I saw a Burmese python on the north end of Lamma this afternoon. Are they common here? This one was about four feet long and was anxious to get away from me.

Pardon the terrible photo (Anonymous Guy is cringing), but I was running downhill, changing lenses, and trying to get to the snake before it disappeared into the forest.

Nancy

Nice you could get a picture of this - no they are not common, although there are a few around, as well as other types, but they seem to be getting less common.

Unfortunately, most snakes are liable to summary justice by stoning by a fairly sizeable part of the population, whether they are poisonous or not.

That's pretty cool. Thanks for the pic.

Snakes have a tough life pretty much everywhere. I was just reading this morning about the annual rattlesnake round-ups going on in Texas right now. One town rounds up 5,000-8,000 each year, kills them, and eats them. Beautiful state, but clearly has some MAJOR problems.

On a lighter note, I think I saw a red-necked keelback (snake) in a drainage channel the other night. I think we were both looking for frogs. It was very dark and my light was dim, so I wasn't positive on the ID. The AFCD has no record for this species on Lamma, so I will have to keep my eyes peeled. Has anyone seen one here?

Not cringing & no apologies necessary as is way better than anything I've got.
Judging by its girth looks quite a bit bigger than 4'. They're great looking creatures.
I've only seen 2 since I've been on Lamma...... one about 7-8' & another 11' underneath the stairs outside our house (was collected by Ag & Fish & hopefully taken out to NT - [have my doubts though, ever since the police turned up & speared an oversized Ratsnake that had found its way into our house. Way better to open a door & usher it out if at all possible..... managed that with a couple of cobras])
Nice one Nancy........ many would have run the other way.

A red-neched keelback fell onto my friend in Sha Po New Village during a typhoon. We identified it from the snake book.

AG, I guess the snake could have been larger. Here is the shot as I was running and after he had spotted me, or heard my thundering gallop. Regardless, it was pretty small compared to the 11' one you saw. That must have been something.

Foxy, thanks. It seems like the R-N K should be here given that it is almost everywhere else in HK, probably it is just that no one from AFDC has seen it here before.