Comments on: Name that Snake

By: Casey Cullers

Casey Cullers — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:42:09 +0000

Do we have a winner yet in the snake ID contest?
Cause I don’t believe any of the above answers are correct.
I have a background in snakes and I have a very good eye for nuances of what to look for. Some of which are of course banding designs, but also, tail configuration and head shape. To which none of the above match in all three categories. Especially the Krait, which as similar banding, but theirs are all uniform banding, and the head is not the same.

Anyway enough of carrying on about what it’s not, so here in fact is what it is:

Snakes of Taiwan – Lycodon ruhstrati ruhstrati 02
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxkk1Ox7yJM

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ark_hongkong_reptiles/discuss/72157612269710746/

The key here is in the banding.
You must look for IDENTICAL DESIGNS, and I don’t mean “close”.

I think if you too look at the nuances in the banding you will find that my answer is correct.

Regards,
Casey

By: teaguy

teaguy — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:14:09 +0000

Thanks for the links Jim. The picture in your first link is the closest I’ve seen yet to ‘my baby’. My Taiwanese friends are still arguing about what it is. I’ll see if your links change their minds!

By: Jim Liou

Jim Liou — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:31:02 +0000

It’s what we Taiwanese call 雨傘節, which literally translates into “umbrella snake”.
http://content.ndap.org.tw/main/dc_detail.php?dc_id=2449962
http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw/html/ENG/01information/inf_d02_main.asp?sn=6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungarus_multicinctus
I surely hope the security guard keep his word and release it, considering 雨傘節 is a protected animal.

By: teaguy

teaguy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:30:44 +0000

Shaun sent in a post regarding the snake, and I accidentally deleted it instead of approving it. Luckily he also posted a reply here:

http://www.snaketracks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1937#1937

I’m pasting his comments in for reference. My apologies for the mistake, and thanks for the information Shaun!

Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject: Keep well away!!!!!!1

You need to be very wary of this snake!
It is a Taiwanese Banded Krait .
If bitten, death will come within two hours.
We used to call them “Minute Snakes”, by the time you realise you have been bitten, you have a minute to live.
More American sevicemen died from this snake’s relatives, than by the NVA and VC combined.
You won’t feel the bite and it moves faster than the eye can see. KILL IT!

By: teaguy

teaguy — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:55:07 +0000

Thanks Neil. I’ve come across (and run over!) several of the snakes listed there, especially when I lived in Nantou. About half of my Chinese friends here think that my snake is a krait, but we don’t yet have a consensus. I appreciate your taking time to post, and will update when I get a definitive response.

By: neil

neil — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:13:06 +0000

Hi There,

I was doing some googles looking for a comprehensive list of snakes in Taiwan in English and I came across this: http://www.formosanfattire.com/feature/snakes_in_taiwan/poisonous_snakes.htm
It might be the “Banded Krait” but I’m not sure.

Cheers.

By: teaguy

teaguy — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:22:55 +0000

Thanks errie! The pictures of the young snake that you pointed out do look a lot like the one I caught. The Chinese name I was given by our security guys translates as ‘pointed-scaled pit viper’, but the pictures I’ve seen of those don’t really match. I wonder if the adults and young snakes are just really different. The one I caught was probably 4 ft long, but was pretty thin. I’ll need to do more research after class today, so stay tuned!

By: errie

errie — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:34:04 +0000

Hello TeaGuy,

I think this snake called “Dinodon rufozonatum walli”.
You can check these sites to compare the photos
Let me know what you think!

errie

http://baikada.com/JSM/?cat=6
(Look 17th photo)

http://www.d7.dion.ne.jp/~channa/sakisima.htm

http://bbs.cngui.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=79&id=74399&page=&move=next