Most dangerous reptile in Thailand?

**hillbilly** · 01-12-2006, 04:37 PM

What is it? I think cobra and some people say it is the moniter lizards.

I don't really know.

But, I know that i don't want to get bit by any of them.

**slimboyfat** · 01-12-2006, 04:49 PM

are monitor lizards dangerous?

i didnt know that.

there are quite a few around where i live, but i didnt hear they were harmful.

are there different types, some dangerous some not?

**NickA** · 01-12-2006, 04:54 PM

^They are big though, wouldn't like to find one in my bed

**dirtydog** · 01-12-2006, 05:11 PM

Not as big as crocodiles though, I dont think monitor lizards are dangerous, but a croc is like a rottie but a lot more powerful and viscious

**stroller** · 01-12-2006, 05:58 PM

I think there are a few varieties of poisonous snakes about, where is Curious George when you need him?

**MeMock** · 01-12-2006, 07:13 PM

Mrs Squirrel without a doubt.

**Little Chuchok** · 01-12-2006, 07:15 PM

I read that the most dangerous snake in SEA was the Russels Viper.Mainly 'cause it hangs around rice paddies etc.

**Milo2** · 01-12-2006, 08:03 PM

I had a student once who was bitten by a small green snake when out tramping in Phrachuap Kiri Karn. She was heading down a steep track with a group of friends when she leant against a tree for support. She failed to notice until too late a green snake which, disturbed or frightened, bit her. The poison was sucked out by a friend. She made it out of the bush and was driven to the nearest hospital where she was kept under observation. She survived, though the friend was softly reprimanded by doctors for putting her own life at risk. Later, they heard that another tramper in another party had been bitten by the same kind of snake on the same weekend and had died. I can't remember what its name was, only that it was small and green.

**Milo2** · 01-12-2006, 08:05 PM

I had another student who kept a poisonous snake as a pet. Once, when he was feeding it, he was bitten. He quickly cut a slash between the puncture marks with a pocket knife and squeezed the venom out.

**BambinA** · 01-12-2006, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by hillbilly

some people say it is the moniter lizards.

Originally Posted by slimboyfat

are monitor lizards dangerous? i didnt know that.

well ..Water Monitor is not a dangerous animal

but in thai we call it " HEAR" and its also a vulgar swear word hence..when people say "water monitor is more dangerous , it must be PUN"

IMO.. people here fear cobra ...

i try to compare cobra vs crocodile

- we have more chance to find Cobra than crocodile

**RandomChances** · 01-12-2006, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by BambinA

we have more chance to find Cobra than crocodile

Spot on Bambi I would have to go about 60 km to find a croc but there's a cobra living just outside my window, about 2-3 meters away. It's under a pile of old wood I have to move

**dirtydog** · 01-12-2006, 10:27 PM

Cobras dont worry me, I caught one once and chucked it in the back of my truck, got home and threw it at the neighbours dog, trouble is they were both too scared and run away from each other, it's probably living in my garden now

**Little Chuchok** · 01-12-2006, 10:30 PM

^strewth! Were you sober?

**stroller** · 01-12-2006, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by BambinA

in thai we call it " HEAR"

Ah, the "tua hia", also politely called "tua gneun tua tong".

**dirtydog** · 01-12-2006, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

strewth! Were you sober?

yeah of course, sober as I normaly am at 10pm anyway, scooped it up on a stick and threw it close to me truck, and then scooped it up again and threw it in the back, I caught it in my mates garden, the idea was just to take it to my place and park outside and let it decide what it wanted to do, then I saw my neighbours nasty evil dog so I had a great idea, unfortuneately snakes while flying thru the air dont think of biting what they land on, so my well layed plan didn't work

bkkmadness · 02-12-2006, 01:20 AM

Originally Posted by RandomChances

Originally Posted by BambinA

we have more chance to find Cobra than crocodile

Spot on Bambi I would have to go about 60 km to find a croc but there's a cobra living just outside my window, about 2-3 meters away. It's under a pile of old wood I have to move

Are there wild crocs near you RC? I've never seen any in Thailand, would love to though.

**BambinA** · 02-12-2006, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by bkkmadness

Are there wild crocs near you RC? I've never seen any in Thailand, would love to though.

RC is in Nakhon Sawan(Tak Fah??) .. and where he meant ,It was Bung Boraphet

bkkmadness · 02-12-2006, 01:29 AM

There wild crocs there Bambina?

**BambinA** · 02-12-2006, 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by bkkmadness

There wild crocs there Bambina?

I wish i could meet wild crocs :P

always stick on working .. i 'd go out sometime

**RandomChances** · 02-12-2006, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by bkkmadness

Are there wild crocs near you RC? I've never seen any in Thailand, would love to though.

Originally Posted by BambinA

RC is in Nakhon Sawan(Tak Fah??) .. and where he meant ,It was Bung Boraphet

Yep Bambina is right. Bung Boraphet is still supposed to have wild crocs and yep bambina you got my village right as well

**dirtydog** · 02-12-2006, 12:47 PM

Cobra kills Malaysian 'snake king'

Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Malaysia's famous snake handler, dubbed the "Snake King," has died after being bitten by a King Cobra during a performance, reports said Saturday.

Ali Khan Samsudin, 48, had been handling the deadly snake during a show on Tuesday when the reptile suddenly bit him.

Ali was admitted to hospital, where his condition deteriorated. He died early Friday.

"He had been bitten by snakes many times before, including three times by King Cobras. The first King Cobra bit him when he was 21," said Ali's son, Amjad Khan.

"We didn't think anything would happen. I was just relaxed," Amjad, also a snake handler, was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

"Maybe his body couldn't take it any more because of his diabetes," said the 21-year-old.

Amjad said he would continue performing with the reptiles as part of his father's legacy, adding that the family had been snake handlers for many generations.

"It's our way of life and we can't imagine doing anything else."

Known as the country's "Snake King", Ali also performed routinely with other reptiles as well as scorpions.

He set a world record in 1997 by living in a glass enclosure filled with more than 5,000 scorpions for 21 days and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Ali also set another record of living with 400 snakes for 40 days.

Ali leaves behind two wives and five children.
bangkok post

**attaboy** · 02-12-2006, 03:16 PM

I thought snake handlers who get bit often enough build up natural antibodies to venom?

**Gazza** · 02-12-2006, 03:46 PM

I thought cutting the puncture wounds and sucking out the poison was hollywood crap. Aren't you supposed to just put a tourniquet on the limb to slow down the spread of poison into your bloodstream?

**slimboyfat** · 02-12-2006, 04:56 PM

If a victim is unable to reach medical care within 30 minutes, the American Red Cross recommends:

Apply a bandage, wrapped two to four inches above the bite, to help slow the venom. This should not cut off the flow of blood from a vein or artery - the band should be loose enough to slip a finger under it.

Snake Bites

**Curious George** · 03-12-2006, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by stroller

I think there are a few varieties of poisonous snakes about, where is Curious George when you need him?

I'm here, but still trying to acclimate to the 12 hour time difference - I guess called Jet-lag.

Originally Posted by hillbilly

What is it? I think cobra and some people say it is the moniter lizards.

Since you said Thailand, the most common incident is with the Cobra. If on the Island of Komodo, you would of course say the Komodo Dragon (monitor lizard) is the worst. The Cobra is venomous, while the Komodo Dragon has a nasty mouth with bacteria that most often kills man. Just an interesting aside, some nonvenomous water snakes also have a "dirty" mouth that has bacteria with the potential to kill man.

The monitor lizards of Thailand are virtually harmless, but if you try to contain one, they will bite, and while it won't kill you, it probably would cause an infectious wound. I used to carry a monitor lizard around like a baby, while living at a zoo, in my distant past.

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

I read that the most dangerous snake in SEA was the Russels Viper. Mainly 'cause it hangs around rice paddies etc.

I believe you are correct about the most dangerous, but in Thailand, it would be difficult to find one. Cobras are in the rice paddies and not the Russels Viper. You may find it in the northern jungles. Most have been either killed by man, or collected for sale.

Originally Posted by Milo2

I had a student once who was bitten by a small green snake when out tramping in Phrachuap Kiri Karn.

More than likely it was a Bamboo Viper, but could have been a Stejneger's Pit Viper. Both are arboreal, but the Bamboo Viper is much more common.

Originally Posted by Milo2

I had another student who kept a poisonous snake as a pet. Once, when he was feeding it, he was bitten. He quickly cut a slash between the puncture marks with a pocket knife and squeezed the venom out.

Things have changed greatly within the last 20 years. I used to carry a 'snake kit' with me when tromping somewhere away from civilization. The cutting and sucking of the venomous bite area is now considered to be more dangerous than leaving it alone. Many bites are dry in the first place, meaning no envenomation. The American Red Cross recommendation, just mentioned, is probably the best current advice.

Originally Posted by Gazza

I thought snake handlers who get bit often enough build up natural antibodies to venom?

Most 'Show' snake handlers alter the snake by removing venom glands, or the fangs. Fangs grow back, but removing the venom gland eventually kills the snake. Bill Haast of the Miami (Florida, US) Serpentarium, is the only person I know, that has built up some resistance by daily injections of dilute venom.

In summary, if it kills or debilitates you, it is the most dangerous. The King Cobra has by volume of venom, the best possibility of killing. The Spitting Cobra is no slouch by spraying its venom 10 meters, or so. While not very common in areas of habitation, the Krait still kills man every year in Thailand. Being aware of your surroundings is the best deterrent.

Thread: Most dangerous reptile in Thailand?

Thread Tools

Display

Most dangerous reptile in Thailand?

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions