#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  > Thailands Zoos and Animals >  >  Just had an encounter with a snake...

## Bettyboo

& no, Papillion was not involved...

Seemed exciting at the time. First snake I've seen in years...

It'd just rained very heavily, and there are many klongs in our village with plenty of construction and a new drainage system having just been put in, so I suppose it was a likely time to see them(?).

I jumped on a motorbike taxi to the end of the road, and half way up the soi, just rounding a bend he screeched to a halt as if a pick-up was hurtling towards us - but I couldn't see a car, then I noticed a snake making it's way across the road from a little klong to a construction site. We were probably about 3 to 4 metres away and the little fella (about 1 metre, perhaps a little more...) angled himself half towards us, which sent the taxi driver scurrying backwards and seemiingly quite afraid. The snake started to go across the road again maybe leaving enough room for us to drive through, but as the taxi driver started to move forward the snake angled towards us again and raised his head a little, he was quite thin, not very thin, looked athletic, a big snake, but only just, certainly not a very big snake. The driver scurried backwards again making girlie noises then we waited for about a minute for the snake to fully cross into the construction site before heading on our way. The snake was in no hurry and didn't seem particularly afraid or overly aggressive, but had an edge to him/her, if we'd gotten within a couple of metres it would have had a go...

So, thinking it must be a Cobra or Krait or something, I went onto the internetty to look for pics.

Can you guess what it was? I live in Bangkok BTW, quite a built up area, but on the outskirts, so only a KM or 2 from rural land.

I'll post a pic of what I think it was after a few guesses.

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## Davis Knowlton

Baby cobra.

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## Bettyboo

^ that's what I thought at first, mainly from the motorbike driver's reaction, but now I'm not too sure; I think the driver was just a bit of a poof - having said that, he was an old dark skinned fella, so I have no doubt he knows snakes very much better than I do...

Looked like this:

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## Bettyboo

*Ptyas korros* (Indochinese Rat Snake)
*Thai:*  (ngu sing ban)

*Length:* A little over 100 cm
*Occurrence:* Throughout Thailand, but predominantly in the lowland areas.
*Behaviour:*
A snake which is active during the day, is very fast and which usually flees from humans before they get too close. If cornered, the snake bites very quickly and can even jump at their aggressor. This snakes helps keep rats and mice at bay.
*Danger:* None

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## good2bhappy

head is wrong for a cobra

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## Bettyboo

^ yes, I think it was probably just a rat snake.  :Smile:

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## Davis Knowlton

> *Ptyas korros* (Indochinese Rat Snake)
> *Thai:*  (ngu sing ban)
> 
> *Length:* A little over 100 cm
> *Occurrence:* Throughout Thailand, but predominantly in the lowland areas.
> *Behaviour:*
> A snake which is active during the day, is very fast and which usually flees from humans before they get too close. If cornered, the snake bites very quickly and can even jump at their aggressor. This snakes helps keep rats and mice at bay.
> *Danger:* None


Probably right.  Doubt it was a python - they aren't aggressive. Oval rather than triangular head would indicate non-venomous, thus cobra is unlikely - although the young of any species can be deceptive in head shape and coloring.

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## Bogon

> Danger: None


Say no more you big girls blouse. :Smile:

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## English Noodles

You live in Asia and you saw a snake crossing the road - is that it? FFS...

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## Bettyboo

^ I live in Bangkok, I never see snakes! I was soooooo cheering for Sunderland the other week, all looked good too going into the last few minutes...  :Sad: 

^^ apparently, the bite hurts a lot!

^^^ I was a bit underwelmed when I started searching the internet, but that's probably a good thing.

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## Davis Knowlton

> You live in Asia and you saw a snake crossing the road - is that it? FFS...



Not all posters are as studly as you, EN.

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## Rural Surin

> You live in Asia and you saw a snake crossing the road - is that it? FFS...


These sophisticated city slickers need to get out a little more.

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## English Noodles

> Not all posters are as studly as you, EN.


You were calling me Mao a moment ago. :mid:

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## Davis Knowlton

My mistake and most humble apologies - meds are kicking in. Some really good opiates. Brain function blurrier than normal.

These time release opiate patches are good shit - been in a really nice warm fog all day. My daughter got a new guitar out of it, and my son some new basketball shoes. I gather I have been most agreeable all day.

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## DroversDog

Sounds like the taxi driver has been watching too many Thai Soapies.

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## jks

Have seen that guy (or family) and many others. When I'm in Thailand we see one every week in average! Have had visit inside the house of a Green Viper (very bad guy) and at a corner of the garden is "home" for a 3 mtr python but he is quite peaceful, takes mice and rats. Often see small and big snakes crossing the road across the rice paddies - but I really hates them no matter how big or small 

 ::chitown::

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## Bettyboo

> had visit inside the house of a Green Viper


I wouldn't be happy with that...  :Sad: 

That's why I have 2 cats in the house.

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## Rural Surin

> Originally Posted by jks
> 
> had visit inside the house of a Green Viper
> 
> 
> I wouldn't be happy with that... 
> 
> That's why I have 2 cats in the house.


Just enclose yourself with more cement and plastic....you'll be fine. ::chitown::

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## Bettyboo

^ that is an excellent idea, but then, if a fuker does get in, it's harder for them to get out! I should really have a pair of geese in the bedroom (maybe one in each room) to keep the house safe from snakes (maybe a few meercats).

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## Rural Surin

> ^ that is an excellent idea, but then, if a fuker does get in, it's harder for them to get out! I should really have a pair of geese in the bedroom (maybe one in each room) to keep the house safe from snakes (maybe a few meercats).


I hear that the elfin troll figurines do wonders, placed strategically around.

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## jks

> Originally Posted by jks
> 
> had visit inside the house of a Green Viper
> 
> 
> I wouldn't be happy with that... 
> 
> That's why I have 2 cats in the house.


I promise you that I was NOT happy - but I think that it was the same Viper both times in the house! The first was during construction of the house but in the rice season so no workers in the house for a while. It was lying on an unfinished wall just under the roof. My brother-in-law took a long stick and pushed the snake - so off it took, up over the isolation under the roof and gone. Brother-in-law just said it's gone (but of course it was still there but we could not see it anymore - it made its way up there maybe cos some small birds were nesting under the roof). One year later it suddenly came back through the front doors which were open. The missus saw it and just gave it a swing with the broom so it went out of the door! As soon as it was out she put the broom down and went back to the kitchen with a smile! Two days later our electrician came by with the Viper at the end of a long stick (hope it was the same one) and went to his home for enjoying a good meal! Never seen it since anyway ;-)

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## Bettyboo

^ sounds to me like its living in your roof, mate; the electrician probably caught the mate - they'll be lots of babies soon... Sleep well.  :Smile:

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## Sailing into trouble

Betty is a mackum! That explains a lot. You guys had better beat some of the lower ranks and help Wigan out this next few weeks

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## Bettyboo

^ only when they play Newcastle...

I am a proud supporter of these:

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## jks

> ^ sounds to me like its living in your roof, mate; the electrician probably caught the mate - they'll be lots of babies soon... Sleep well.


Nahhh, he or his family is not under the roof anymore - but I'm aware of possibilities of meeting more of his kind! He is an ugly bastard ;-)

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## Kwang

> Just had an encounter with a snake...


It's hardly an encounter mate, when you're sat behind a Motocy taxi driver, hanging on to him for dear life, while using the poor guy as a human shield  :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

^ I know, it was a bit pathetic. It wasn't scary though, more interesting; I'll be taking more care walking up the soi in me flipflops for the next few days though...

^^ that experience would be enough to have me running to the airport for a 1-way ticket home...  :Sad: 

The FiL has a pair of geese around his house (lots of Cobras and King Cobras in that area) to protect the chickens, etc. They seem to do the job. When I build a house there, later this year, I'm gonna have to get meself a pair of geeze too, and take the cats, and but a baby meercat to bring up as part of the family...

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## Kwang

> He is an ugly bastard ;-)


Some would say beautiful, maybe in a huge glass tank they are, in my house then I would tend to agree with your description :Smile:

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## Rural Surin

> ^ I know, it was a bit pathetic. It wasn't scary though, more interesting; I'll be taking more care walking up the soi in me flipflops for the next few days though...
> 
> ^^ that experience would be enough to have me running to the airport for a 1-way ticket home... 
> 
> The FiL has a pair of geese around his house (lots of Cobras and King Cobras in that area) to protect the chickens, etc. They seem to do the job. When I build a house there, later this year, I'm gonna have to get meself a pair of geeze too, and take the cats, and but a baby meercat to bring up as part of the family...


I've been saying this for years....geese are the answer to all your critter or intruder troubles.

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## Bettyboo

^ Walking around your land in that sarong probably scares off the local snakes anyways; mind you, it could attract the odd (and she'd have to be very odd...) female King Cobra in season...  :Smile:

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## jks

> ^ Walking around your land in that sarong probably scares off the local snakes anyways; mind you, it could attract the odd (and she'd have to be very odd...) female King Cobra in season...



 :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:

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## AUSSIE EXPAT

> I'll be taking more care walking up the soi in me flipflops for the next few days though...



Try running

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## khmen

Talking of vipers...

Once, on Samui, me and a mate were walking across a bridge over a small stream. We were walking side by side across it when one of those green vipers took a strike at my mates head, missing him by inches. Aggressive little bastards, we hadn't even noticed him! 

It was pretty small, but still, a viper bite right to the head would not have been pretty!

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## jks

> Talking of vipers...
> 
> Once, on Samui, me and a mate were walking across a bridge over a small stream. We were walking side by side across it when one of those green vipers took a strike at my mates head, missing him by inches. Aggressive little bastards, we hadn't even noticed him! 
> 
> It was pretty small, but still, a viper bite right to the head would not have been pretty!


,,,, as my wife would say: "dangereous animal, strong bite, soon die" - and: "you have 20 minutes till die"

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## khmen

^^Should have added the bridge was overgrown with climbing plants, hence the viper lurking at head height.

^Yep, the smaller scorpions are nastier too.

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## thehighlander959

Beautiful looking snake that tree viper You have about 2 hours to get the anti venin into your system or it's lights out..
I think the Krait is more dangerous as even the babies venom can kill humans.When I was in Belize one of the Gurkha,s in th Engineer Squadron was bitten by a Fer de Lance
It took  25 minutes to get the anti venin into him, he lost his left arm all the way up to the shoulder.

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## English Noodles

> ^ only when they play Newcastle...  I am a proud supporter of these:


You should show more respect to the memory of BR then.

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## Bettyboo

^ that is true. But then again there is the legacy of Kieron Dyer too...

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## Phuketrichard

wow,  i see snakes at least 3-4 times a week and sometimes the cat will bring a baby one in for me to play with.  Plenty of dead ones on the road as well

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## alwarner

> ^ that is true. But then again there is the legacy of Kieron Dyer too...


What, really?  Clutching at straws there a bit my old bean given that Sunderland prised Connor Wickham off you after he'd just signed a new contract.

If you don't like Newcastle, just say.   :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

^ it's not the place, so much as the people...  :Smile: 




> i see snakes at least 3-4 times a week and sometimes the cat will bring a baby one in for me to play with.


I have to make do with cockroaches and birds. Not that I'm complaining.

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## Sailing into trouble

> ^ only when they play Newcastle...
> 
> I am a proud supporter of these:


Sorry Betty, 

I have been out in the Boonies too long. Cattle fences and non logo shirts? Ipswich Nots Forest. Rangers?

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## Sailing into trouble

I hate snakes that green bugger scares me. Think I am moving to Kendal!

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## Bettyboo

^ Mersyside is a dour place, mate...

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## Sailing into trouble

Howard Kendal! Everton, the player from the 80/s is aScot?

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## alwarner

> Howard Kendal! Everton, the player from the 80/s is aScot?


No, he's English.

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## thehighlander959

Howard Kendall is definitely English. Scots don,t have Christian names like Howard???
Wullie, Shuggie, Jimmy, but no Howard... :Smile:

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## jks

Did I miss something??? How does these football guys fit in to a thread about snakes? Just asking cos I can't see

 :cmn:

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## Beautiful World

> Originally Posted by Bettyboo
> 
> ^ only when they play Newcastle...  I am a proud supporter of these:
> 
> 
> You should show more respect to the memory of BR then.


H"way the Lads and not Howay the lads 

Last year i nearly stood on a baby cobra in Phuket. Walking through the garden on the way to the pool and it was lying between the stepping stones....maybe 30cm. I didnt see it...GF pulled me back before i put my foot down less than 6-10 inches from it.. would it of attacked?....it always good to know  where the nearest anti venom is to be found. (Phuket Bangkok Clinic laguna). Gardener confirmed it was a Cobra.

See loads of those coconut tree snakes...seem's those critters can jump...and they can move very quickly..First big snake was a massive dark coloured 2-3m snake crossing the dual lane  44 highway in Krabi...strange thing was it seemed to stop in the right hand lane and let me pass (doing 140km/hr) before crossing my lane...(btw not a python) 

took me 2 years in Thailand before i saw a live snake....business partner saw a 7m Python in ko Phangan a few years back. Traffic backed up as it crossed a 5m road.

Is there a Dangerous snake thread on here? maybe pics and advice would be a good idea?

FTM

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## crocodilexp

I lived in Thailand for 3 years and never saw a live snake... I guess I should consider myself lucky.

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## Carrabow

> I lived in Thailand for 3 years and never saw a live snake... I guess I should consider myself lucky.


You must not get out in the country much. The damn things are everywhere. I worry about them when I do not know if they are poisonous. I guess its because it is the unknown.

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## jks

> Originally Posted by English Noodles
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Bettyboo
> ...


A very good idea to have a dangereus snake-thread, but why not just a dangereous animal-thread (and I do NOT think of working women i Patty!) - beside snakes are a lot of other animals who are dangereous .. would be good to see them and learn about them!

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## Phuketrichard

> I lived in Thailand for 3 years and never saw a live snake... I guess I should consider myself lucky.


Whats lucky about not seeing one?  AS long as they don't bite, there cool.
Biggest one i saw was when we were building my home in the hills above Kamala,
was at least 6' long and as big around as my wrist.  The Burmese killed it and had it for dinner. WE often see the green tree snakes around the house

WE also used to have many scorpions behind the house.  My daughter & I  caught a few and took them into class for show and tell

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## Sailing into trouble

> Originally Posted by Bettyboo
> 
> 
> ^ only when they play Newcastle...
> 
> I am a proud supporter of these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Betty its driving me mad! Who the hell is he?
Please, :France: 

Snake thread: I"ve seen 2 snakes.

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## Beautiful World

Paul Mariner?...sure i have seen that beak before...Ipswich in the early 80's i would guess...


> Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Bettyboo
> ...

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## thehighlander959

^
When I was stationed in Colchester, Paul Mariner and Eric Gates used to come into my sister in laws bookmakers and place big bets on a daily basis. 
They were on great money at Ipswich at the time. They used to train at Ipswich in the morning and had the after noons off.

The owner of Ipswich at the time was also the owner of the Tolly Cobbold Brewery in the town and he had banned all the players from gambling and drinking in pubs and bookies in Ipswich, hence Colchester was used.

Mariner had a big house in Manningtree, not sure where Gates stayed but they sure blew a wad of money in my sister in laws shop.

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## Bettyboo

^ big drinkers and gamblers that team...

I think a few of them went on to buy pubs and drink all the profits (Alan Brazil, Kevin Beattie?). Back in the glory days.

Snakes are not cool, imo.

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## Sailing into trouble

Paul Mariner! He has a job with Toronto FC. God them where the days when you could pronounce the names of the first 11!

Snakes scare me silly!

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## Bettyboo

^ you wouldn't wanna have a night out with Papillion then...

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## nedwalk

apparently she is happy liveing here, 2nd year in a row she came back and hatched her eggs..last year we gathered 19 little fellas and released them some where safer..apart from the little bugger that somehow made it into me office and decided to live in me laser printer..scared the crap out of me when i printed off and a bloody snake came flying out..love ozzie sometimes  :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

^ what is it? Some kind of python?

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## AUSSIE EXPAT

> Did I miss something??? How does these football guys fit in to a thread about snakes? Just asking cos I can't see



It seems they can't help themselves when the silly round ball game gets mentioned. Give me strength! :kma:

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## nedwalk

> what is it? Some kind of python?


yes mate, resident carpet snake, helps keeps the rats/mice down, but not allowed inside the house, though we keep the little fella outof the printer in a tank inside, it got injured, the snake is harmless and great for scareing the visitors  :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

^ right, presumably the little fella is gonna get to a metre or bigger? How large is your tank!

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## nedwalk

it can grow to a metre and a bit and then i,ll let it go up in me shed..i seen a few mice droppings up there, its comeing onto winter so it should do ok

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## Bettyboo

^ you seem to be rather fond of your snake, mate; have you named him/her?

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