If you are afraid of snakes DO NOT view the attachment, especially if you are faint of heart.
This critter was spotted on the road near our mail box. It assumed a defensive posture and made some warning (false) strikes.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Not everything is always as it may at first seem. This critter got a bit cranky with our approach and went into its "tough guy" act. It swelled up its head spreading it to resemble a poisonous variety (it isn't), hissed and made false strikes. It really pulled out all the stops to make a tough first impression.
Sometimes when we get things in perspective, get a sense of proportion, things aren't what they might otherwise appear.
This second shot includes my hand with my right index finger pointing at the critters head. Brave? Foolish? Whatever? You decide.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
ahhhh... just a baby!
- William
Cute little thing! [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
What kind is it Pat?
Gary
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Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?
Gary, In rreply to: "What kind is it?"
SMALL [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
I actually can ID several species of both poisonous and non-poisonous serpents. This isn't one of them. I didn't collect him or handle him in any way. Once I had confirmed him as NON-POISONOUS we continued our hike. Had I needed to ID him I would have taken some biometrics like counting the number of scales between his "vent" and tip of his tail and such.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Them is real dangerous snakes! They's called tire snakes. This snake will bite one of your tires with their fangs. Then they'll get in the trunk of your car and eat the spare tire. The snake then wraps itself around the rim and patiently waits. When the tire they originally bit goes flat and you go to get the spare, zap, they get you. Their evolution has even progressed to the point that their skin looks like a radial tire tread. Some have even been known to develop a white stripe down one side (a sidewall).
Or I could be mistaken.
I heard once that it is better to get bit by a full grown venomous snake than to get bit be a baby in that the full grown snake controls how much venom it injects where a baby will give you the uncontrolled mother load. Any truth to this?
- William
No its not ture the venom that a juvenille snake has is identical to the full-grown counterpart. The amount of venom injected depends on ALOT of factors, place of bite, one fang, two fangs, perhaps if they have eaten already.....on and on.....
The snake in the picture looks like some sort or Corn/Rat sanke (Elaphe genus).
-dave
MarineJAG, Yes there is truth to the idea that snakes modulate the amount of venom expended. Juvenile rattlers usualy deliver all they have. Adults vary as to % of available venom delivered and sometimes make a "dry" bite (no injection, just a bite.) Hence the oft rrepeated comment about rather being biten by an adult than a juvenile.
Many poisonous varieties are hatched/born with fully operable fangs and poison sacks, so don't get cocky handling a worm sized baby snake till you have a good ID as non-poisonous.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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