head shape, and the way they spread their hood. However this can cause problems and lead to incorrectly sexed snakes.
To start with size, adult male King Cobras are generally around 12 foot or over depending on a number of factors including race and age. When a male King Cobra reaches sexually maturity its build changes. It becomes far stockier with a larger head and spreads a hood that is wider at the top and as it tapers in, carries on further down the snake when it stands tall.
The smallest King Cobra I’ve had go through this change was an Indonesian (Java) male about 11 foot long. All my other breeding males are 12 foot (as that male is now) or over. I have one male that I’m sure is around 14 foot (I’ll measure him soon and put the results in the diaries). I know of other 14 footers in captivity at the moment and have heard that George Van Horn in the USA has a 17 footer? The largest King Cobra ever recorded was the 18’8″ male I’ve mentioned before at London zoo in the late 1930s.
Breeding females are generally 7 to 9 feet. The smallest I’ve known of is a 5 footer that was guarding a nest of 7 eggs in India. I have a female from Malaysia that’s 10 feet. The maximum size for a female King Cobra is usually 11 foot although there was a breeding female at the New York Zoological Park in 1954 that was 13’4″ long. This however was way back when 18 foot males still existed in the wild! I recently read an article on breeding the King Cobra that stated the male was 9 foot and the female 12 foot. This article also stated that female King Cobras commonly reach 16 feet so I’m afraid I have to dismiss it. In general a breeding male King will be 12 to 14 feet and females 7 to 9 feet. The opposite of the Asian Naja complex were females are much larger than males.
The way to sex King Cobras visually is that males are bigger than females both in length and body weight. In some parts of their range Males and Females are different colours. Males have bigger heads, longer and thicker tails, and as I’ve mentioned a hood that starts closer to the head, spreads wider at the top and gradually tapers down further than on females whose hood is more oval in shape.
When I imported my first pair of King Cobras from Thailand back in the 80’s the exporter told me of this and used it as the sole method to sex King Cobras and indeed the pair of Kings I purchased from him did show these traits.

my old male King Cobra showing typical hood

My old female King Cobra

This isn’t always evident as King Cobras do Hood in different ways to show different expressions and moods. Also the hood shape looks different from various angles. The best example I have of a King expressing different moods with the shape of his hood is also another example of how intelligent these Cobras are. One of my large male Malaysian Kings ‘Nameless’ was let out of his cage and guided to a part of the snake room that was secured to leave a King there temporarily. He had just shed and made such a mess of his cage it needed a thorough cleaning out. After finishing his cadge I thought I’d take a photo of him in his beautiful new skin. To persuade him to hood for the camera, I got his attention with my foot in snake boots. I always wear ‘snake proof’ proven boots when in my King Cobra rooms. I use my feet all the time to aid in my snake handling and on a trip to the US many years ago I was visiting Bill Love when he revived a call informing him his friend was dead after a bite from an Asian cobra to the big toe. He’d been removing retained eggs when he lost his grip, had to drop the snake and if he’d been wearing boots instead of sandals, Bill wouldn’t have received that call!
Just after I took the first photograph, ‘Nameless’ grabbed my foot and tried to envenomate it and venom dripped down the boot. He was obviously in no mood to be messed about and the photo shows it. Moments after the bite, I took a second picture. I’m sure by both the hood shape and the expression on his face he’d thought about what he had done. I’m convinced if nothing else, the long term Kings know that I’m the provider of their food. And I’m sure many of you who have dogs will agree the expression he was showing was “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have done that”!

'Nameless' before the bite

'Nameless' after the bite

It’s well known that King Cobras show facial expressions (and to my knowledge are the only snakes that do), but most observations are limited to a King lowering one side of its jaw to show you a single fang as if to say “I could use this if I wanted to and you’d be sorry”. Not angry enough as to open their mouths and show you both fangs which could mean a bite is on the way!

Male King Cobra showing his 'Elvis lip'

Female King Cobra showing a single fang. Looking superior as if you’re not worthy of both fangs!

The other way to sex King Cobras is by probing them but again this is not as simple with Kings as it is with many other species of snake. Probing is where a blunt lubricated rod is inserted into a Cobras cloaca pointing towards the tail and to one side of the vent.

Probing a male King Cobra

In a male King Cobra, the probe travels a further distance as it enters one of the two inverted penis (known as hemipines although this is not an accurate description as there are two individual penises, not each one being half of the whole structure). In a female King Cobra the probe enters a much shorter distance as it is only slipping into the scent gland. The usual way to measure the distance travelled is to count the number of ventral scales the probe passes. This is done by holding the tip of your thumb at the point where the probe finishes entering the King’s body and then withdrawing the probe, holding the point your thumb is against at the cloaca and counting the number of ventral scales to the tip of the probe.
Many Cobras are sold as female when they are actually males. This has happened to me on occasions and sometimes an experienced snake keeper has shown me a ‘female’ K that I’ve then gone on to prove to be a male. When I first started keeping Cobras in the 80’s, they were all exported from Thailand and by far the greatest numbers of these were males. Some shipments arrived with the bags marked male and female but all later turned out to be males. Then in the 90’s Thailand outlawed the export of its snakes. The Thai government should be congratulated for that, although I would rather see a global situation were no snakes are exported by the 100s. There are ample numbers of snakes being captive bred for the pet trade. I’d rather that instead of a country having a total ban (be it KCs or other snake species), permits are allowed for small shipments of say 10 snakes or less for either scientific reasons or as breeding stock. This way local snake catchers/dealers could still make a living as they could charge much higher prices for these small shipments, and the condition of snakes exported would be far better as the high value would make exporters look after their chargers and the small numbers would elevate the problems caused by overcrowding. Also the fact that these snake species were available, if you went to the trouble of applying for a scientific or breeder permit would prevent the ‘smuggling’ that is sometimes a cause of suffering to the snakes. Around the same time Thailand closed its doors to the trade in wild snakes, Indonesia opened its doors up and I was horrified at the numbers and condition of imported King Cobras that I saw at American dealers back then. The King Cobras exported from Indonesia are often of a more even sex ratio. Cobras now exported from Malaysia are always very male heavy.
There’s a good reason why Cobras are often miss sexed. I have never read or been told about this so it could be a new Discovery! When I probe a litter of my newly hatched Cobras, all the males probed 7 ventral scales and the females just one scale. They continue to probe like this until they reach sexual maturity. Then when the males go through the changes in build that I described earlier (or shortly before), they will probe up to 24 ventral scales and the adult females will probe 2 or 3. Also the probe will move and won’t feel so stiff in the wider scent gland of the mature female.

Measuring the distance probed by counting the scales

Much longer probing of sexually mature King Cobra

Commercially available probes can vary in quality from excellent to out-right dangerous. To probe those 20 plus ventral scales of a sexually mature male I use a blunt knitting needle.

Comparing the good and bad probes

These sexing errors could occur when someone has two or more males of different sizes. An 11 foot male is probed with the largest ‘python probe’ in the owners set and it seems to literally disappear inside the snake and enters the maximum of its length. The King is large bodied has a big head and a long tapering hood. It’s correctly sexed as a male. Then a 7 foot King is looked at, it is less stocky, its hood is more oval and its heads smaller. Then when it’s probed the probe comes to an abrupt halt having only entered into the snake a small distance compared to the 11 footer. The owner possibly didn’t count exactly how many ventral scales it’s passed (and its probably 7). The Cobra is then miss identified as a female.
If the Cobra is well looked after and feeds well in a year or two it will be 11 or 12 feet long and probe well past 7 ventral scales and possibly as many as 22!

Five head cobra

2010-08-25T20:16:00.001+08:00

King Cobra Taxonomy

2010-08-20T20:36:00.002+08:00

This post is in response to a question I received a while ago via the website:
“Keep up the good work.
PS You need to some taxonomy on the group and resurrecting some of the names assigned for the various regional variants.
I have not looked at the group, but am aware that most if not all were named a few decades back by some bloke that none of his peers liked. ALL THE BEST”
At the moment the King Cobra is a lone species in its own genus – Ophiophagus Hannah (cantor 1836). For several years an Indian herpetologist has proposed the two locality types from India are separate species, that there was possibly several species of Ophiophagus throughout their range and that he would be publishing a description of the species using traditional taxonomy e.g. scale counts but this has not yet happened.
I and others including academics agree there are at least 4 and possibly 7 species, never mind sub species (which is a completely different debate that I don’t want to open at the moment). I have and will continue to supply DNA samples to any researchers who require them. The problem is the King Cobra is RARE and this is reflected in museum specimens. If you want to look at a type of Crotalus you could probably examine 100s of preserved specimens and say “I know this species” but this isn’t possible with Ophiophagus!
An example of why this is important is as follows: I have a King Cobra with CITIES papers from Bali Indonesia. She has different scaleation to the rear of her head from all other Indonesian Kings I’ve seen and ‘hood chevrons’ covering her whole body to the tip of her tail! I can’t say she’s a new species from Bali for two reasons. 1) I haven’t and can’t examine enough King Cobras from this, the more easterly part of the range. Interestingly they tend to be smaller, cope better with surviving in secondary habitat and unlike most populations an almost even sex ratio is sometimes imported. Kings imported from other areas tend to be very male heavy.
2) To say “I know this species” and this is a new one Ophiophagus O’shea (-: what if it’s an aberrant? – a mutation? If I’d examined 50+ King Cobras from Bali I’d know but few exist! The other problem is what if she’s not even from Bali but caught on a different island and just exported from there? Taxonomists are looking at the genus and I’m sure eventually it will contain several species but I’m neither a taxonomist nor an academic although I’ll continue to provide samples from my Cobras to those who are.

Head shot of Sue two my female Bali king.

Head shot of Queeny a typical Indonesian King Cobra.

My female King Cobra ‘Suetwo’ – a new species of Ophiophagus or ‘mutation’? – Either way she’s a ‘looker’!

Suetwo - named after my wife who helped with the emergency care and TLC that saved this King Cobras life. (Sue cried as she felt her ribs even though she's no snake fan, but of course a true animal lover!)

Photo of Suetwo showing her chevrons.

King cobra snakes

2010-08-20T20:34:00.001+08:00

The king of kings

2010-08-20T20:24:00.001+08:00

Snakes, world over are feared worshipped and respected for their sheer majestic appearance, venom and beauty. Be it a tiny worm snake or an anaconda. This mix of respect and fear has made the snakes feature in the mythology of many nations but more often than not, the fear has caused people to beat them to death on sighting one, irrespective of being harmless or venomous. These are creatures that have a very special place in nature but also in my heart. Having the influence of snakes in my name itself, this does not sound surprising. There was a point in the little time that I have managed to live where I feared the snakes more than respecting them and shared the intention of the numerous men of clubbing one to death at sight! It took many hours of snake shows on TV and holding a tiny watersnake shoved into my hand by the “Snake shyam of mysore” to get over the fear and start caring and respecting these snakes.
The respect grew and I had this dream of becoming a herpetologist! ( I also dreamed of being a pilot, soldier, philosopher and what not!).Though that I am not sure of having become anything yet, I am quite happy that I have been able to stick around with nature and wilderness and witness these gentle creatures in their own world and have had numerous encounters with them both dead and alive in a couple of years- and even got bitten by a rat snake once! With this fascination, respect and whatever you want to call it of snakes standing the test of time, I wanted many more encounters and experiences which would make this little life on earth a worthy one to live. And there is one snake which I always wished to see and know more about like any other snake lover at least in India. The legendary King cobra.
This snake, being the longest venomous snake in this big and wide country is on the hitlist of anyone who loves these cold blooded seemingly mis-evolved creatures. The highly venomous yet gentle and majestic snake, seldom seen is an important predator in the evergreen forests and is restricted to parts of the Western Ghats and the forests of Orissa and further east. With human encounters being far and few between, the respects this snake gains is phenomenal and is called with equally respectful names in colloquial terms.
It is the only snake to build a nest and eat other venomous snakes, it can pump in enough venom to kill a full grown man 20 times over and can grow up to 15 ft and as thick as a human fore arm! And there is no anti venom for this snake in case someone gets bitten by these clever and bold snakes.
My first encounter with this snake was in 2007. I was a volunteer with Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore and was part of a team monitoring the presence of tigers and their prey in the forests across the Western Ghats of India. Balehonur in central Western Ghats is one place where the snakes are seen and while returning from field work to Shimoga district, we happen to see a thick snake crossing the road. It was so long that I could not see its head or tail but the body was covering the whole width of the road. We were able to take only a couple of pictures before the snake moved into the thickets and we never got to see the head. A round of discussion and pouring over field guides proved it to be his majesty himself!! (Or must I say her?). That was a seemingly un-exciting encounter with this majestic snake but none the less, a great sighting. This incident has been now refreshed with an even better and an unforgettable experience I had a few days back in 2010 in Mundanturai. With the campaign asking people to be better ancestors during the Lord Sorimuthian festival in KMTR coming to an end, I was packing up to leave to Pondicherry and had just finished the much needed shower which had not seen me for almost 4 days when I heard my colleague Prashanth bolting into the dormitory and asking for Rajkamal. Having not seen him for few hours, I asked what was all the excitement about and Prashanth managed to utter between catching his breath that there was a huge snake in the Servalaar river and it was just seen getting washed away in the water. And going by its monstrous size, it seemed like a king cobra.

I had this little confusion in my mind for two reasons- one the snake was not to be found in the deciduous habitat in Mundanthurai and the other was the reluctance to go out in search of a snake wearing shorts and bathroom slippers! However, the snake got the better of me and in a few minutes it had us both running after it after I grabbed my binocular alone assuming my camera battery was completely dead! The bridge across the river had already gathered the policemen manning it and the discussions were on about the snake, how big it was and other stories blown out of proportion. A quick chat while scanning the bank for the snake with Anthony of the Papanasam bus service revealed that they had actually seen the King and were not lying as I had thought in the back of my silly over confidant mind. The urge to see it again made run across to the other side of the river and soon prashanth and self were on the other bank after a fast bolt with Smrity following us at a rather slow pace. On the other bank, we started having discussions of how the snake came to be there and it became clear that the snake was possibly washed down the river from the upper ever green forests beyond servalar when the dam was opened. If this were to be true, I guessed that the snake would, on reaching the bank rest for quite some time after the exhaustive swim in the cold waters of the river. Being cold blooded, this sudden exercise would have drained the battery of the snake too and it would wait for quite some time to recuperate from it. Soon, the bank saw us traversing looking for the snake and being over cautious as to not step on the tiered snake and the numerous human dung piles. We spent a good 15 mins in search of the snake and there was no luck. We got down closer to the bank when a bunch of people bathing further down the river started shouting and we were there in less than a minute to hear that the snake had just went past them. They were so afraid that they did not even tell us if the snake went in water or on land. I crashed thru the thorny shrubbery followed by the other two and began looking for the snake. Another 15mins were spent in a seemingly futile search for the elusive snake and I turned back and told prashanth that the snake must have gone and there was no point searching further and as I was getting late to leave to Pondicherry in a short while, we turned back with Smrity following us 50m away. While cautiously walking avoiding all the shit, in one corner of my eye, I saw something move and it was indeed the king. This huge snake was right next to where we had passed a couple of minutes earlier and all the three of us had missed it. My joy knew no bounds as I was seeing this snake thru the binoculars with close focus and was staring right into the eye of this huge snake which indeed seemed to be of monstrous proportion.

The king cobra shot by me with smrity's small camera

The eyes of this snake immediately attract all the awe and respect it duly deserves and I had an overdose of adrenalin and ushered prashanth and asked smrity to come quickly. While prashanth spotted it in a jiffy, smrity could not and I had to hold her by her head and show the snake! All three of us were almost going berserk with the amounts of excitement and I snatched her small camera which seemed like a flimsy toy in front of this huge serpent. Stepping closer to the snake well into the biting range, I began filming the snake with her camera in which I did not know where the controls were. One thing for sure was that I was shivering of both the excitement and the fear the snake generates when one stares into its deep dark eyes.
Having wanted to kick myself for not taking the camera which I always hang around my neck even when eating, I cursed my good self and kept one eye on the snake and the other on the viewfinder and after a while the snake, in water, started moving and that is when the length of the snake became evident! It was not less than 12ft! It is indeed simply amazing to see such huge snakes in the natural setting and such experiences are some of those which keep the energy burning and the enthusiasm going.
The video was shot and the snake moved and so did we, as we did not want to die of adrenalin overdose and more so wanted to leave the snake alone to get back to its senses. The bathing family who had seen the snake was all huddled together and was overwhelmed at our courage, tenacity and sheer defiance of the fear to have gone after this snake and photograph it!
Soon a round of video showing and correcting their versions of the story began and prashanth realized that he, In spite of being over cautious had stepped badly on shit and decided to discard his pants, shoes and socks. On reaching the bridge, the policemen and Anthony of bus service were happy to see us back alive and to see the video of the “Raja naag”.
What followed was an endless round of bragging and showing off and this I shall not mention here. The only thing worth mentioning was that just that morning, I was cribbing to Saleem that I had not seen a single snake this season and thanks to the best wishes of Lord sorimuthian, I was bestowed with the sight of the king himself!
The fate of the snake however remains unknown as the river leads to another dam and if the snake floats into it, it’s pretty much dead. If it does not and decides to cross over into the evergreens, it would still be pretty much dead thanks to the numerous roads and heavy vehicular density on them.
whether the sighting is a blessing to me by Lord sori or a curse of doom to the snake, I do not have answers.

Cobra in India

2010-08-18T21:07:00.001+08:00

Cobra in India
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Facts
Class: Reptiles
Diet: Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians
Size: Body:1.8 - 2.2 m (6 - 7 1/4 ft)
Scientific Name: Naja naja
Habitat: Rainforest, Rice fields, Cultivated land
Range: India, Central Asia, Southeast Asia

About Cobra in India
The Indian Cobra is known around the world as highly venomous snake that feeds on rodents, lizards, and frogs. As well as biting, the Indian cobra can attack or defend itself from a distance by "spitting" venom, which, if it enters the opponent's eyes, causes severe pain and damage. The snake actually forces the venom through its fangs, by exerting muscular pressure on the venom glands, so that it sprays out in twin jets for 2 m (6 1/2 ft) or more.

Behaviour of Indian Cobra
When threatened, the Indian Cobra will assume its characteristic posture. It will raise the front one-third of its body and elongate its long, flexible neck ribs and loose skin to form its distinctive hood, on which are resembled eyes. .

Status of Cobra in India
Although the Indian Cobra is not an endangered species, it has recently been hunted for its distinctive hood markings in the production of handbags. It is listed under the treaty because it closely resembles other species that are threatened and in need of protection.

Physical Characteristics of Indian Cobra
The Indian Cobra's most known characteristic features are the wide black band on the underside of the neck, and the hood marking design which shows half-rings on either side of the hood. It is a smooth-scaled snake with black eyes, a wide neck and head, and a medium-sized body. Its colouring varies from black, to dark brown, to a creamy white. The body is usually covered with a spectacled white or yellow pattern, which sometimes forms ragged bands. The Indian cobra may grow from 1.8m to 2.2m.

Those Cobras which have the single ring on the hood are found in Assam and Eastern India and spit venom like the Ringhals Cobra of South Africa which can eject a spray for a distance of more than two meters and cause severe eye pain, sometimes blindness. Keepers who attend this particular variety of Cobra sensibly wear goggles.

Most Poisonous - The King Cobra or Hamadryad
The King Cobra or Hamadryad, is the largest of all poisonous snakes. This sometimes 5 meter long, lethal creature is entirely a snake eater. It enjoys Pythons, other Cobras, and even its own species. The King is aggressive, unpredictable, and can strike without provocation. It is most intelligent. When erect it can stand up to 2 meters in height. In certain fertility rites in Burma, a woman desirous of offspring is required not only to approach the King Cobra but to plant a kiss on its mouth. If she is successful in doing so she will bear many children; if she fails, obviously none.

Natural History
The Indian cobra feeds on rodents, lizards and frogs. It bites quickly, and then waits while its venom damages the nervous system of the prey, paralyzing and often killing it. Like all snakes, N. naja swallows its prey whole. This species sometimes enters buildings in search of rodent prey. In its characteristic threat posture, the Indian cobra raises the front one-third of its body and spreads out its long, flexible neck ribs and loose skin to form a disklike hood, on the back of which there are markings resembling eyes.

Indian cobras pay more attention to their eggs than is usual in snakes. The 8 to 45 eggs (usually 12 to 20) are laid in a hollow tree, a termite mound or earth into which the snakes tunnel. The female guards the clutch throughout the incubation period, leaving them only for a short time each day to feed.

Economic Importance for Humans
Positive
The Indian Cobra eats rats and mice that carry disease and eat human food. Also, cobra venom is a potential source of medicines, including anti-cancer drugs and pain-killers.

Negative
This species is highly venomous, and its bite can be lethal. Because it hunts rodents that live around people, it is often encountered by accident, and many people die each year from N. naja bites.

The Festival of the Serpents
Nagapanchami or the Serpent Festival occurs in India generally in August after the monsoon rains. It is then that the full impact of Cobra power is manifest. Throughout the country Cobras are either brought into the villages and fed, or effigies of the snake are anointed and worshipped. Rarely has it ever been recorded that a fatality has occurred from snakebite during this occasion; the Cobras appear to sense they are being revered.

Although there may be variations in the date and in the local traditions and modes of observance, Nagapanchami is celebrated according to ancient rites. The festival continues to testify to the feelings of awe and veneration which the Cobra evokes in the minds of the population since the earliest times remembered. The Cobra is a graceful animal and appears always to carry an air of dignity and nobility. The physical charisma with which it is endowed is without doubt also one of the reasons why it, among all snakes, was chosen by the Nagas to be their totem.

Snake Charming
Snake charming is fascinating and at times mystifying. The eyes of the Cobra are hauntingly black and hypnotic; the snake is beautiful to watch when it is being worked by a skilled charmer. The hood is then spread and the markings apparent. The colours of the hood merge from black to brown to beige and, when framed against the sunlight, it appears almost translucent. No visit to India is complete without experiencing it.

But the true essence of the art is not observed by the tourist. There are initiates of the Shiva cult who handle Cobras without any danger of being bitten. The ‘Commercial’ snakes, generally the Spectacled Cobra, have either had their fangs extracted or the poison sacs removed. In general their lifespan is shortened due to mouth rot. The performance, nevertheless, is spectacular and colourful.

Rescued king cobra released to forest

2010-08-17T20:42:00.001+08:00

Nagara-panchami is just over and on this day people stand in queues to anoint milk and ghee on stone statues of snakes.

Ironically when the real snake is found in the vicinity it is done to death by petrified bunch of people. In Gonikoppa lives a herpetologist, who rescued an injured king cobra, treated it for over 60 days and released it to the woods. The herpetologist is snake Sathish, the warden of Coorg Public School of Gonikoppa who feels that even if he fails to turn to the holy shrine of snake gods to offer prayers on Panchami, the king cobra that he had rescued must be blessing him wherever it is. A king cobra was fighting for life after being stuck in a machinery at a Mini Hydel Project at Karike near Bhagamandala. The personnel from the plant quickly informed Sathish about the situation. Following this, Sathish rushed to the spot to rescue the cobra. On reaching the spot, Sathish found that the cobra had entangled itself in the machinery and could not make its way out. Sensing that the situation was crucial, Sathish headed towards the king cobra, but the reptile which was in acute pain retaliated Sathish by hissing. Sathish took it as a challenge and paved his way to the cobra strategically. He brought the rescued cobra to Gonikoppa and ensured recuperation of the king cobra. Sathish treated the wounds of the cobra using coconut oil and turmeric. He also visited Puttur and got medicines for the cobra from renowned herpetologist Dr Ravindra Aithal. Sathish had to risk his life while applying medicines on the wounded cobra as the raged reptile tried to bite Sathish several times during the course of the treatment. The health condition of the cobra started improving within one month and on the 32nd day, it ate a krait. On the 60th day, Sathish saw that the king cobra was healthy. Following this, he released the cobra in to Brahmagiri forest and in no time the guest, which came to live with Sathish for 60 days returned to its world, probably with gratefulness to its saviour. This is the third king cobra rescued by Sathish from people

Snakes of the world part-5

2010-06-26T22:19:00.002+08:00

King Cobra Image courtsey: Shibu Bhaskar

The King Cobra Snake (Naja hannah, Naja bungarus, Hamadryad)

The undisputed king!

It seems that nature has given birth to this animal, with a purpose to fill the void of a king that existed in the world of snakes, and bestowed on it all that a true king should possess to rule the world with unparalleled might and courage. No one dares to question its supremacy even his peers the “ordinary cobras”. The King Cobra is fit to be a king in all respects. The word “Hamadryad is Greek meaning a nymph - which lives on a tree and dies along with the tree -adds a touch of surrealism to this animal!

Intelligent too!

Illustrations courtsey: Malcom A Smith - The Fauna of British India Vol 3

“The most intelligent of an intelligent race”; E. G. Boulenger has described this yellowish-brown king cobra or Hamadryad (Naja bungarus). It seems strange that in scientific works the name given to this animal varies from author to author whereas the name in plain English remains just the same – “King Cobra”. The most popularly used names seem to be Naja hannah and Naja bangarus. Its bite can cause death in a man within two hours, an elephant bitten on the trunk died within three hours.

A cannibal by choice!

King Cobra eating another snake Image courtsey: zoltantakacs.com

Naja hamadryad is found in Indo-China and Malaya is not just the biggest poisonous snakes in the world it is the fiercest among the venomous ones. There are records available of it growing up to 18 feet in length. The King Cobra is universally a cannibal and it has a duty in restricting the number of venomous snakes especially in some parts of Asia, they settle the problem of increase in the number of snakes simply by swallowing them! Vipers are generally avoided as the big fangs they have may cause problems when swallowed.

No spectacle!

The poison fangs are followed by three small teeth, and teeth including fangs are occasionally shed which are replaced by new ones. Eyes are of moderate size and very visible. The frontal is not truncated as in ordinary cobra. The absence of the spectacle mark on the back of the hood is a marked difference (it definitely lessens the glamour of the king to an extent!).

Not Naja naja.

The head-scales are similar to those of Naja naja, but the frontal not truncate anteriorly. A pair of large occipital shields arranged touching one to another. The cuneate scale is not present in the lower-jaw. Scales of the vertebral series are smooth and oblique and the outer two rows are larger in comparison (description courtesy Malcolm A Smith).

Up to the Himalayas!

Himalayas Image courtsey: historyforkids.org

King cobras inhabit from peninsular India to the Himalayas as well as in many parts of Indo-China sub-regions and the Andaman Islands. It has been found to live up to 6000 feet in altitude. They mainly feed upon lizards, rabbits etc but other snakes are their delicacy whether poisonous or not, no problem. There are instances where King cobras have attacked pythons and of swallowing large animals like varanus.

Builds it own nest.

King Cobra nest Image courtsey: thinkquest.org

The hemi-penis (the male reproductive organ) is fairly long and forked (a general phenomenon with snakes). Females lay about 21 to 40 eggs at a season (during April, to June) which are deposited in a “nest”. The nests are made of dry leaves and other debris and well camouflaged from onlookers. Female guard the eggs by coiling around them, male is said to be around for additional protection.

The stray princes god save them!

The young ones are black colored on the top with narrow white or yellow cross-bands. These are Chevron shaped and, pointing forwards on the front and traverse behind. With age the special coloration disappears. As it is in the case of every snake the young princes are left uncared and as soon as hatched they crawl away as if they have nothing to do with the hatching mother or the guarding father. They are the children of nature and goes in to the lap of the mother- nature either to swallow someone or to be swallowed by someone!

King Cobra

2010-06-23T21:17:00.000+08:00

At maximum lengths of 18 feet, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake... though they are not the most deadly. In fact, they don't even seem to make the top ten in regards to most potent venom. But do not underestimate them! A single bite contains about 7ml of neurotoxin which is strong enough to kill an elephant.

Image from Photosfan

King Cobras are the only members of their genus, but they belong to a pretty large family of Elapids which is home to hundreds of venomous snakes from around the world. The King Cobra itself is found in China, India, and South East Asia. They are diurnal, carnivorous reptiles, and are comfortable on land, in trees, and even in water. The King Cobra actually feeds primarily on other snakes, though they will also eat other reptiles, mammals, birds and eggs.

The King Cobra is well known within the context of snake charming. They are able to stand up straight with a third of their entire body length. Cobras do not hear in the same way that we do, so they are not entranced by the actual music. They are most likely drawn by the vibrations and the movement of the flute. The Cobra's ability to stand comes from the way in which they hunt, which involves striking quickly in a downward motion. The King Cobra will also stand and spread its hood when feeling threatened.

King Cobras are unique in that they are the only snake that builds a nest for its eggs. Starting at around age 4 they mate once a year and lay clutches of between 20 and 50 eggs. The females will remain atop the nest, guarding her eggs until they hatch nearly 3 months later. Males will also remain in the vicinity.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes

2010-06-01T21:34:00.000+08:00

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes are native to the Southeastern Coastal Plains. They can be found in Southern North Carolina, Eastern South Carolina, Southern Georgia, Florida, Southern Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and Eastern Louisiana.

These rattlesnakes inhabit low elevation sandy areas, long-leaf pine forests, pine flatwoods, sand hill communities, turkey oak forests, live oak hammocks, pine ridges or coastal areas. Favorite haunts include saw palmetto scrub, Gopher Tortoise burrows, and stump holes.

Eastern Diamondbacks are often found on Georgia's barrier islands, the Florida Keys, and Islands in the Gulf of Mexico. They are well known to be excellent swimmers and have often been spotted crossing stretches of water between barrier islands and the mainland off the Georgia coast, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Florida Keys, sometimes miles from land.

These snakes can often be found on agricultural land. Farms provide a steady food supply in the form of rodents. Tin, plywood, and other debris provide shelter to the snakes. The snakes may spend the first three years of their life underground in stump holes and root systems.

Individual disposition varies, with some allowing close approach while remaining silent, and others starting to rattle at a distance of 20 to 30 feet (6-9 m). When threatened they raise the anterior half of the body off the ground in an S-shaped coil and strike to a distance of at least a third of their body length. Many will stand their ground and may strike repeatedly.
One popular myth is that these snakes must rattle before striking. They are, of course, quite capable of striking while remaining completely silent.

The Eastern Diamondback is a large, impressive, and potentially dangerous snake. It can strike up to 2/3 its body length; a 6-foot specimen may strike 4 feet. The venom of the diamondback is potent. When severely bitten, the mortality rate for humans is nearly 40 percent. Symptoms include, but are not limited to pain, severe swelling, bruising, blistering, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, collapse or convulsions, Yellow vision; paraesthesia/numbness of digits, metallic taste in mouth, fasciculations, and/or death.

Canebrake Rattlesnake

2010-06-01T21:32:00.000+08:00

The Canebrake Rattlesnake is actually a sub-species of the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus horridus), found widely through the northeastern U. S. The Canebrake is lighter colored than the much darker Timber Rattlesnake. It is pinkish to light tan with dark-brown to black blotches and chevrons, and it has a marked stripe down the back and a stripe from the eye to the jaw. Although the venom of these snakes is variable, the Canebrake tends to possess a neurotoxic venom, which contributes to its overall toxicity.
Potentially, this is one of North America's most dangerous snakes, due to its long fangs, impressive size and high venom yield.

A bite from a Canebrake Rattlesnake can include nervous system affects leading to respiratory distress and cardiac arrythmias, as well as tissue damage and nerve paralysis. These are large snakes with adults averaging 3 to 6 feet in length, which can potentially deliver a massive load of very toxic venom.

Although overall, Timber Rattlesnakes are threatened in some northeastern habitats, the Canebrake sub-species is not currently an endangered species and its population seems stable in most of its southeastern U. S. range. It tends to inhabit hardwood and mixed hardwood-pine forests, cane fields, and the ridges and glades of swampy areas in the southeastern States. It overwinters in the base of hollow trees or in stumps. In cooler weather it is active during the day, but during the heat of the summer it tends to be active and hunt at night. It generally feeds on small mammals, such as rodents and occasionally amphibians, such as small frogs. It is a very important part of rodent control in its habitat.

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

2010-06-01T21:24:00.002+08:00

One of the nine subspecies of the western rattlesnake, the southern pacific is relatively dark in coloration. They are native to the southern coasts of California and Baja. They occupy valley grasslands, woodlands and shrub communities.

This is the most common species in San Diego and may be found near housing developments, parks, and even the beach. Its range is from coastal Southern California to northwestern Baja California, Mexico, and they are commonly found on prairies or sage scrub/grassland areas, especially near rocky outcroppings

Like most rattlesnakes, the Southern Pacific produces a powerful hemotoxin that attacks the blood and tissue of its prey. Recently, in some areas of southern California the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake has developed neurotoxins in it's venom, as well. A bite from this snake can cause localized tissue damage in humans, and if left untreated may result in death from hemorrhaging, blood clotting or a drop in blood pressure. In addition if neurotoxins are present in the snakes venom, there may be other neurological issues as well, including paralysis, respiratory failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

It is not clear how some Southern Pacific rattlesnakes have developed neurotoxic venom, although it may be due to cross breeding with the Mojave rattlesnake. In any case this makes for a potentially more dangerous envenomation and snake. The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus Helleri) is responsible for most of the snake bites in the coastal area of California from Los Angeles to San Diego

This particular snake is highly venomous and even though the Southern Pacific rattler is nonaggressive, it accounts for more venomous bites in the United States than any other snake because we are building new homes and communities on top of their habitat.

Mojave rattlesnake

2010-06-01T21:23:00.000+08:00

The Mojave rattlesnake is a venomous species found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and central Mexico. It is perhaps best known for its potent venom. The Mojave rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus, is the most dangerous snake in the United States. Unlike most other rattlesnakes species, California specimens possess highly neurotoxic venom in addition to hemotoxins. This deadly cocktail of toxins attack both nerve endings, leading to paralysis and respiratory failure, as well as massive destruction of tissue and blood cells.

This rattlesnake species averages between 3.25' (100 cm) and 4.5' (137 cm) in length. Their color varies with the terrain, ranging from shades of brown to pale green. Their frequent green hue, has led to their being called "Mojave greens" in some areas of the U.S. This snake is not considered endangered and is found in a fairly wide distribution throughout the southwestern U.S. in good numbers.

The Mojave rattlesnake is often found in close proximity to large and growing population centers in southern California and therefore may be encountered more frequently by humans then other species. They have a reputation for being fairly aggressive, although this is based largely on anecdotal information, rather than scientific evidence. Like most rattlesnakes they will defend themselves rigorously, against perceived threats such as handling, or when disturbed.

The Mojave rattlesnake is widely considered one of the most dangerous and venomous snakes of the Western Hemisphere. The bite from a Mojave rattlesnake is a serious medical emergency and is potentially life threatening. A snake to leave alone and avoid, the Mojave earns first place on my list of the U.S. most dangerous snakes.

Bushmaster

2010-06-01T21:21:00.000+08:00

The Bushmaster, lachesis muta muta is the largest Pit Viper in the world with a nasty reputation as a "cruel dude". The Bushmaster is a huge, thick-bodied and highly venomous snake with a triangularly shaped head, one of nature's warning signs that a snake is poisonous and potentially deadly. Bushmasters live in remote, heavily forested tropical jungle terrain. Isolated in their jungle environment, envenomation by a Bushmaster is very serious, sometimes fatal and particularly dangerous to humans.

Bushmaster is the largest venomous snake in the New World, often reaching lengths in excess of 6 feet with a maximum recorded length reaching an amazing 14 feet!

The Bushmaster has earned this fierce reputation, known to aggressively attack man but only few human attacks have been recorded due primarily to the Bushmaster's nocturnal nature. Even if they do attack only occasionally, the Bushmaster is greatly feared by people indigenous to their jungle habitat. Appropriately named in English, the name Bushmaster when translated from Latin means "Brings Silent Death". One of the largest and most dangerous snakes in South America, the Bushmaster is capable of multiple bite strikes, injecting large amount of venom and even the bite of a juvenile Bushmaster can be fatal. In the case

The Bushmaster has extremely long fangs

Snake venom delivered by the Bushmaster has powerful Hemotoxic properties affecting the circulatory system destroying red blood cells causing organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage which can be fatal if left untreated

The Bushmaster is the largest Pit Viper in the world. This snake has a triangular shaped head with rough scales.

Known to aggressively attack, particularly when agitated or startled.

Tropical forested areas throughout Central and South America

Bushmaster

2010-06-01T21:20:00.000+08:00

The Black Mamba is found throughout most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and is incredibly fast, traveling at speeds of up to 12 miles per hour. It's also large; the second largest snake in Africa, averaging 8.2' (2.5m) and getting as long as 14' (4.5m). The Black Mamba is aggressive and territorial, characteristics not usually attributed to snakes. This snake is usually found in an olive green color - it's the inside of its mouth that is black!

African villagers and experts alike fear the intense pain and suffering the mamba inflicts on its victims. Its poison is neuro-toxic. Unlike most poisonous snakes where the venom travels slowly through the blood stream, allowing a victim time to get treatment and to isolate the poison using a tourniquet, the black mamba's poison goes straight for the nerves, attacking the central nervous system and shutting down major organs. Twenty minutes after being bitten you may lose the ability to talk. After one hour you're probably comatose, and by six hours, without an antidote, you are dead.

When feeling very threatened, the Black Mamba usually delivers multiple strikes, injecting its potent neuro- and cardiotoxin with each strike, often attacking the body or head, unlike most other snakes. It can strike up to 12 times in a row. A single bite from a Black Mamba can inject enough venom to kill up to 10-25 grown men, easily killing one unless the appropriate anti-venom is administered in time. When cornered, it will readily attack. When in the striking position, the mamba flattens its neck, hisses very loudly and displays its inky black mouth and fangs. It can rear up around one-third of its body from the ground, which allows it to reach heights of approximately four feet.

In the past, the mortality rate for a Black Mamba bite was nearly 100%, the highest among venomous snakes. Now, because of the development of effective antivenin in Africa, the rate has been decreased to 75% (25% of bite victims now receive antivenin in time to be effective). Depending on the nature of a bite, death can result in as little as 30 minutes or it may take up to 120-180 minutes.

Boomslang

2010-06-01T21:18:00.002+08:00

The Boomslang is a tree dweller that is found throughout southern and sub-Saharan Africa. It inhabits wooded grasslands and the adult snake averages between 4 to 6 feet in length. Their diet consists mainly of small lizards and birds. If agitated, the Boomslang moves quickly and will inflate its neck to double its normal size right before striking its victim. Equipped with stereoscopic vision, the Boomslang hunts during the day in its arboreal territory.

The Boomslang excretes a powerful venom through rear fangs located beneath the eye area. This snake is deadly because of its preference for aerial positioning in tree top and shrub cover. Hard to see in the thick forested cover of the savanna, the Boomslang Snake is well camouflaged and strikes without giving any warning signal.

The Boomslang delivers a potent hemotoxic venom to its victim through large, deeply grooved folded fangs positioned in the rear of its mouth The hemotoxic venom delivered by the Boomslang, affects the circulatory system destroying red blood cells, causing organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. Bites cause intense pain, swelling and necrosis even when delivered in small amounts. In addition, the bite causes severe bleeding, continuing for extended periods, even 24-48 hours after the bite, making the Boomslang very dangerous to man. The bite can be fatal if left untreated quickly with antivenin.

Inland Taipan (aka Fierce Snake) of Australia

2010-06-01T21:16:00.002+08:00

Found only in Australia, the Inland Taipan is the most toxic snake on Earth. Just a single bite from this snake contains enough venom to kill 100 human adults. Luckily, antivenin is now available, prior to its development, few people survived a bite from this snake. Its venom is 200-400 times more toxic than most rattlesnakes and 50 times as toxic as a cobra. The Inland Taipan's extremely neurotoxic venom can kill an adult human in as little as 45 minutes, without treatment.

The Inland Taipan consumes mostly rodents, birds and rats. They kill with quick, multiple strikes, injecting venom into their victim. The venom clots the victim's blood, blocking arteries or veins and using up clotting factors. It is also highly neurotoxic, leading to symptoms of paralysis, respiratory failure and cardiac arrythmia. There are no known survivors of a Taipan bite before an antivenin was developed and, even then, victims often require extended periods of intensive care.

Fortunately this snake is very shy and inhabits arid and unpopulated areas of the "outback". The Inland Taipan is native to the arid regions of central Australia, extending from the southeast part of the Northern Territory, and into west Queensland. The Inland Taipan can also be found north of Lake Eyre and to the west of the split of the Murray River, Darling River and Murrumbidgee River.

The Inland Taipan is dark tan, ranging from a rich, dark hue to a brownish olive-green, depending on the season. Its back, sides and tail may be different shades of brown and grey, with many scales having a wide blackish edge. It adapts to the environment by changing the color of the skin during seasonal changes. This snake tends to be lighter in summer and darker in winter. The seasonal color change serves in regulating the snake's temperature, allowing the snake to absorb more light (thence converted to heat) in the colder months. Inland Taipans average between 6½ to 12 feet long (2 to 3.6 meters)

The King Cobra or Hamadryad, Ophiophagus hannah – natural history and zoological park husbandry – Part 2

2010-05-28T21:00:00.001+08:00

To read the first part of this article, click here.

Field Research on Nesting King Cobras
Famed herpetologist Romulus Whitaker took on the “quite invigorating” as he put it, task of disturbing nesting king cobras to determine just how far their protective instincts extended. He was early on in the research when last we spoke, but found that most retreated after an extended threat display – I imagine that the display of an angry king cobra serves well-enough to dissuade adversaries less-determined than the unshakable Mr. Whitaker!

Captive Breeding – my experience
The king cobra’s taste for other snakes complicates breeding efforts in zoos. During my years as a zoo keeper I experienced several successes and failures. I once housed a pair in adjoining exhibits, separated by a screen panel, for 3 months in order to gauge their reactions to each other. They seemed to get along well and, indeed, co-habited peacefully for several weeks. Always well fed, there were no signs of aggression. Unfortunately, however, there was also no sign of the female one morning – the 12 foot long male had swallowed all 8 feet of her – quite a feat even for a snake!
Working With King Cobras
Although rumored to be aggressive in nature, king cobras often (but not always!) flee when confronted by humans if given the opportunity. Captives are, however, extremely alert and seem, at least upon casual observation, to evince learning abilities not possessed by other snakes. I have always preferred to house them in exhibits equipped with shift cages, into which the snake may be secured before I entered the exhibit – they are just too fast to work with close at hand (my predecessors at the Bronx Zoo seemed to feel likewise – in an old storage area I came across an old wooden “cobra shield” – I like to think it may have been used by the eminent Raymond Ditmars, first reptile curator at the Bronx Zoo). When shifts are not available, I exercise extreme caution and, as with all venomous snakes, alert co-workers of my whereabouts.
King cobras are notorious escape artists, even for snakes, and the cause of much lost sleep in the zoo world. Some years ago a major zoo was closed down for 3 days while an escaped specimen was at large (it was, luckily, re-captured without incident). I’ll relate my own experience with 3 escaped spitting cobras in a future article.
Cobra Classification and Venom
King cobras and the 300 or so other members of the family Elapidae are known as “Proteroglyphous Snakes” – a term referring to the fact that their hollow, venom conducting teeth (fangs) are fixed in position and cannot be erected as can those of the vipers and their relatives (the Solenoglyphus Snakes).
Cobras inject venom by biting and employing a chewing motion, and cannot utilize the stab and release action of the vipers. The venom of most species is highly effective, and large specimens can deliver huge quantities of venom in a single bite. It is often said that an adult king cobra may carry enough venom to “kill a small elephant” – while that is difficult to quantify, a cobra of any species is a most dangerous animal.
Other Cobras and Their Relatives
Elapids reach their greatest diversity in Australia, dominating the snake fauna there. There are over 50 species in the Americas, with coral snakes being the only representatives found in the USA. Arboreal, aquatic and burrowing forms occur in Africa and Asia. Several African cobras can eject venom at the eyes of enemies (they hunt in usual cobra fashion), an adaptation to life in grasslands populated by large hoofed mammals. Sea snakes, kraits and mambas are related to cobras and also classified as Elapids.
The Cobras’ Hood
The defensive display of cobras involves rearing up and flaring out a wide hood of skin about the head and upper body. This is accomplished by raising a series of elongated ribs, which in turn stretch the skin between them to form the hood. A large king cobra may raise over 4 feet of its body from the ground when agitated – a most impressive (and convincing!) display.

King Cobra is Snake God to Hindus

2010-05-28T20:41:00.000+08:00

Hindus in India celebratd "Nagpanchami" on 30th of July as dated by Hindu religious calendar, enthusiastically with great significance. In this auspicious day they celebrate and perform religious ritual for Snake God specially "King Cobra" as this particular reptile in the Hindu mythology is the king of all snakes. King Cobra, or Snake God, symbolises our relation with eternal circle of life and death. His vicious toxin reminds us the silence of danger and deepens in our soul the avoidance of dark.
We pray to him for our protection from all wilderness around. Hindus believe that our souls take several times birth on this earth or we can say re-incarnated several times unless and until we are all truthfully perform our worldly duties and our soul becomes as pure as the holy water of the river Ganga, then only we can leave this physical world forever to meet in heaven our God almighty. So, in this whole process, the first life we get in this world is in the form of snakes and after that a human life and then it goes on. But,the life in the form of human is the precious of all. So, it is obvious that we don`t want to get in the circulation of re-birth again and for that we pray to God to take our souls after death to heaven and promises that the beautiful human life he had given to us will be away from all sins. But,this human life is so hypnotic that our souls got entangled in the worst only in this precious span of life.
King Cobra also symbolises an association as a soul mate with Lord Shiva, the creator of this world in Hindu religion, reminds us that Death is also one face of God almighty and his eternal power and we should be very afraid of his anger. With the spreading of beautiful monsoon, thus started the celebration of Lord Shiva also. In the big temples of Lord Shiva,we can worship both of them,The God and his soul mate. Also,the snake charmers roam about in every street of every city, especially this day, and also throughout this month, goes door-to-door with one or two King Cobras with each of them. So, if not in big temples, in our homes with our prayer for protection offers the snake God fruits,milk and many gifts to the charmers as they wait the whole year for this only day and by offering all these,we make our soul satisfaction.
Religious rituals including bathing of Lord Shiva with his soul mate King Cobra around his neck or the Shivlinga which also resembles Lord Shiva, with milk and pure holy water of the river Ganga by the devotees from all over India in different temples, especially "The Kawaridias" who are a special group of devotees who gather in the temples from all over India, mostly from the rural areas as they come from their places only by walking or sometimes run for days with pure water for Ganga in big earthen pots hanging from thier shoulders with a help of a rope and a small bamboo stick and, thus, making the event spectacular and magical with a feeling that this time the Creator will be really pleased and change something in this world for our good. So,in India, the celebration of "Nagpanchami," the worship of Lord Shiva and the spreading of monsoon brings a start forward to a marvalous and relgious living.

Trouser Snake

2010-05-28T20:25:00.000+08:00

Snakes are amazing creatures. They live on every continent except for Antarctica, where it is much too cold for snakes to survive. They are so adept at surviving, that some can reproduce without a member of the opposite sex. The Brahminy blind snakes are all females. When mature, they lay fertile eggs, and the young are clones of the mother.

A snake sneaks stealthily through the grass

One of the most interesting snakes to me is the king cobra. The king cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world, reaching lengths of more than 18 feet and weighing up to 50 pounds. The king cobra dines exclusively on other snakes. When it can’t find other snakes to eat, it will dine on other available prey, like small rodents. Although it dines on other snakes, and the occasional rodent, the venom of the king cobra is strong enough to kill an elephant.
The king cobra has a reputation as man killer, but in reality, the king cobra avoids humans. When confronted by man, or other large creatures, they will try to flee. If they are cornered, they will feign death by flipping on to their back, opening their mouths, allowing their tongues to roll out, and emptying a foul smelling substance from their anal glands, making them highly unappetizing to any potential predator. That’s right……in addition to carrying around toxic venom, they have a supply of putrid shit which they can dispense at will. This “man killer” will only strike at humans as a last resort.
A couple of interesting things they have in common with all other snakes are the fact that they are completely deaf, lacking any form of external ear. All snakes are incapable of learning, because they lack the enlarged Cerebral Hemispheres, which is the part of the brain controls learning and thought.
Now, when I read that snakes are incapable of learning, I couldn’t help but think about the trouser snake. Which brings me to the issue I wanted to talk about to begin with.
Like every man besides Calvin Hart, I have a penis that I frequently use for coitus. Coitus is sexual intercourse for those of you not familiar with the term. Sexual intercourse is great fun, for those of you not familiar with the act.
Now, this aforementioned penis of mine has gotten me into more trouble than I can explain in this article. Each and every time it gets me into trouble, I swear that I will never let it do that again. But it inevitably does. I can only conclude that the trouser snake, like all other snakes, is incapable of learning.
I fooled around with my best friend’s wife one time. I shouldn’t have done that. I know it was wrong, but I did it anyway. That cost me my best friend, and my girlfriend, when she found out. I don’t know why I did it. I just did.
I swore I would never do anything like that again.
My friend and I made amends after some time. He eventually got back together with his wife. And I screwed her again.
Just like its scaly brethren, the trouser snake is incapable of learning.
One thing I have learned through the trials and tribulations brought on by the trouser snake, is that the trouble it causes is expensive. This brings me to the most dangerous kind of snake in the world…… the snake in the grass.
I had coitus with a stranger one time, and it is now costing me over $1100 a month. The “justice” system determined that this woman, who slept with a complete stranger one time in a hotel bar and got pregnant, is entitled to more than a grand a month for her noble accomplishment. Now, I could understand a couple hundred dollars a month, but a grand a month? How does a kid need a grand a month to go to elementary school? This woman simply hit the lottery. Fucking snake in the grass bitch!
The American Indians used to share a story about snakes whenever their fellow man needed solace. It goes like this: an old woman finds an injured snake and nurses it back to health. For weeks upon months upon years she tends to this snake until it is OK again. And then one day it bites her. “Snake,” she says, “I saved your life. Why did you bite me?” To which the snake responds, “Look bitch, you knew I was a snake.”
Now perhaps the judge, jury, prosecuting attorney, social worker and even the butch cop who showed up at my house, all being women, had it out for me, deep down, secretly, wanting no one to know, but just to nail me hard. That would be an unnatural pack-like behavior for snakes to temporarily adopt, but scientists will tell you that’s not unheard of in Nature. Or maybe they just understood the ways of a snake.
Yes……out of all the snakes in the world, the king cobra is the most interesting, the trouser snake is the most troublesome, and the snake in the grass is the most

Handle that snake carefully

2010-05-28T20:21:00.000+08:00

In any nature outing, you will find at least one guy who decides that the hapless snake, accidentally discovered, is meant solely for showing off his courage, daring and virility. The poor snake is purloined, handled, twisted, turned into a garland and poked forward towards shrieking members of the fairer sex. No thought is given to the fact that the snake needs to held correctly without damaging its fragile bones.

Image Credit : Thomas Kelly. Copyrighted. Click image for link url. (Under Fair Use).

Another characteristic of such encounters is the lamentable lack of proper knowledge by these “heroes”, who consequently endanger their own and their friends’ lives.
Besides juvenile immaturity, another reason for such acts is the emulation of the profusion of snake wrangler shows on TV! While they appear to popularise these creatures, many so-called snake experts mis-handle these snakes for the sake of “better cinema”.

Wrong lesson! A famous TV snake wrangler with a Black Mamba - never ever try this at all!

More importantly, the wranglers do very dangerous things and make it look safe and easy. You would not feel so impressed by some one who took great care in handling and cautioned you of the many dangers. The truth is that they are experts in handling snakes but it is very dangerous and foolish to emulate them in any manner.
Anyone truly interested in snakes is careful and considerate while handling these elegant creatures. Handling of snakes is to be avoided in general, and if necessary, is to be done for the right reasons such as rescuing them, for educating people, for captive breeding or conservation. It is never meant to be done to enhance one’s own reputation.
Here is an interesting photograph – an acquaintance of mine is touching what he thought is a “Python“. Except, that its an extremely lethal Russell’s Viper.
The officer is innocent – he was told by a nature-loving friend that it was indeed a python. Apparently, his nature-loving friend who helped him overcome his fears of touching snakes was just as knowledgeable as he was. Amazingly, both had handled the “python” and had not been bitten. God protects the innocent sometimes.

Full marks to this officer for daring to touch a "python". Fortunately, he doesn't know its a Russel's Viper and the snake did not bite.

A villager had brought them an “ajgar” (Hindi or Marathi for python) and they had foolishly believed in his store of native knowledge and his skills of identification. Fortunately, the handsome Russel’s Viper belied the evil eye and cold sneer of his face and acted like a perfect gentle-python! It could so easily have been a more dramatic story.
These young men were basically photography buffs and interested, but inexperienced, in Nature. This incident is a caution to all photographers of nature – be a naturalist first then a photographer. You will be a much better photographer if you understand your elusive subjects. More importantly, you will not put yourself in such dangerous spots.
One should be highly circumspect about handling snakes. In India, we have a number of venomous snakes, some not only deadly to humans but also fairly common.
The “Big Four” venomous snakes in India are the Indian Cobra, the Common Krait, the Russell’s Viper and the Saw-scaled Viper.

The binocellate Indian Cobra (Naja naja)

Russel's Viper (Daboia russelii)

Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus)

Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus)

The Big Four snakes are responsible for more than 90% of venomous snake-bite deaths in our country. The Hafkinne Institute makes a polyvalent anti-venin which is effective in treating bites by the big four snakes. This anti-venin is freely available in Govt dispensaries and has saved the lives of many of our countrymen.

Polyvalent anti-snake venom serum from Haffkine. (Click image for more information)

But there is no guarantee that this antivenin being available – makes the handling of snakes safe. If you are bitten in the wild, you could succumb before reaching medical aid. You could reach in time but not respond to the treatment or even be allergic to one of the active ingredients of the anti-venin. Alternatively, the Primary Health Centre may be out of vaccine. Keeping India’s rural electricity in mind, the antivenin may be ineffective due to its not being stored at the right temperatures.
Earlier we used to be worried only about the “Big Four” – the four highly venomous snakes in the Indian country-side considered to be responsible for the majority of deaths due to snake-bite . But there are many others too, such as the King Cobra, the Banded Krait, Hump-nosed Pit Viper, the many green pit vipers (Trimeresurus complex) and many other vipers, the Rhabdobis group of poisonous colubrid snakes.

Sir Joseph Fayrer's 1874 illustration of a King Cobra

Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) photgraphed by me in Binnaguri, North Bengal.

Hump-nosed Viper (Hypnale hypnale). (Image credit : Vijay Barve)

All these are venomous snakes of great medical importance, more so as no anti-venin is available in India for treating their bites. They are usually uncommon, some are found in deep forest, inaccessible places, or are rare or even extremely docile (sea-snakes). Naturalists would do well to remember that the Polyvalent serum is useless in treating the bites of these snakes.
As far as anti-venin is concerned, there is an added complication. Recent taxonomic studies using genome mapping have revealed that the Big Four snakes in India (except the Russel’s Viper) are not one species but actually comprise more than one species.
The Saw-scaled Viper in the Deccan plateau is Echis carinatus while the saw-scaled viper found in Rajasthan and North-west India is Sochurek’s Viper Echis sochureki (earlier a subspecies of Echis carinatus) .
The Common Cobra (Naja naja) has now been hived off into many species (see Wuster for an interesting account of Asian cobras). A total of four different cobras are found in India -

The binocellate Indian Cobra Naja naja,
The Monocellate Cobra Naja kaouthia,
The Central Asian Cobra Naja oxiana,
The Andaman Cobra Naja sagittifera,
There is a possibility that the Burmese Spitting Cobra Naja mandaleyensis is also found in the general area of Manipur – Mizoram.

Wall’s Krait (Bungarus sindianus), a subspecies of the Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus) that is found in North West India and is known to extend down to Pune, has now been given separate species status.

Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia) (Image: W. Wuster - Click image to reach source).

Wall's Krait (Bungarus sindanus) (Image : Tom Charlton - click link to reach source)

Sochurek's Viper (Image:Tomáš Mazuch, click to reach source)

So why should we bother that these snake species have been split?
Earlier, snakes were classified into species or types, by comparing physical characteristics such as shape, number and position of scales and on the shape of their bones, besides other things. While this helps us to classify them broadly, the fine graining or distinguishing between what constitutes a species or not was a subjective opinion of experts based on these morphological characteristics.

A typical snake scale image used in morphological taxonomy (from Wikipedia) .

Genome studies map individual DNA sequences, genes and chromosomes. Since all life has originated once and the entire biodiversity of extinct and extant animals have evolved from the first forms of life created in evolution, the DNA of a species bears evidence of its evolution through the years. Through difficult science and advanced computational mathematics using very powerful computers, genome scientists have developed techniques of ascertaining the phylogeny of creatures. These studies help differentiate species from the differences in genes rather than from morphology alone. This permits us to classify and relate different species with much more accuracy and reliability.

Part of a snake phyllogeny diagram deduced through genomic investigations. (Click the image to reach the source paper and learn more.)

Click to enlarge : part image or for the full image of phylogeny.

If the Cobra has now been classified as many different cobra species – it means that these were many different snakes to begin with. Not one common, found all over Asia cobra as we thought. That means each species of cobra found in Indian territory has its own set of characteristics including a different venom composition for which the anti-venin needs to be made separately. When we thought that these cobras were subspecies of the old Common Cobra (Naja naja) , we thought that basically their venom composition was similar – i.e. basically same but with small differences. Now we find that though they may resemble each other their venom could be very different. Just taking a binocellate cobra and making its antivenin, hoping it will work for the other three cobra species, will no longer do.
A recent study on Snakebite Management in Asia & Africa – A guide to snakebite in the key areas for mortality & morbidity by the Pakistan Medical Research Council clearly indicates that Naja oxiana and Naja kaouthia are not covered by availability of anti-snake-venom, i.e. the Haffkine Polyvalent Snake Venom is only good for Naja naja.
It appears from this website of the Haffkine Bio-pharmaceutical Corporation that polyvalent venom is being made for the old Big Four. No mention is made of the finer detail revealed by latest taxonomic advances.
So don’t have blind faith that “since anti-venin exists, I can risk a snake-bite“.
The entry and interaction of such terrible poisons as those contained in snake venom wreaks terrible damage even if life is saved by prompt treatment. Neelimkumar Khaire, a celebrated snake-handler of Pune, lost his arm to a saw-scaled viper bite. Romulus Whitaker, it is said, can no longer catch snakes because he has been bitten so many times, the next bite or its treatment will kill him! Bites from snakes having active haemolytic ingredients in their venom can cause loss of kidneys. Each snake-bite would involve necrosis, organ damage and many other horrible side effects. What kind of a life will that be – a cripple, an invalid, a dialysis patient – and all for the sake of an ego or carelessness or incompetence or all three?
If you still want to become a snake handler, first please see the destructive power of snake bites here :

“Snake-bite” on Wikipedia.
The management of snake-bites in Malaysia.
Monocled cobra bites.

And remember, these were those who LIVED!
Understand that this is a very dangerous business and then and then alone get involved with it.
If you or an acquaintance is bitten by a snake, what should be done?
First of all do not neglect it, even if you think or know the snake is non-poisonous, even if the skin does not appear to be broken. Don’t even consider the old tourniquet thing, cut and suck, ice-therapy, the PIM method or “Jadi-buti” treatment. Get to medical aid as soon as possible.
While moving a snake-bite casualty to hospital, do it RIGHT by following the the latest national first aid treatment recommended – based around the mnemonic : “Do it R.I.G.H.T.” : -

It consists of :

R. =     Reassure the patient. Seventy per cent of all snakebites are from non-venomous species. Only 50% of bites by venomous species actually envenomate the patient.
I. =      Immobilise the bitten limb in the same way as a with fractured limb. Use bandages or cloth to hold the splints, not to block the blood supply or apply pressure. Do not apply any kind of compression in the form of tight ligatures, they don’t work and can be dangerous!
G.H. = Get the patient to Hospital immediately. Traditional remedies have NO PROVEN benefit in treating snakebite.
T. =    Tell the doctor of any systemic symptoms such as ptosis that manifest on the way to hospital.

To read more :

Indian National Snakebite Protocol 2007.
Guidelines for the Clinical Management of Snake Bite in the South-East Asia Region. (Gives details of this protocol from WHO)
Snakebite Management in Asia & Africa – A guide to snakebite in the key areas for mortality & morbidity.

None of this is meant to discourage you dear reader from being interested in snakes – we want all Indians to be educated about snakes.
If you are interested in snakes – that’s great! Watch Animal Planet, Discovery and National Geographic channels on TV. Get a good book, learn about them, their habits, identifying the species and their wonderful way of life. If you would like to learn how to handle snakes, go to snake-parks where carefully supervised handling may be permitted. Get to know snake rescuers and accompany them to snake rescues.

Safe handling of a harmless snake - a Common Trinket - for education of the lay public.

Most important of all – be a “sarpamitra” i.e. a friend of snakes. Fight blind belief and educate your family, friends and neighbours that snakes do not drink milk or have jewels embedded in their heads. They do not have photography in their retinas that they retain after death and transmit to their mates who then search that person out for revenge in the best Bollywood tradition. Prevent the blind killing of snakes, help them escape to safety.
Snakes are dangerous creatures but not so much to the common Indian who fears snakes but more so to those who choose to handle them with inadequate knowledge and experience. It would be wise to heed the words of Dr. Ian D. Simpson of the W.H.O. Snakebite Treatment Group who is one of the prominent snake-bite treatment experts of South Asia :-

King Cobra – Longest Venomous Snake in the World

2010-05-28T20:16:00.000+08:00

Note: This article is a spin-off from our 21 interesting snake facts. If you’re a reptile enthusiast, you’ll enjoy reading the complete fact sheet.
The longest venomous snake in the world is the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). This fact is indisputable, because the king cobra surpasses the next-longest venomous snake by several feet.
This incredible serpent can be found throughout Southeast Asia, including India, the Philippines, and parts of Southern China.
So just how long is the longest venomous snake in the world?
The king cobra can grow to lengths of 18 feet (5.48 meters), or longer. One specimen at the London Zoo grew to 18.8 feet.
In addition to being the longest venomous snake, the king cobra has some other impressive traits. For one thing, this snake is very fast! If you’ve ever since a nature show on TV with a cobra on the go, you’ll know what I mean. They are also very agile and capable of lifting the front third of their bodies off the ground.
King cobras can expand the elongated ribs in their necks to form a “hood,” in an effort to scare predators away. This bold display is enough to frighten away most animals, except for the mongoose.
The king cobra packs quite a punch, in a manner of speaking. It has a powerful neurotoxic venom. This venom is different from the hemotoxin found in most rattlesnake species. Neurotoxins affect the central nervous system, leading to paralysis and death. According to zoologists at the London Zoo, this snake has enough venom in one bite to kill an elephant, or a dozen grown men.