SNAKES

3-27-06

Stealths of the Shadows

Safety in the field is imperative. Never step

over a log. Snakes often rest coiled up next to
objects, and you may get bitten when your
foot startles them.

Instead, always step on logs then

take a stride off.

In Sri Lanka, cobra charmers are plentiful.

BTW, just where is that big snake going???

Typical cobra stance

photo by Thomas Eimermacher

Most snakes crawl on the ground or

climb trees.

But, in the tropics, some snakes fly!

Chrysopelea from SE Asia
(National Geographic).

Fer-de-lance, called a
Tommygoff in Belize. Bothrops
asper.

Can you tell why it is called a

Lance-head?

Note how the Tommygoff looks like a pile of

leaves?

Look again.

And look again.

We walked right by this one the third

person in line saw it. Cockscomb, 2005.

These Fer-de-lances are from Trinidad.

Tommygoff in Rabinowitzs
wrecked airplane. Orlena Tampira & Ryan Englebrecht
looking into the hole (bottom left is what they saw; Dr. Bob leaning inside plane
to take the photo of the 6 ft fer-de-lance on the right).

Dead Tommygoff found on the

highway by Sydnoid.

Bothriopsis bilineata - Per

Eyelash Palm-Pitviper,
Bothriechis schlegelii - Belize

Photos by Marceau Ratard

Eyelash Palm-Pitviper, Bothriechis schlegelii,

juvenile. This species often rests flat against
tree trunks in Belize forests. photo by Thomas Eimermacher

Cantil, Agkistrodon bilineatus Belize

Cantil head shots.

What is this?

A hawk
moth
caterpillar,
Hemeroplanes
ornatus photo from
Natural History Magazine

Puff Adder, Bitis arietans - Africa

Saw-scale Viper, Echis coloratus Note that

it is lying with its sides curved & in contact.
This allows it to rub its sides together and
make a loud hissing sound. Africa

African Horned Viper, Cerastes cerastes:

Convergent with the American
Sidewinder Rattlesnake due to use of
desert habitat; nestles down in the sand
and ambushes prey.

Velvety-Green Night Adder, Causus

resinus Africa - not all vipers look like
venomous snakes.

Bibrons Burrowing Asp, Atractaspis bibronii

Africa feed on rodents in burrows; have the ability
to move the fangs out of the mouth, pointing to the
rear, an adaptation for envenomating a number of
mice as they scurry away and past the predator in the
burrow. Dont try to pick them up behind the head
they can bite backwards! Photo by Harry W. Greene.

HOW CAN ONE TELL A CORAL

SNAKE FROM ITS MIMICS?

In the U.S. and Belize, remember this poem:

Red and yellow kill a fellow, red and black
friend of Jack. This means that if red rings
touch yellow rings, it is venomous; if red rings
touch black rings, it is not venomous.
Warning: This does not work everywhere
check out some of the venomous coral
snakes in the following slides.

Are all red, yellow (tan), and black

non-venomous snakes actually
mimicing venomous coral snakes?
That is the theory, but there is a strong
possibility that this color combination is
cryptic. Remember, they mostly live
underground. Also, when lying still,
they tend to be obvious, but when they
are 1) in the shade or 2) begin to move,
they are extremely cryptic.

Non-venomous Milk Snake, Lampropeltis

triangulum, from Cockscomb, Belize 2002.

False Coral, Erythrolamprus mimus, a mildly

venomous coral snake mimic.

Calico False Coral Snake, Oxyrhopus

petola a non-venomous nocturnal
snake - Belize

Guatemalan Neck Band Snake,

Scaphiodontophis annulatus how did this
evolve? - Belize

Scaphiodontophis juvenile from Cockscomb,

Belize.

Large Coral Snake, Micrurus

lemniscatus Trinidad
(by John Moyle)

Maya Coral Snake, Micrurus

hippocrepis Cockscomb,
Belize

Spixs Coral Snake, Micrurus spixii

South America

Aquatic Coral Snake, Micrurus

surinamensis displaying - Amazon
Basin

Black Mamba, Dendroaspis polylepis

note the venom drops Africa. The pink
skin is possibly the result of a viper bite.

In the south Pacific, there is an

octopus that mimics a sea snake

Mussurana, Clelia clelia: As an adult, mussuranas

eat snakes; as juveniles, they eat lizards (see a
specimen extruding from a wound in this dead
specimens side). As an adult it is very dark, but as
a juvenile, it looks a bit like a coral snake.

Black-striped Snake,
Coniophanes imperialis - Belize

Scorpion-eating snake, Stennorhina

freminvillei

Big-headed snake, Imantodes

cenchoa - Cockscomb

Rain Forest Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira

frenata - Tikal

Northern Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira

septentrionalis - Belize

Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira septentrionalis,

eating the eggs of the Red-eyed Frog.

Mexican Parrot Snake, Leptophis

mexicanus - Belize

Sydney captured
a Green Parrot
Snake, Leptophis
ahaetulla (nonvenomous) along
the Sibun River
as we floated out
of the cave.

Dr. Bob gets nailed by a Green Parrot

Snake (non-venomous, of course).

Puffing Snake, Pseustes poecilonotus Belize

Puffing Snake defensive posture puffing up

to look bigger and looking like a twisted vine
or stick.

Puffing snake mouths (note the open

epiglottis on the left allows the snake
to breath while swallowing prey)

Green rat snake, Senticolis triaspis,

Belize

Speckled racer, Drymobius

margaritiferus, Belize

Indigo Snake, Drymarchon

corais northern Mexico.

Indigo Snakes, or Crebos, are tan in

Belize: Dr. Bob (l) & Alexandro Ack (r).

Coffee Snake, Ninia sebae, a reclusive

soft-bodied invertebrate eater - Belize

Coffee snake, Ninia atrata, from Trinidad.

Brown Vine Snake, Oxybelis aeneus

note the open mouth threat display Belize

Green Vine Snake, Oxybelis fulgidus a

lizard eater that often extends and vibrates its
tongue as a lure for its prey Belize.

Asian Vine Snake, Ahaetulla prasinusnote the horizontal pupils.

Oookie!!!!

Of course youll have a chance to try this!

Hydrodynastes gigas South

America

Liophis anomalous - Argentina

Cloudy Snail-Sucker Snake, Sibon

nebulata - Belize

Snail-eating Thirst Snake, Dipsas

brevifacies, a snail eater from Belize

Philodryas laevisquama, a new species from

Bolivia
by Dirk Embert

Philodryas arnaldoi, a very rare racer of the

Araucaria forests of southeastern Brazil.

By Marcos Di-Bernardi

Philodryas baroni, an arboreal snake of Argentina,

Paraguay, and Bolivia that is dichromatic.

Philodryas chamissonis, a common racer of

central Chile.

Philodryas cordata, a racer from a tepui in

Venezuela.

Philodryas mattogrossensis, a racer of the

grasslands of central Brazil.

Philodryas olfersi, Brazil and most countries

in South America.

Philodryas patagoniensis, a very common grassland

snake from Brazil through Argentina.

Philodryas psammophideus andensis, a new

subspecies from Bolivia.

Philodryas simonsi (l) and P. tachymenoides

(both of montane Per)
by Harald Nicolay

Philodryas viridissimus an Amazonian

snake that might prefer the canopy.

by Dick Bartlett

Thamnodynastes sp.- South America

Tachymenis peruviana (l) and Tomodon dorsatus

both are being placed in Thamnodynastes. South
America Tomodon photo by Marcos Di-Bernardo.

Hemipenis of Philodryas chamissonis. Note the

ornamentation: spines, calyces (pits), sulcus spermaticus (left
figure; lipped grooves that carry sperm), shape, lobes, etc.

Hemipenis of Philodryas nattereri, sulcate

surface on the left.

Hemipenis of Philodryas patagoniensis,

sulcate surface on the left.

Hemipenes of two species of

Thamnodynastes unique in their variation.

Hemipenes can make good hats, too!

Tropidodryas striaticeps Brazil. This

aggressive snake has an interesting tail tip
(attracting prey?) and enlarged scales on its
rear-lateral dorsal scales (for rubbing and
making sound).

Some snakes, especially those with brightly

colored bellies, will hide the head and lift the
curled tail when confronted by a predator.

Some snakes will avoid predation by playing

dead (letisimulating).

Brahminy Blind Snake,

Ramphotyphlops braminus PanTropical

Leptotyphlops albifrons - Trinidad

Anaconda, Eunectes murinus Venezuela

Who is winning?

Anacondas mating
often, more than
one smaller male is
in pursuit! The
female is the
biggun in the
middle.
National Geographic Magazine

Emerald Tree Boa, Corallus caninus - note

the heat receptors on the lips South America

Cooks Tree Boa, Corallus

ruschenbergii - Trinidad

Rainbow Boa, Epicrates cenchria Venezuela

Burmese Python, Python molurus SE

Asia

Tony Garels supersized Burmese Python

Belize Zoo.

Ball Python, Python regius Africa

Boa constrictor, Tikal

Everyone loves to hold a wild boa!

Dr. Bobs boa has lots of large teeth!

Cloaca. No more snakes here!