A Few Venomous Snake Pictures

[Najakeeper]

I was at my mate Christoph's house this weekend. Helped him export this year's Acanthophis hawkei babies to the States. He has a great collection of venomous snakes so I took a few pictures. I wish I had more time to take more but I guess that's for next time.

Anyway, here you go:

Pseudechis colletti (Collett's Snake) from Australia:

Naja naja (Common Cobra) from Sri Lanka:

Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus (Broad banded Copperhead) from the States

Acanthophis laevis (Smooth scaled Death Adder) from Muting, Indonesia

 

[Furret]

That copperhead is adorable

 

[Shell]

I have no desire to ever keep hots, but they sure are nice to look at. Great pics

 

[Shrike]

You're a brave soul Naja. Beautiful pictures!

 

[Najakeeper]

Thanks for the comments guys, here are a some pictures of my own snakes...

Acanthophis hawkei "Barkly Tableland Death Adder":

Eating a rat pinky

Smelling to see if there are any more around

Eating a leftover mouse pinky snack in her cage

Acanthophis sp. woolfi "Dajarra Death Adder" male:

Under natural sunlight, coming close to a shed

Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus "Cape Coral Cobra":

Male hooding like a real cobra right after a shed

Broad view to show off his colors

 

[The Snark]

Your Cape Coral looks like it's out to win some glamor awards. Super nice pics. Looking forwards to more!

 

[Najakeeper]

Your Cape Coral looks like it's out to win some glamor awards. Super nice pics. Looking forwards to more!

The female is even prettier and she is very very calm, hardly ever hoods. She is in shed right now but here is a picture that I took a couple weeks ago.

 

[SamuraiSid]

Gorgeous snakes! Thanks for sharing the pics. I look forward to more

 

[Philth]

I've never seen or heard of Acanthophis laevis , very cool!

Later, Tom

 

[The Snark]

What I can't understand is why the sudden major trade in Death Adders? Smuggling galore everywhere you look. I seriously doubt there are more than a few thousand people in the US qualified to keep those little bombs and undoubtedly a lot of qualified hot keepers want nothing to do with them. Weird.

 

[Redneck101]

Beautiful snakes! Reminds me of mine when i had Hots. The Copperhead is one of my all time favorites. Along with the Cape Coral. Those two next to Crotalus lepidus were the best snakes i had in my collection.

 

[Najakeeper]

I've never seen or heard of Acanthophis laevis , very cool!

Later, Tom

It is probably the most common Acanthophis in the hobby. The common name is Smooth Scaled Death Adder and they are imported from PNG and Indonesia. Most specimens in the US are captive bred individuals.

What I can't understand is why the sudden major trade in Death Adders? Smuggling galore everywhere you look. I seriously doubt there are more than a few thousand people in the US qualified to keep those little bombs and undoubtedly a lot of qualified hot keepers want nothing to do with them. Weird.

I think the interest comes from the fact that unlike other elapids, they have viperid characteristics. On top of this, they are very beautiful snakes but that of course is subjective.

I don't know if you have kept Acanthophis or not but they are probably one of the easiest species of elapid venomous snakes to take care of. As long as you have common sense and stay out of the strike zone, there is no way you can get bitten. And if you get bitten, even though the venom is very strong, they have almost completely pure post-synaptic neurotoxic venom, which can even be managed by Acetylcholinesterases when there is no antivenom available. For example compared to another common snake in the hobby, Naja kaouthia, Acanthophis are a piece of cake to deal with. N.kaouthia (Monocled cobra) have erratic behavior, they will sometimes even chase you. On top of that, their bite is neurotoxic, myotoxic and cardiotoxic, which will surely cause disfigurement even if you have antivenom available and survive the bite.

When it comes to smuggling, it is unfortunately a part of this hobby. I try to avoid wild caught animals and currently all the animals in my collection are captive bred. However, I do understand that my mainland Death Adders come from smuggled individuals pretty much like all Bearded Dragons, Woma and Blackheaded pythons, all Australian monitors etc. As you know, this is due to the export laws of Australia and there is no way around it. I still wouldn't buy smuggled animals but I can not say no to captive bred individuals from those animals.

Beautiful snakes! Reminds me of mine when i had Hots. The Copperhead is one of my all time favorites. Along with the Cape Coral. Those two next to Crotalus lepidus were the best snakes i had in my collection.

Thanks. One of my friends also has a Crotalus lepidus pair and they are truly beautiful rattlers.

 

[dactylus]

Thanks for the photos.


I have always loved the squat, stout, look of the "death adder" group and I would still consider keeping a pair or two of the red A. pyrrhus, (Desert Death Adder) in my collection. The viper like appearance is definitely a point of attraction for me. Beautiful snakes!!

Please keep the photos coming!

:biggrin:

 

[The Snark]

Thanks much for the info. I've been lulled into a false sense of security by our local cobras in that they don't maintain a strike zone and can often be intimidated. (My hot experience is mostly limited to western rattlers. Get in their strike zone, you are whammed, period) On the other front, I'd advise against keeping death adders here in Thailand as the local doctors haven't impressed me in being knowledgeable of Acetylcholinesterase and it's inhibitors. Or finding their own arses with both hands on a bad day.

 

[Najakeeper]

Thanks much for the info. I've been lulled into a false sense of security by our local cobras in that they don't maintain a strike zone and can often be intimidated.

I have been chased by an albino monocled cobra in my snake room, which was my starter venomous snake by the way. (Bad choice!) Not fun!

 

[The Snark]

I have been chased by an albino monocled cobra in my snake room, which was my starter venomous snake by the way. (Bad choice!) Not fun!

Uhh... yeah. Sort of a bad idea. Cobras seem to resent being in an enclosed area with bipeds. At the snake farm I've never seen anyone enter a cobra enclosure alone. They work from outside the contained area, have an escape route (a wall that has to be climbed/vaulted) or have a back up with a hook. Out in the open it's no problem. And we are talking about people who have handled hots every day from when they were kids. Look on the bright side, it wasn't a O Hannah.

 

[JZC]

is it a good idea to hold these, like that cobra? I want to keep hots in the future, you know when im older and don't have to ask for a snake. How often do you handle them? Beautiful snakes

 

[The Snark]

is it a good idea to hold these, like that cobra? I want to keep hots in the future, you know when im older and don't have to ask for a snake. How often do you handle them? Beautiful snakes

I'm waiting for Najakeeper's reply to this. But really, you are dealing with animals that can never be wholly trained and trusted. You can always find anomalies, calmed specimens that can be relatively trusted, but become complacent for one split second... well, Steve Irwin ranted over and over about complacency.

The single incident that drove it home for me was trying to shoo a krait off the road one evening. As is well known, kraits are slow and laconic and I've done this maybe 20 times. So here's a porked out 4 footer lazing on the pavement and ignoring me as usual. The moment my stick touched him he transposed into a furious rattler, coiled and ready to strike. I backed off and he came right after me, making me climb onto the hood of the jeep. Bottom line is, you never know.

 

[Redneck101]

I'm waiting for Najakeeper's reply to this. But really, you are dealing with animals that can never be wholly trained and trusted. You can always find anomalies, calmed specimens that can be relatively trusted, but become complacent for one split second... well, Steve Irwin ranted over and over about complacency.

The single incident that drove it home for me was trying to shoo a krait off the road one evening. As is well known, kraits are slow and laconic and I've done this maybe 20 times. So here's a porked out 4 footer lazing on the pavement and ignoring me as usual. The moment my stick touched him he transposed into a furious rattler, coiled and ready to strike. I backed off and he came right after me, making me climb onto the hood of the jeep. Bottom line is, you never know.

Yeah, you do not handle them unless you have to. and even then, the safest way is to have 2 people. you dont want to be alone if you get bit. These snakes are not like your corn snake or ball python. its not a "pet". they dont like to be bothered. Some will put up with you, but if you ever get into owning rattle snakes or adders, you will learn fast, just dont mess with them unless you have too. i did not get my first until after i had worked with a local keeper for years first. its not something you just want to jump into. because in some cases you put health in harms way. if you have any common sense you will do some research and alot of it. this is not a hobby for most people. if you think you can handle it, it is a fun and very rewarding one. but please do your research first. =) didnt mean to sound preachy.

 

[jarmst4]

I can only imagine my girly screams or the words I would be saying if a cobra was chasing me around my T room. This is a really interesting thread, thanks for the cool pics.