#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  Most dangerous reptile in Thailand?

## hillbilly

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

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

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## slimboyfat

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?

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## NickA

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

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## dirtydog

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  :Smile:

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## stroller

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

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## MeMock

Mrs Squirrel without a doubt.

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## Little Chuchok

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

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## Milo2

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.

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## 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.

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## BambinA

> some people say it is the moniter lizards.





> 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

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## RandomChances

> 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  :Sad:

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## dirtydog

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  :Sad:

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## Little Chuchok

^strewth! Were you sober?

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## stroller

> in thai we call it " HEAR"


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

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## dirtydog

> 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  :Sad:

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## bkkmadness

> 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.

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## BambinA

> 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*

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## bkkmadness

There wild crocs there Bambina?

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## BambinA

> There wild crocs there Bambina?


I wish i could meet wild  crocs  :P

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

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## RandomChances

> 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


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

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## dirtydog

*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

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## attaboy

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

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## Gazza

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? :Confused:

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## slimboyfat

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

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## Curious George

> 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.




> 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.




> 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.




> 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.




> 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.




> 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.

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## stroller

Vipers in Thailand:
Mocassin Viper

These two are common throughout the country:

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## mrsquirrel

Is that the green one with the red tail

Got dozens of those horrible bastards in my garden

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## mrsquirrel

> 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.


I read that you have to wrap the whole limb in bandages to slow the poisong travelling through the lymphatic system.

This should give the body time to breakdwon the toxins.

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## a. boozer

In WW2 Japanese soldiers were issued with something akin to a model makers knife, with which to cut out the area of the bite. If I remember correctly the handle was hollow and contained sulphur or some such substance.

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## magpie

There is also a root of an endemic tree that can be used as an anti-venon.

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## Begbie

I found one of these in a golf bag I'd just bought. Didn't spot it until I was carrying the bag into the house. Triangular head.

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## stroller

Well, that's a big golfbag you bought, I'd say.  :bunny3:

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## Camel Toe

Called the green slider by the allies during the Viet Nam war.

Ghosts and spirits are what Thais are most afraid of.

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## DrAndy

Kraits, Cobras, Sea snakes and Vipers are all potentially fatal

I am not sure which is the worst, maybe if you die it doesnt make much difference. 

The King Cobra is probably the most dangerous worldwide, having a neurotoxin venom which is fatal if untreated. However, as it lives in areas with few people, it doesnt feature in the biggest killer

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## dirtydog

I believe Sea Snake venom is more deadly than ordinary land snakes, then again it probably doesn't help if you are in 40 meters of water and panicking.

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## El Gibbon

I am not sure if this is the appropriate place to ask, but here goes anyway.

Does anyone know of good web locations for identifying snakes and butterflys in Thailand?

This morning the missus went nuts when she found what I think was a golden tree snake between the screen and security bars of our sitting room window.  Obviously a juvenile (about 20 inches long) and pretty quick. Didn't have a chance to grab the camera.

Thanks for any info provided.

E G

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## Curious George

> I use many Web Sites when researching, but you may find this good for venomous snakes, and this for the nonvenomous species. I like the ThaiBug Site, and have used it for butterflies also.


Hope this helps.

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## El Gibbon

Thanks George
Will give a great starting point.

The bug site is truly remarkable

rgds   E G

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## The_Dude

*The Russell’s viper takes the prize as #1 most dangerous reptile that causes the most grief in South Asia. Because, of its venom and tenacity. And it’s close proximity to humans that makes it the lead reptile to snake bite fatalities.*

*The Dude.*

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## The_Dude

> I believe Sea Snake venom is more deadly than ordinary land snakes, then again it probably doesn't help if you are in 40 meters of water and panicking.


DD your mistaken! The Inland Taipan is the most venomous snake in the world. Lucky for most of us this reptile lives in remote area of Austrilia and thats a good thing becouse 1 drop of this stuff can kill you 50 times over and the time that you have to recieve any anti toxin it will be to late- very fast acting poisen. Why somthing like this lives is a mystery! :Sad:

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## Eliminator

I always thought the Fierce snake in Oz was the most venomous snake with no antivenom avaiable.

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## blackgang

OK, Here,



> List of *Deadliest Snakes* in the world as per their ranking : - 
> *1) Fierce* *Snake* or *Inland Taipan* (_Oxyuranus microlepidotus_ ), Australia. The most toxic venom of any snake. Maximum yield recorded (for one bite) is 110mg. That would porbably be enough to kill over 100 people or 250,000 mice. These rare snakes are vitually unknown in collections outside of Australia.
> *2) Australian Brown Snake* (_Pseudonaja textilis_ ), Australia. One 1/14,000 of an ounce of this vemon is enough to kill a person. 
> *3) Malayan* *Krait* (_Bungarus candidus_ ), Southeast Asia and Indonesia. 50&#37; of the bites from this snake are fatal even with the use of antivenin treatment. 
> *4) Taipan* (_Oxyuranus scutellatus_ ), Australia. The venom delivered in a single Taipan bite is enough to kill up to 12,000 guinea pigs. 
> *5) Tiger Snake* (_Notechis scutatus_ ), Australia.* 
> 6) Beaked Sea Snake* (_Enhydrina schistosa_ ), South Asian waters Arabian Sea to Coral Sea..
> *7)* *Saw Scaled* *Viper* (_Echis carinatus_ ), Middle East Asia.
> *8)* *Coral Snake* (_Micrurus fulvius_ ), North America.
> ...

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## El Gibbon

> OK, Here,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> 				List of *Deadliest Snakes* in the world as per their ranking : - 
> 
> *3) Malayan* *Krait* (_Bungarus candidus_ ), Southeast Asia and Indonesia. 50&#37; of the bites from this snake are fatal even with the use of antivenin treatment.


That's the sucker that would have gotten me if not for a handy excavator operator.  whew

E. G.

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## Whiteshiva

> Originally Posted by blackgang
> 
> 
> OK, Here,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> ...


Unlikely - it would probably just have slithered into the undergrowth, never to be seen again.

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## stroller

> 1 drop of this stuff can kill you 50 times over and the time that you have to recieve any anti toxin it will be to late- very fast acting poisen. Why somthing like this lives is a mystery!


Every creature has a right to live (except mozzies), snake poisons make strong medicines, in dilution, maybe this one is still waiting to be found a use for.  :Smile: 

And that bug-site is amazing, thanks C.G.!

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## El Gibbon

^^
As I wrote on my thread, post 147 I thnk. The devil was heading away from the digger and right at me.....

As we were in a substantial monsoon ditch the easy way was at/by me... 

I do agree though that given a choice they will run and hide MOST times.

All ended well anyway.  :Smile: 

E. G

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## blackgang

> Every creature has a right to live (except mozzies), snake poisons make strong medicines, in dilution, maybe this one is still waiting to be found a use for.


I gotta agree somewhat with sTroller on that,,
 but only because there are to damn many people on earth and being born every day, and without so many people there would be room for all the snakes, animals, rainforests and people of all the religions, just like has been for several hundred years.
If overpopulation in any species happens then there is fighting and killing, rats in a cage, dogs in a pen or people on earth.

But as long as fucking is more fun than dying then there will be overpopulation, Got to make dying more appealing some way.

But no one blames what is happening on the number of people, the earth has reached its saturation point, not because of global warming because of gas's, not because of anything else except to much fucking.
People are using what is necessary to support the numbers on earth now and that in turn is making the planet revolt and soon there will be no more people and then the earth can start over., Not a thing can be done to stop it unless half of the people were eliminated immediately.
The earth has went from 2 bil. to 8 billion in my lifetime, added 4 billion since 1960.

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## Whiteshiva

> ^^
> As I wrote on my thread, post 147 I thnk. The devil was heading away from the digger and right at me.....


Which doesn't mean it was out to "get you".  It was simply trying to get awy from the digger, and if you had stood completely still, it wouldn't even have noticed you.  You were no threath to it, so why would it bite you?

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## El Gibbon

Actually I agree, most snakes run away as fast as possible. You should see the Indian Rat snake go! In normal practice I let them have their space and go about my business. I come across quite a few different varieties here.

Two things in this particlur situation:

1. The snake is known to be LETHAL to the locals.... No chance is what they tell me.

2. As the snake was between two potential threats, me and the digger with little room to easily escape, it posed a threat to me vs. the digger. Don't forget I'm in a trench maybe 24 inches across in the bottom of a monsoon drain with a snake behind me and the digger above where he can see what's going on.

In this specific instance, although I had no imput in the snake's demise, I am rather glad the operator took the action he did. I would rather not  gamble on whether or not the sucker was going to strike. Nor would I feel comfortable gambling on whether or not I would be in the 50th percentile that survive.

E. G.

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## lom

^ Understandable, you don't just stand still pretending to be a tree when a lethal snake is heading in your direction

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## Whiteshiva

> ^ Understandable, you don't just stand still pretending to be a tree when a lethal snake is heading in your direction


Wrong, that is exactly what you should do.

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## blackgang

I have never seen that Taipan but I have seen a lot of sea snakes, and one is supposed to be sure death if he bites you, we had a German diver in the water from a barge I was on at Basra Iraq and he was bitten on the skin between his thumb and first finger, we did get him out of the water, but he did not last long and there was no known anti venom for that snake.
The doctor we had on board said it was the most deadly snake in the world, rarely bit anyone tho..

But he must have been wrong, but it really makes no diff if no one ever lives from the bite whether he is the most poison or not.

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## hillbilly

Remember the topic was the most deadly reptile in Thailand. :Smile:  

From my upcountry home we recently visited the nearest hospital in regards to a possible snake bite. There response? Was to wait and see if a reaction happened. Then they would suggest the patient going to the main hospital in P-Lok.

Needless, to say in the event of a snake bite we will bypass the local hospital.

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## El Gibbon

Whiteshiva:
While in my position at the time would you be willing to risk the "advice" to stand still would hold true?

Like I said before the Thais were going nuts, and BTW the nearest hospital is 20 Km away. I am thankful the dude mashed him...

I had nothing to do with the death of said snake. I'm just damn grateful the digger operator reacted as he did...   nuff said.


E. G.

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## ENT

When planting cane near Cairns one day it was so hot that the furrows shimmered and waved in the haze, and one of them furrows turned into a taipan heading straight downhill for me, pissed off it'd been disturbed! 

It moved at incredible speed and seemed hell bent on having a chew on me so I parried it off with a rake I was using to cover the cane while the cocky 
went to call the herpetologist. 

After about 20 minutes of stand off in which the damn taipan would just keep on heading at me, even when I put distance between us, the herp lady arrived and put a grip on it and bagged it after giving it an antibiotic because I'd nicked it with the rake. Told me off for hurting it! Didn't mean to, but she wasn't convinced!

She told me that it would have kept at me, one of the few snakes along with the Ozy tiger snake that can literally out-pace a human and do attack, unlike most snakes which tend to shy away from humans

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## blackgang

Well why didn't you hit the bitch up side the head with your rake then??

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## ENT

Didn't want to kill her.   :Smile:    ^^^

Ya mean the snake not the herpy, like?    :Wink:

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## Whiteshiva

> While in my position at the time would you be willing to risk the "advice" to stand still would hold true?


Yes I would, and I have on more than one occasion had snakes sliding right past me (and once, in the case of a small cobra, over my naked foot).  I learned this from some Malaysian ex-Army dudes I used to go trekking with many years ago, and what little I managed to learn from them has served me well on more than one occasion.  Now some folks seem to have a fear of snakes, and therefore panic, but if you can manage to keep your cool, you are much more likely to avoid being bitten.

The only aggressive snake I have come across in Se Asia is the rat snake - completely harmless, but with a vicious temper.



> Like I said before the Thais were going nuts, and BTW the nearest hospital is 20 Km away.


Since when were Thais going nuts an indication of anything...... :Cool:

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## phunphin

I have spent a good part of 1.5 years living in a rural resort in the south, and have come across a few snakes, and lizards.

anyone who has lived or worked in the bush knows most snakes will never bother you unless you bother them.
I have walked over cobras, kraits and many types of tree snakes, with out any trouble.
and i mean walked over as In walking though long grass.
I think the pit vipers are the most dangerous, they are short tempered and have a long strike.
One night a banded krait(yellow/black) came into our reception area and just stopped across the walkway... I wacked it with a broom handle and it didn't budge... went off later, by it's self.
and all the cobras i've seen have avoided me, only one hooded up slightly.

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## ENT

Whiteshiva,

I go along with you on your above post.
Once, squatting for a shit over a log in the bush in Qld, a  brown snake slithered along the log, under my (VERY TIGHT) arse and past before I could do much about it. 

I do remember looking it in the eye and it looking back at me before it made its run under my fundamental orifice!

Harmless, but never again!   :Smile:

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## Eliminator

I say let whiteshiva live the same experience and say the same. If it's a poisonous snake and it's that close that it can strike me and I have NO escape from it's path, then I would be thankful for anyone stopping it from gettin to me. If you're in a trench obstrupting it's path of escape, I would think, the snake will bite you to get you to move.

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## Whiteshiva

> I say let whiteshiva live the same experience and say the same. If it's a poisonous snake and it's that close that it can strike me and I have NO escape from it's path, then I would be thankful for anyone stopping it from gettin to me. If you're in a trench obstrupting it's path of escape, I would think, the snake will bite you to get you to move.


Get real - Snakes don't bit to get people (or animals) to move, they bite to catch prey, or because they feel threatened.  A snake running away from a threat will not stop to bite obstructions, it will simply move around them.  Stand still, and you will not be perceived as a threat.  

If you try to swat it with a pink handbag, though - all bets are off!

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## vito

some members have one pic about snake "moniter lizards"

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