Snakes!

Samurai · 13th November 2009, 10:01

The sarpa dosha concept exists in the entire Parashurama Srasti area, which includes entire Kerala, and D.K & Udupi district in Karnataka. According to the myth, these areas were reclaimed from the sea, when Parashurama asked the sea to move back. The undersea was the domain of snake god Takshak, he was very upset by the act. So Parashurama gave him special privileges like divine violation (like sarpa dosha) if a snake is killed. So snakes have been revered in this area ever since. However, that generally applies only to Cobra and King Cobra. Other venomous snakes are killed routinely whenever they are found.

ikoneer · 13th November 2009, 15:04

@GTO, quite a terrifying experience.

But, i am even more surprised to see that there are so many here who had a snake encounter. Though i wouldn't want to harm it, the first reaction would be to kill it, mostly out of fear for the snake.

I used to do my walking at the race club in chennai and they said there used to be snakes in this place. Though it did not bother me much, until one day, when i saw a small foot long snake moving about two feet ahead of me. It more looked like a rope initially and then i saw it moving and later realized it was a snake. i literally froze, then curiosity pushed me towards the snake and i maintained a safe distance and saw the snake.

It was in somewhat purple color with a yellow vertical line running through (what snake can it be, venomous?),

hearing my foot steps, it moved faster into a bush. i was so scared and shocked and it kept lingering in mind throughout the day.

Even now, when i do the walking, i am always on the lookout

and the fear is still intact.

I checked with the workers there and they said, snakes just go by and has not hurt anybody so far. But as i said earlier, the fear of snake is still intact in me.

rhandle · 13th November 2009, 15:36

Can anyone tell me which snake is this?

Samurai · 13th November 2009, 15:38

That's a russel's viper, for a moment I thought it was a python going by the color. The head would be triangluar, but it is not visible in the pic.

rhandle · 13th November 2009, 16:12

Even I am thinking it was a russel viper. It is anyways too small to be Python. Guess the vehicle ahead me killed it some time before. It was a lonely stretch, along a canal.

Though certain common sand boa are similar looking, but they are kind of fat and clumsy looking.

Thanks Samurai for confirming and resting the doubt I had in my mind.

pramodkumar · 13th November 2009, 16:23

That road kill is a russells viper, about 2 years old and was a very healthy specimen, its unfortunate.

Samurai, people usually mistake russells viper for a baby python and try to grab it. I went for some rescues with Sham once when i was in mysore, he told me this story of a rich boy who brought a russells viper from a snake charmer, thinking its a sand boa, The boy got bitten when he was taking the snake out of the box. worst part is he did not tell anyone since he sneaked the snake in the house without anyones knowledge and the boy died the next morning.

Pramod

princezahed · 13th November 2009, 21:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by tj123

No worries its a rat snake no doubt about it.

Doubt it is. It looks too small to be one. Rat snakes have rather large bodies and an out of proportion head for such a thick body. Could be a juvenile one though, can never be too sure.

Even I have had snakes taking shelter under the headlight of my pulsar and also trying to climb up the inner part of the Jeep's tire. Very common to see this.

pramodkumar · 13th November 2009, 22:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by princezahed

Doubt it is. It looks too small to be one. Rat snakes have rather large bodies and an out of proportion head for such a thick body. Could be a juvenile one though, can never be too sure.

Even I have had snakes taking shelter under the headlight of my pulsar and also trying to climb up the inner part of the Jeep's tire. Very common to see this.

That is a rat snake for sure, if you look under the eyes you would see tear marks. a typical trait of a rat snake.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post1144018

This one killed in someones house which people think is a krait is also a rat.

Pramod

DRC · 13th November 2009, 23:54

Snakes! I remember this funny incedent.

I was an usual affair to see snakes when first rains lash after summer in my home town, near our house which is on the national highway 4.

One late evening, out of nowhere a large cobra appeared in our front yard. Our family was successfull in frightening it, and it crossed over to the other side of the road. Unfortunately, it met with the same kind of treatment there too, and tried to cross over to our side of the road, came to the middle of the road, and could not decide which way to go. It just stood in the middle of the road raising its hoot and trying to scare the folks sorrounding it. So the traffic on foot came to a grind. No body could gather courage to handle/scare/driveaway/kill the animal.

Then came the 'hero', Asst. commissioner's jeep driver with his jeep. Public around the scene convinced him to run over the snake with his jeep. He too got enthused, and moved the jeep over it while asking the by standers to what if it actually got killed. Jeep moved over the snake, and .... neither snake nor its carcass came out from behind the jeep

.

As the driver, got this message, it did not take any longer for him to find out that teh snake was now in his jeep. He just abandoned the jeep and ran for his life.

Now we have a snake driving away the jeep driver, stranded in the middle of the NH4, and vehicular traffic also clogged up. (NH4 was not a wide road then).

heavy_foot · 13th November 2009, 23:57

Wow, never knew this thread existed. Snakes and me go a long way, infact i was bitten on my hand by a russel's viper when i was trying to catch it when i was in the 11std

. This was in a place called Mahad near Mumbai. Luckly i had killed the snake after it bit me and the first doctor whom i saw advised me to take the dead snake with me to a nearby Govt hospital so that the docters can identify the snake. Apparantly the antivenoms are only available in Govt hospitals. Later i came to know that it was was a russel's viper from the docters in the hospital. I remember that my hand had swelled like crazy within a couple of hours. However the antivenom worked very fast and i was discharged the next day. I remember how the doctors kept checking all my joints evey couple of hours to see if i have any swellings.

So if any of you get bitten, atleast have a good look at the snake so that you can decribe it to the doctor. Your best bet for the treatment would be a govt hospital ( the doctors can correct me if the times have changed now )

I remember as a kid i had hidden a baby snake a small glass bottle in my house and i even took it to school to show it to my friends

. Over the years i have a caught a lot of them... rat snakes, vipers, cobras, some pythons and the green snake ( can't remember the name, its small and harmless ). Most of the times I let them off after having a good look. My last encounter was in my office parking lot in Whitefield, Bangalore couple of months back. It was a rat snake, which i handed over to the security guys in a bag and requested them to release it outside the premises in the bushes.

pramodkumar · 14th November 2009, 00:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavy_foot

Wow, never knew this thread existed. Snakes and me go a long way, infact i was bitten on my hand by a russel's viper when i was trying to catch it when i was in the 11std

. This was in a place called Mahad near Mumbai. Luckly i had killed the snake after it bit me and the first doctor whom i saw advised me to take the dead snake with me to a nearby Govt hospital so that the docters can identify the snake. Apparantly the antivenoms are only available in Govt hospitals. Later i came to know that it was was a russel's viper from the docters in the hospital. I remember that my hand had swelled like crazy within a couple of hours. However the antivenom worked very fast and i was discharged the next day. I remember how the doctors kept checking all my joints evey couple of hours to see if i have any swellings.

So if any of you get bitten, atleast have a good look at the snake so that you can decribe it to the doctor. Your best bet for the treatment would be a govt hospital ( the doctors can correct me if the times have changed now )

I remember as a kid i had hidden a baby snake a small glass bottle in my house and i even took it to school to show it to my friends

. Over the years i have a caught a lot of them... rat snakes, vipers, cobras, some pythons and the green snake ( can't remember the name, its small and harmless ). Most of the times I let them off after having a good look. My last encounter was in my office parking lot in Whitefield, Bangalore couple of months back. It was a rat snake, which i handed over to the security guys in a bag and requested them to release it outside the premises in the bushes.

I understand that you have love for the animal but just to let you know, since you were already administered antivenin once you will show allergic reactions to antivenin, so the next bite can be dangerous. please learn to handle the snakes first, even the best handlers get bitten. Let me know if you are interested. i can have something arranged for you free of cost. PM me if you want to learn more about handling them.

Pramod

princezahed · 15th November 2009, 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

That is a rat snake for sure, if you look under the eyes you would see tear marks. a typical trait of a rat snake.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post1144018

This one killed in someones house which people think is a krait is also a rat.

Pramod

Actually we both would go nowhere trying to identify the snake in the pics. The other snake that was killed was neither a krait nor a rat snake, it is a wolf snake. Even iam not an expert on the matter. I guess I could ask Gerry Martin to correctly identify them both.

pramodkumar · 15th November 2009, 03:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by princezahed

Actually we both would go nowhere trying to identify the snake in the pics. The other snake that was killed was neither a krait nor a rat snake, it is a wolf snake. Even iam not an expert on the matter. I guess I could ask Gerry Martin to correctly identify them both.

Prince we all make a lot of errors in identifying snakes. Ok i have a pic of a wolf snake and 2 pics of rat snakes with the tear mark highlighted. Just compare with the original picture. I am not doing this for the sake of argument but since my pointers in identifying some of them can actually save couple of snake lives. You are definitely privileged to have Jerry Martin help you identify snakes. Please confirm and let me know if what i have learned is wrong. I would love to be prooved incorrect.

A wolf Snake(they also have apattern on ther head). And their eyes balls are dominant.

A common Rat snake with tear marks highlighted

A common Rat snake with tear marks highlighted

Snake Killed has the same patterns
Pramod

princezahed · 18th November 2009, 20:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Prince we all make a lot of errors in identifying snakes. Ok i have a pic of a wolf snake and 2 pics of rat snakes with the tear mark highlighted. Just compare with the original picture. I am not doing this for the sake of argument but since my pointers in identifying some of them can actually save couple of snake lives. You are definitely privileged to have Jerry Martin help you identify snakes. Please confirm and let me know if what i have learned is wrong. I would love to be prooved incorrect.

Hey Pramod, got the clarification. Snake no 1 is not a rat snake but a banded racer while snake no 2 that was in the jeep is actually an olive keelback. So on my part I was wrong about the wolf snake and all others about the rat snake part.

beejay · 20th November 2009, 10:31

Pramod, where are these wolf snakes found? Are they poisonous?

@ DRC the driver running away abandoning the Jeep is kinda funny.

13th November 2009, 10:01	#181
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,828 Thanked: 45,555 Times View My Garage	The sarpa dosha concept exists in the entire Parashurama Srasti area, which includes entire Kerala, and D.K & Udupi district in Karnataka. According to the myth, these areas were reclaimed from the sea, when Parashurama asked the sea to move back. The undersea was the domain of snake god Takshak, he was very upset by the act. So Parashurama gave him special privileges like divine violation (like sarpa dosha) if a snake is killed. So snakes have been revered in this area ever since. However, that generally applies only to Cobra and King Cobra. Other venomous snakes are killed routinely whenever they are found.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 15:04	#182
ikoneer BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 486 Thanked: 14 Times	@GTO, quite a terrifying experience. But, i am even more surprised to see that there are so many here who had a snake encounter. Though i wouldn't want to harm it, the first reaction would be to kill it, mostly out of fear for the snake. I used to do my walking at the race club in chennai and they said there used to be snakes in this place. Though it did not bother me much, until one day, when i saw a small foot long snake moving about two feet ahead of me. It more looked like a rope initially and then i saw it moving and later realized it was a snake. i literally froze, then curiosity pushed me towards the snake and i maintained a safe distance and saw the snake. It was in somewhat purple color with a yellow vertical line running through (what snake can it be, venomous?), hearing my foot steps, it moved faster into a bush. i was so scared and shocked and it kept lingering in mind throughout the day. Even now, when i do the walking, i am always on the lookout and the fear is still intact. I checked with the workers there and they said, snakes just go by and has not hurt anybody so far. But as i said earlier, the fear of snake is still intact in me.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 15:36	#183
rhandle BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 549 Thanked: 117 Times	Can anyone tell me which snake is this?
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 15:38	#184
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,828 Thanked: 45,555 Times View My Garage	That's a russel's viper, for a moment I thought it was a python going by the color. The head would be triangluar, but it is not visible in the pic. Last edited by Samurai : 13th November 2009 at 15:50.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 16:12	#185
rhandle BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 549 Thanked: 117 Times	Even I am thinking it was a russel viper. It is anyways too small to be Python. Guess the vehicle ahead me killed it some time before. It was a lonely stretch, along a canal. Though certain common sand boa are similar looking, but they are kind of fat and clumsy looking. Thanks Samurai for confirming and resting the doubt I had in my mind.
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 16:23	#186
pramodkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gods own country Posts: 2,302 Thanked: 2,208 Times View My Garage	That road kill is a russells viper, about 2 years old and was a very healthy specimen, its unfortunate. Samurai, people usually mistake russells viper for a baby python and try to grab it. I went for some rescues with Sham once when i was in mysore, he told me this story of a rich boy who brought a russells viper from a snake charmer, thinking its a sand boa, The boy got bitten when he was taking the snake out of the box. worst part is he did not tell anyone since he sneaked the snake in the house without anyones knowledge and the boy died the next morning. Pramod
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 23:54	#189
DRC BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cockpit Posts: 911 Thanked: 64 Times View My Garage	Snakes! I remember this funny incedent. I was an usual affair to see snakes when first rains lash after summer in my home town, near our house which is on the national highway 4. One late evening, out of nowhere a large cobra appeared in our front yard. Our family was successfull in frightening it, and it crossed over to the other side of the road. Unfortunately, it met with the same kind of treatment there too, and tried to cross over to our side of the road, came to the middle of the road, and could not decide which way to go. It just stood in the middle of the road raising its hoot and trying to scare the folks sorrounding it. So the traffic on foot came to a grind. No body could gather courage to handle/scare/driveaway/kill the animal. Then came the 'hero', Asst. commissioner's jeep driver with his jeep. Public around the scene convinced him to run over the snake with his jeep. He too got enthused, and moved the jeep over it while asking the by standers to what if it actually got killed. Jeep moved over the snake, and .... neither snake nor its carcass came out from behind the jeep. As the driver, got this message, it did not take any longer for him to find out that teh snake was now in his jeep. He just abandoned the jeep and ran for his life. Now we have a snake driving away the jeep driver, stranded in the middle of the NH4, and vehicular traffic also clogged up. (NH4 was not a wide road then).
	() Thanks

13th November 2009, 23:57	#190
heavy_foot Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 1,048 Thanked: 163 Times	Wow, never knew this thread existed. Snakes and me go a long way, infact i was bitten on my hand by a russel's viper when i was trying to catch it when i was in the 11std . This was in a place called Mahad near Mumbai. Luckly i had killed the snake after it bit me and the first doctor whom i saw advised me to take the dead snake with me to a nearby Govt hospital so that the docters can identify the snake. Apparantly the antivenoms are only available in Govt hospitals. Later i came to know that it was was a russel's viper from the docters in the hospital. I remember that my hand had swelled like crazy within a couple of hours. However the antivenom worked very fast and i was discharged the next day. I remember how the doctors kept checking all my joints evey couple of hours to see if i have any swellings. So if any of you get bitten, atleast have a good look at the snake so that you can decribe it to the doctor. Your best bet for the treatment would be a govt hospital ( the doctors can correct me if the times have changed now ) I remember as a kid i had hidden a baby snake a small glass bottle in my house and i even took it to school to show it to my friends . Over the years i have a caught a lot of them... rat snakes, vipers, cobras, some pythons and the green snake ( can't remember the name, its small and harmless ). Most of the times I let them off after having a good look. My last encounter was in my office parking lot in Whitefield, Bangalore couple of months back. It was a rat snake, which i handed over to the security guys in a bag and requested them to release it outside the premises in the bushes.
	() Thanks

20th November 2009, 10:31	#195
beejay Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: The Nilgiris Posts: 1,963 Thanked: 204 Times View My Garage	Pramod, where are these wolf snakes found? Are they poisonous? @ DRC the driver running away abandoning the Jeep is kinda funny.
	() Thanks