Venomous Snakes of Udon Thani

[onionluke]

Hi Joe ,

Thanks for your help and input . This a brill forum .
Cheers .
Luke

[SanukJoe]

Hi Joe ,

Thanks for your help and input . This a brill forum .
Cheers .
Luke

Bor pen yang Luke!

Just a tip re pics: take a close shot of the head, top and side. Also the top of the back. Much easier for determination.

Joe

[tomtom24]

Hi, I'm usuallty writing in a German Thai forum and we just have a discussion about a snake. So someone posted a link to this thread at your forum. And it seems, you really have here some people familiar with snakes.

So please find attached a pictures of a snake. I hope someone here will know this snake.

So my introduction I will make later (as we are really wondering, what kind of snak this could be.

Thanks in advance, guys!

[dougness]

If you have a drain hole in your bathroom walls,cement some wire mesh over them.

[tomtom24]

Not really - it's not my bathroom and also not my snake

[Aardvark]

What, so you don't even have a name for him yet

[old-timer]

It doesn't look venomous to me, although I suggest you keep your fingers away from it's mouth.

I should think Micheal C will let you know all about this snake when he takes a look at the picture.

OT.........

[tomtom24]

Okay, thanks anyway. So I'll show passion and keep on waiting

I guess for someone experienced with snakes it shouldn't be a problem to identify. Only, I don't understand, why I can't find any pictures really similar to our ones on the internet. It not the first time, I see this kind of snake here.

Another nice animal I had to wait 4 years before I've seen it first time (I even asked many people in the past if they have seen already at least once in their life, but nothing). And then it happened. I had this guest about 3 weeks ago in front of our house. Our dogs found it. I think I even not need to say what it is, the photos should say enough

[SanukJoe]

Hello Tomtom

To make determination easier it would be good if you have more pics especially of the head (from above).
Many times the markings on the head are distinctive for a species.

And a question: what is the location where the snake was found?

If you can supply more info I can give it a try as I'm afraid Michael C. is very very busy so not able to answer the questions on this forum for now.

Joe

PS nice bird spider

[Michael C]

Sorry for the late replies. I have been relying on a GPRS signal until today, running around with a house purchase, house registration, nearly a month of field work and finally a working trip to Singapore.

Hello Chaps ,

I killed this one at the back door . It was a bit of a fighter and actually jumped at the hoe a couple of times . The only note my wife gave was that it was an unlucky snake .I would apreciate any info on this snake for future encounters , hopefully non fatal .
Cheers Luke

Luke, your snake was a Xenochrophis flavipuncatus (keelback), nothing to worry about next time.

Hi, I'm usuallty writing in a German Thai forum and we just have a discussion about a snake. So someone posted a link to this thread at your forum. And it seems, you really have here some people familiar with snakes.

So please find attached a pictures of a snake. I hope someone here will know this snake.

So my introduction I will make later (as we are really wondering, what kind of snak this could be.

Thanks in advance, guys!

Tom, your snake is a Ptyas mucosus (Common Rat Snake), harmless.

Okay, thanks anyway. So I'll show passion and keep on waiting

I guess for someone experienced with snakes it shouldn't be a problem to identify. Only, I don't understand, why I can't find any pictures really similar to our ones on the internet. It not the first time, I see this kind of snake here.

Another nice animal I had to wait 4 years before I've seen it first time (I even asked many people in the past if they have seen already at least once in their life, but nothing). And then it happened. I had this guest about 3 weeks ago in front of our house. Our dogs found it. I think I even not need to say what it is, the photos should say enough

Tom, although I do not know the specific species of your spider, it is a tarantula. Some pain and localised swelling should it bite, but nothing to worry about.

[SanukJoe]

It happened early April but due to Michael's absence I didn't post it then. Now that Michael jumps in from time to time I would like to share this story.
It's not about a rare or dangerous snake (at least if I was right ) but more about the story behind it.

The previous week I discovered a spitting Cobra just 5 m from the kitchen door. My 2 dogs detected the snake and showed me the location in the (high) grass. As the Cobra came out of the grass and put his hood up I stopped breathing for a while: very impressive indeed. I lost the battle as it went away into the banana area.

About a week later I discovered a green snake in front of the terrace. As the Cobra was greenish as well I thought for one moment it's back so I got in the security mode. Coming closer I found the snake very slow and sleepy, nearly as if it was dead. It was not as it moved a bit but not fast. It gave me the chance to have a closer look and I decided it was a Common Keelback, harmless although a fighter. I took photos even close up of the head.

Then, and this is the clue of my post, for the first time in 3.5 years in Thailand I decided to relocate this snake as there was no reason to kill it but also no reason to keep it in front of the house.
The decision was only possible because I was able to determine what snake it was and this is the result of this thread and the expertise and help of Michael C. What was an unknown world of snakes I came in has become a world of mainly harmless snakes with a venomous one from time to time. Thanks Michael C. for starting and supporting this thread!

The end of the story: I put the snake's head down with a stick, took the tail and managed to get it in a bag, put the bag at the end of the farm land and released the snake....

It felt good

Joe

PS Michael can you confirm it was a Common Keelback or correct me?

Photos follow

Keelback common alive 1.jpg (180.6 KiB) Viewed 6485 times

Keelback common alive 2.jpg (206.7 KiB) Viewed 6485 times

Keelback common alive 3.jpg (211.37 KiB) Viewed 6485 times

[Treeg]

What was an unknown world of snakes I came in has become a world of mainly harmless snakes with a venomous one from time to time. Thanks Michael C. for starting and supporting this thread!

Fully agree on this, the expertise of Michael C. on this forum has made a BIG difference on how I respond to snakes. I used to go in panic mode every time a snake turned up in the garden (and, once you start looking, you see them very often), while nowadays I can identify them most of the time (or at least, identify them as 'not dangerous') and just let them be.
I now try to teach the Thai to let the snakes be, so maybe we preserve a little bit of the wildlife over here thanks to Michael.

[Cobra]

Hello. I've walked a few trips close to the zoo between Hua Hin and Cha-am, and i've found 2 snake species that i'm unable to find the name of. This is the first snake, it was no longer than about 20cm, and our guide said it could be far over a meter and it was poisonous, but not deadly. He did not know the name
First(picture got overzoomed when i used
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/6206/sdc10013x.jpg
It also had some black spots/circles under it's tale

Second one:

Our guide said that this was an "Ngu leuam" with the english name "Puff-faced Water Snake" and said it was VERY poisonous. I find that very strange since it was no water around the place we found it, since i read that this species poison is not dangerous for humans, and it misses the black stripes that the other Puff-faced Water Snake's has.
A friend of mine thought it maybe was a Viper, but i also find that strange since it was totally calm when i catched it, and moved slowly away when i released it. Though it looks very much as a "Russel Viper"

I would like to know the english name, the thai name or both on these 2 snakes
Any help with these would be highly appreciated!

Regards from
No Risk, No Fun

[Michael C]

Your first snake is an Oligodon taeniurus (Stiped Kukri Snake/งูงอดไทย-Ngu Ngod Thai)

Your second snake is an Oligodon fasciolatus (Banded Kukri Snake/งูปีแก้วเลยแต้ม-Ngu Pi Gaew Lai Dtem), which is pictured and commented on quite often throughout the thread.

Oligodon spp. (Kukri Snakes) cause a bloody bite that takes a long time to heal with the aid of two enlarged independently moving knife-like teeth, but are completely harmless.

Ngu Leuam (งูเหลือม) is Broghammerus reticulatus (Reticulated Python), the longest snake in the world and has no venom. Puff faced water snake is Homalopsis buccata (งูหัวกระโหลก- Ngu Hua Gra Lok) has rear-fangs and a venom so weak there has never been any recorded reaction requiring any medical attention= it is harmless. I guess if you let that species chew on your hand for a very long time, you might get some swelling.

Just for future reference-
This is Broghammerus reticulatus (Reticualted Python/งูเหลือม-Ngu Leuam):


This is a Homalopsis buccata (Puff-faced water snake/งูหัวกระโหลก- Ngu Hua Gra Lok):

(You do not often find large adults of this species out of the water and they remain in the water most of their lives)

Your guide does not know much about snakes, but maybe was just using caution not knowing.

[Cobra]

Thank you so much for your reply, you have been a great help Yes our guide does not know much about snakes, he's just a farmer we got to know who is very familiar in the area. And yes he is very careful
Thanks again

Cheers

[Cobra]

Hello again folks. Yesterday we found a beautiful metallic blue snake inside a rotten piece of wood, it's about 30-35 cm long, i've been searching pictures on google, but i'm unable to find it, if anyone got some information about this snake it would be highly appreciated, here is some pictures (overzoomed with again):
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1811/sdc10001x.jpg
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/8023/sdc10003m.jpg
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1229/sdc10007ht.jpg
We were also so lucky to find a nest of black scorpions under the rotten wood, we managed to find and catch 6 after digging for a while, the smallest were about 1,5 cm, and the biggest about 12 (with it's tale).
About 1 hour before that i found a small yellow scorpion that managed to sting me in my finger through the plastic bag, my whole arm was in pain the rest of the day, i don't recommended anyone to try it

Cheers and have a good day everyone

[wazza]

U could set up ur own Issan take away here.

Bugs, Beetles n Bites R Us

[SanukJoe]

U could set up ur own Issan take away here.

Bugs, Beetles n Bites R Us

Not easy Wazza as he resides on Hua Hin, about 800 km from Udon..

It makes his posts somewhat disturbing as the topic is about snakes in/around Udon (province).

It's ok with me I just don't pay attention as I'm not interested in snakes of Southern Thailand.

Joe

[Aardvark]

U could set up ur own Issan take away here.

Bugs, Beetles n Bites R Us

Not easy Wazza as he resides on Hua Hin, about 800 km from Udon..

It makes his posts somewhat disturbing as the topic is about snakes in/around Udon (province).

It's ok with me I just don't pay attention as I'm not interested in snakes of Southern Thailand.

Joe

That's a shame Joe, I thought you were starting to get a real feel for Thai Reptilian Creatures. I wonder how closely related these creatures are between the North and the South. To me they really don't look that dissimilar, but of course I have no idea at all ??

[Michael C]

Cobra, your snake pictures linked in the last post were of a juvenile Xenopeltis unicolor (Sunbeam Snake- named after the 'rainbow' sheen that comes off the scales when exposed to sunlight). Juveniles of this species have that white ring around their neck and because of this, people think it is a different snake; I was sent a picture of a juvenile earlier this month for identification. They can be found throughout Thailand, to include Udon Thani. This is a strictly nocturnal species. Although most Thais believe it is venomous, it lacks fangs, is completely harmless and does not bite (just make sure that you have not been handling small animals that it can eat before picking it up). For those that want to keep a pet snake, it is ideal, since they eat almost anything they can over-power (rodents, small birds, smaller snakes, lizards, frogs) and do not bite; the only drawback of keeping them in captivity is they do not like light and like to stay underground (or under something) during the day.

Aardvark, most species in mainland Southeast Asia are closely related to each other. At the Isthmus of Kra (across the peninsula near the southern-most part of Myanmar) there is a large split in bio-geographic zones where species are more different and the geographic distribution (area where species are found) of a great number of species stops there. Because of the large amount of time these areas have been together, there is a large general cross-over (range expansion/dispersal) of the geographic distribution of many species of these zones with many Indo-Malay species north to the mountainous ridges of western Thailand (to Kanchanaburi) and many mainland Southeast Asian species south to the moutainous regions to Nakhon Si Thammarat/Krabi. This is a generalisation and a number of species have been much more successful in expanding their presence.