INDIANANGLER

Hi Guys,

I would be much obliged if someone can positively ID this Snake for me, I caught it in my garden (in Hong Kong) last month. I had to be careful as I had a sprained ankle at the time so catching it took some time. The kids would not have it killed.

I do not know if it is a Juvi Banded Krait, or something else. I need a positive ID as there are a lot of these critters crawling about where I live. I caught it and handed it over to the cops and we do not have an animal control unit here.



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Hi Bobby, Looks like a krait to me.

Regards,
Mighty Marlin.

Looks like dinner for a Chinese dude..

Tight Lines,
GRC

Yep Looks Like a Common Krait...,

is highly venomous...

Comes with a Tag...Handle with Care

A Banded Krait for sure. The stripes are a bit dull but that could be for a lot of reasons.

Be careful Bobby. These guys might be pretty lethargic and slow but they pack a mean punch.

Thanks guys,

I am far from an expert on Snakes and I have been trying to ID this sucker through the net.

Something I have noted, is that the common Krait has a sort of double band where as this guy seems to have a single band across the body.

Common Krait:


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We also have the Wolf Snake here that is non venomous that looks like this:

Wolf Snake:


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Wolf Snake:


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Appreciate if you could take a look at these pictures again and advise. Alternately if you guys know of any snake expert, would be obliged if you could give me their email address where I could email pictures for a positive ID.

Bobby,

Thats defnitely not a common krait since a common krait in not so common in your area and the pattern is closer to a banded krait. However your snake to me looks more like a wolf snake or a type of racer .
THe kraits you have in your area is the banded krait . The banded krait is much more brightly coloured, though, rarely, you see variations of dull colours but more of rusty brown than black.


Jeen

Hi Bobby,

I'd say its a wolf snake 95% chance or a Banded Krait 5% chance. A better photo of the shape of the head / body & the scales would be a give a way.
The body of Kraits (in general) are triangular in cross section, with distinctly large scales along the spine. The number of bands towards the tail of the Banded Krait increase, but in a Wolf snake they are almost constant. Also Banded Kraits are jet-black or bluish-black with yellow / white stripes, whereas the Wolf snake tends to be brownish / brownish black.

I'd suggest that you identify the snake ASAP (locally) to avoid any danger to you or your family.

If its a wolf snake, it would not be a problem, if its the 'K'..... oh ho!

regards,
Keyur

Thanks guys, that is why I am worried and I need to know if it is venomous. I live in a valley and there are numerous streams (foot wide) that run about the place, there is also a small river that flows behind the house about 50 meters away (in a beeline) The problem here is language, there is a kind of petting zoo about less than a 5 minute drive from where I live, if I recall correctly, they had a snake exhibit, this place holds rescued and injured wild animals or any exotic animals that were rescued while being smuggled in or through Hong Kong. Perhaps they may have a snake like this or have some info.

My house is a brand new only a year old, last year just after I moved in, there was one exact same snake in my back hard, my neighbour killed it and smashed it so bad, that it looked like a strip of leather. I did not see it alive.

This year since the start of this summer, we have seen 3 snakes like this, my son picked up on while walking the dog and threw it into the bushes, one was dead just outside my gate and this one I caught in my garden at the back. All were the same, so my concern and I want to know if it is venomous, more concerned for the dog (7 month old Lab) who runs around the house in the garden in the evenings.

You could contact BNHS - Bombay Natural History Society - bnhs@bom4.vsnl.net.in - I am sure they would help you with a positive ID.

Rule No 1. With snakes.

If you are not sure then it is poisonous.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the help, Hawkeyes email gave me an idea, I wrote to the Agricultural and Fisheries department Hong Kong, they were back with a prompt reply:

Dear Bruce,

Thank you for your email.
The snake in the photos is Banded Wolf Snake. It is non-venomous and generally gentle in nature. For more information about land venomous snakes in Hong Kong, you may wish to visit the website of this department as linked: http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conserva ... snake.html

Separately, I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with some general precautionary measures on snake nuisance for your reference as follows.
(i) regular grass cutting and vegetation management, removal of potential shelters, such as garbage, as well as maintaining a good
site tidiness and hygiene may help to discourage snakes from lingering;
(ii) Installment of fine mesh at base of fence and filling gaps of drainage outlets may prevent entry of snakes into premises.
(iii) If a snake poses threats to life, call the police for immediate assistance.

Please contact me if you have any enquiries.

Regards,
Connie Ng
***
NG Ka-yan, Connie
Wetland and Fauna Conservation Division
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

i too had a similar concern about snake bites more common these days ,,mostly ruseell viper ,i see them more these days maybe because increase of rat population ,,we need to set some guideline how to treat a snake bite,,,one thing i do is, always go with a partner at night and in a new place i try found out how far away is a medical facility or a atleast a doctor and the grass grows very big during october and nov ,,maybe bops can start a tread for this point and get some expert opinion on the topic,, and also i avoid places with big grass, or in december if the grass is dry i burn it during the day,,
another thing i do is carry at three thorches and after fishing at night i do check my bag for any snakes while going home specially if i am fishing near some bushes,,,,

A viper at Sivasamudram



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a small Mahseer at the same place



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and the bluff (sivasamudram falls)



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and the best thing we had at Sivasamudram (antivenom)



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just for your viewing pleasure

Ravi

Looks like a good trip. I agree you should always carry a lot of 'anti venom' with you.

Bobby, this topic has already been discussed in detail in the thread below,

http://www.indianangler.com/viewtopic.p ... 4abbed91fd

Bops

Hey Ravin, the last pic of the "anti-venom" looks like it was taken on the table at the WASI Cottage

Your anti-venom angler,
GRC

Hi Bops,

For sake of convenience, can we have a Safety - first aid section, where topics like this can be discussed?

It will also be easy to access and refer to.

Bobby

thats a common wolf snake (lycodon aulicus ) and not a banded wolf snake
regards,
dr. prasad

Hi All,

Just a quick heads up if your fishing in India. You need to keep an eye out for the 'Big Four' (Indian Cobra, Krait, Russels Viper and Saw Scaled Viper). Any other snake apart from these four are no threat to humans, even if they may bite. The Big Four are easily identifiable (Google Images) out of which the Russels Viper is the most aggressive and most dangerous. If you come face to face with either of these chaps just use a long stick or rod and gently prod them in the opp direction (most often then not they shy away from a confrontation and prefer to slither off). If snakes are very common in your area you can also include a telescopic snake hook in your kit.

If you have more in depth questions feel free to ask. When I'm not angling I'm snake wrangling. Will be glad to give any inputs if needed.

Cheers

Danny

Hi Danny,

What about pythons?
some of the python species in India are poisonous.



Arish