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One mega chunky ratter visits his local ATM.
ATM use
- Thread starter The Snark
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Imagine someone used that ATM (without first seeing the snake) They see the snake and drop all their withdrawn money..... (later on at home, the drug dealer whom they owe money to shows up) "I'm telling you, I was robbed by a snake!" They end up getting murdered......all because the ATM was a warm spot for a snake to chill. 
---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:48 PM ----------
Very cool how the eye was glowing in this shot by the way!
---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:48 PM ----------
Very cool how the eye was glowing in this shot by the way!
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I got called over to the ATM to check out the snake and I did a double take. My thoughts were 'that's very weird coloration for a python'. It was extremely strange in that moment that one part of my brain registered rat snake from the coloration while another registered python from the girth and how it was coiled up. (I couldn't see the head at first). Turned out to be a truly mammoth ratter, nearly 7 feet long and around 2 1/2 inch diameter at the fattest. When these kids get into the canals and drains in the city where rats are available like a buffet, they can really get to growing!
Here's some Asian rat snake trivia for you. (When not porked out max) They can strike straight up over 1/2 their body length and can put on a burst of speed as I've witnessed at over 10 mph. When coiled and ready they strike exactly like the western rattler and it looks just as fast. When really pissed off they can strike around 2 times a second. Not settling for those athletic achievements, they are also very adept at striking while dangling from a hook. The ordinary capture method only works if you only have about 1/3 of the front of snake out of the hook. At 1/2, they can leap-scoot out of the hook or tag you. If they tag something they hang on and can draw their entire body into a coil in a second or two. Not the recommended snake for the amateur to try keeping.
PS The one in the photo was warming itself on the computer monitor and was probably blind and about to shed. Compare it's size to the ATM logo sign which is about 3 inches tall. The average Asian ratter adult is 4 to 5 feet and around 1 inch thick.
Here's some Asian rat snake trivia for you. (When not porked out max) They can strike straight up over 1/2 their body length and can put on a burst of speed as I've witnessed at over 10 mph. When coiled and ready they strike exactly like the western rattler and it looks just as fast. When really pissed off they can strike around 2 times a second. Not settling for those athletic achievements, they are also very adept at striking while dangling from a hook. The ordinary capture method only works if you only have about 1/3 of the front of snake out of the hook. At 1/2, they can leap-scoot out of the hook or tag you. If they tag something they hang on and can draw their entire body into a coil in a second or two. Not the recommended snake for the amateur to try keeping.
PS The one in the photo was warming itself on the computer monitor and was probably blind and about to shed. Compare it's size to the ATM logo sign which is about 3 inches tall. The average Asian ratter adult is 4 to 5 feet and around 1 inch thick.
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Is this Ptyas mucosa? I had one of these for a few years before he died unexpectedly this past winter during brumation. He was a really neat snake. I got him as a baby, one of a shipment brought in to supply King Cobra breeders with feeder snakes. He reminded me a lot of our North American Coachwhips, rather than our Rat Snakes, which are constrictors. I'd really love to have a large pair of adults, but these are very seldom offered for sale in the US.
pitbulllady
pitbulllady
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Yes, I believe they are the Pytas Mucosa. They have the very distinctive coloration of black striping only on the back half of the body. Here is a link to a very typical specimen picture: http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0805+0752
The animal is protected in Thailand and exporting is illegal (for whatever that may be worth).
Question! Since you got yours as a baby, did it have the black striping the full length of the body and it dimished later in life?
PS I was told, source dubious, these only have a life span of 5 to 7 years. This would possibly be due to it's hyperactive nature and associated metabolism.
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Yes, when I got it, it was fully-striped, and looked an awful lot like a baby O. hannah, as a matter of fact! By the time it died, it looked like the adult in your photo. I'd read that these have a nasty disposition, but as has been my case with N. American snakes that supposedly have a very nasty disposition, i.e. Nerodia and Masticophis especially, I did not find that to be the case. He never bit or struck at me, not once.
I don't even know if anyone knows the lifespan on these snakes, since no one seems to keep them or breed them in captivity. I'd find it odd that they don't live any longer than that, though, given that the equally hyperactive/high-metabolism Coachwhips and Racers here in American live much longer, and they can actually be MORE hyper than the Ptyas!
pitbulllady
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Odd and interesting indeed. I would venture a guess your snake, due to reasons unknown, was much more docile than normal. Two different herpetology experts here have placed Ptyas in the top 10 bite happiest which I would agree with from personal observations. But then, as my two most recent encounters, they were well fed and quite calm.
Important safety tip: Never mix up O. Hannah with anything, ever.
Here is an oddity I wish someone could explain. In captivity the O. Hannah is a dusty black color but every one I have encountered in the wild is brown to golden bronze. Why?
Young adult O. Hannah, common wild coloration
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