seen this the other day in tai peng and wonder if it is dangerous?
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| what is this snake? is it poisonous? http://lamma.com.hk/forum-OK/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=10496 |
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| Author: | nedrise [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:01 am ] | ||
| Post subject: | what is this snake? is it poisonous? | ||
seen this the other day in tai peng and wonder if it is dangerous?
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| Author: | Alan [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:07 am ] |
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Looks like a Bamboo Pit Viper, which is very venomous. "This pit viper is distinguished by its green and yellow scales and by the pit organs found by the nostril. They usually grows about two and a half feet, starting at a pointed head and ending with a three part tail. Being a smaller snake, the Bamboo pit viper is pretty shy, using camouflage and other adaptations to hide from predators. That said, if you are ever lucky enough to find one of these snakes in the wild, observe from a distance! These snakes are venomous and if threatened have been known to strike out." |
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| Author: | nedrise [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:12 am ] |
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there are some nasty things around...thanks |
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| Author: | Tavis [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:28 am ] |
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Not nasty - beautiful and deserving of a healthy respect. As venomous as they are, at least they have not, for example, developed an atomic bomb and/or successfully annihilated whole species of fellow snakes and other living beings. Compared to humankind I find the bamboo pit viper rather benign. 
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| Author: | nedrise [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:30 am ] |
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beautiful and deserving of a healthy respect - for sure - yet nasty if it gets your teeth in you
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| Author: | Marc Antony [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:58 am ] |
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The Bamboo snake's bite is very painful and causes a swelling, but unlikely to cause worse than that as far as adults are concerned. Might leave you feeling a bit green for a few days. Bites resulting in fatalities are rare, with young children and pets most at risk. Me and the dog came across a really angry one a few weeks ago. I think a cat had been hassling it. It blocked the path and wouldn't let us pass - we had to go the long way round to get home ... |
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| Author: | Tigger [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:49 pm ] |
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I treat all snakes as dangerous. Even if they aren't!! Can't be too careful. And I have seen a lot more around this year than usual. A neighbour and friend James was bitten by a snake recently. Not fun at all. Poor guy is still having to have hospitilization! |
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| Author: | Nancy [ Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:26 pm ] |
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More people get bitten by the bamboo pit viper than any other snake in Hong Kong, even though the Chinese cobra is probably as common. The reason is because it relies on camouflage for protection. When it feels the vibrations of footsteps coming, it freezes to blend in with the vegetation (which doesn't work so well when it is on a concrete path). The cobra bolts when it feels the vibrations. People usually get bitten by the pit viper because they step on it in the dark or grab some vegetation where one is hiding. As Marc Antony says, it won't kill you unless you have a severe allergic reaction, but you will be uncomfortable for a bit. It's one of the most beautiful snakes in Hong Kong, so just give it some room and take a look. |
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