[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Looks like a rat snake. Venomous snake are easy to identify, considering there are only 4 major ones in India. If people learn to ID Krait & Vipers, rest is easy. No one will mistake Cobra and King Cobra to be anything else.

Usually for poisonous snakes, one will see the thermal sensing pods (whatever is their common name?) Between their eyes and mouth.

I am subscribed to a YouTube channel Gurukul Edutech, by a couple who are snake catchers. Pretty interesting info on snakes. There are many other similar channels where one could gain such info.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Usually for poisonous snakes, one will see the thermal sensing pods (whatever is their common name?) Between their eyes and mouth.

You mean the pits? Well, that's true in the case of vipers like the Malabar Pit Viper. But can't generalize and say that all venomous snakes have pits. For example, kraits don't and those are venomous. And pythons do have pits, but are not venomous.

Generally the best rule is that if one cannot positively ID a snake, better to assume it's venomous and leave the handling to someone who knows what they are doing.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Looks like a rat snake. Venomous snake are easy to identify, considering there are only 4 major ones in India. If people learn to ID Krait & Vipers, rest is easy. No one will mistake Cobra and King Cobra to be anything else.

Thank you.

I was under the impression that it was a viper from the photo going by the shape of the head and stripes.

I did go through several online pictures but got mistaken still.

Guess some things have to be learnt from experience.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Guess some things have to be learnt from experience.

There are lots of non-venomous snakes in India and it is easy to confuse one for the other especially from small pics. Many times I too get it wrong over photos. When seeing live, it is lot easier to recognize.

Rat snake, Common Kukri & Checked Keelback can appear same from the distance. When you see the behavior live, more accurate ID can be done. For example, Keelback will turn red when agitated, which will remove all doubt. Rat snake can move with lightening speed.

[T.U.P]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Hi Guys,

Would you be able to identify what kinda snake this is?

Attachment 1952123

A fellow enthusiast sent it straight to heaven presuming it was venomous but a little more clarity would help as to prevent any such future altercations with non venomous creepy crawlies.

That is certainly NOT a Rat Snake. Rat Snakes are easily identifiable by the lack of markings on their scales. They are usually brown-very light yellow in color. This appears to be a Lycodon species (Wolf Snake sp) but they are usually smaller in size. If there are more photos that would be great, but the thumb rule with dealing with any snake is simply to leave it alone, keep people and pets away from it, let it go out on its own OR call a professional rescuer (not idiots like Vava Suresh or the TV wranglers, an actual professional).

Also there are a few misconceptions in this thread I think should be cleared:

* Only some species of Vipers have pits. Some non venomous snakes like Rock Pythons have pits too. There is no easy way to declare whether a snake is venomous or not unless you've studied it. Generally, the big 4 (Spectacled Cobra, Russell's Viper, Indian Krait, Saw Scaled Viper) are the only ones you should really watch out for (as an aside, see how the King Cobra isn't on this list? While it may be the longest venomous snake in the world and injects the most amount of venom, it's also one of the shiest snakes we have and almost no fatalities have ever been recorded due to King Cobras).

* The only way to identify snakes is usually to identify markings on the body and/or to observe the scalation. Even looking at a snake's shed skin won't help sometimes because colubrid snakes like Cobras will have similar scales. You may have to look at the dorsal scales (scales on top), for instance, to be able to differentiate.

BIG disclaimer: I am very much not an expert but have worked with some in my line of work/have assisted people in rescues, etc.

[sparky@home]

A biker travels with a snake inside his helmet, he probably needs counseling to get over the shock!!! https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news...lmet-1.4505908

[BenjiRoss]

With the lockdown, vehicles are left unattended. As per the news item, a cobra was found in the headlight/handlebar of this scooter.

https://youtu.be/6q1bRdigLsk

News link: https://gaadiwaadi.com/heres-why-you...very-ride/amp/

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

With the lockdown, vehicles are left unattended. As per the news item, a cobra was found in the headlight/handlebar of this scooter.


News link: https://gaadiwaadi.com/heres-why-you...very-ride/amp/

For some reason, I thought the snake looked absolutely majestic in the way it reared up its hood in an instant. Dangerous, yes, but a brilliant creation of nature, nevertheless! We have had the occasional snakes, but also all sorts of mongooses, civets roaming around in our society. But the point is well taken- animals will definitely take over their (once natural) habitat, if this lockdown process continues for a few weeks more.

[Aiel]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

With the lockdown, vehicles are left unattended. As per the news item, a cobra was found in the headlight/handlebar of this scooter.

News link: https://gaadiwaadi.com/heres-why-you...very-ride/amp/

One of the advantages of having Rear View Mirrors (RVMs) on your two wheelers - one less place for snakes to hide.

[arijitkanrar]

This was a while back.
Saw this snake in our apartment ground floor.
Can someone help me identify it?

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by arijitkanrar

Can someone help me identify it?

I really hope this snake was not harmed by anybody. Looks like a Checkered Keelback, which a a nonvenomous species.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkered_keelback

[BenjiRoss]

More snake stories coming in after lockdown as the reptiles seem to wander into human habitation areas more.
1. This 2 meter rat snake (?) was seen in an ATM in UP. It probably made its home there. It was rescued and released apparently.

https://youtu.be/N386Rj-sTc0

2. The second video I received is quite squeamish and I'll post a link to the video rather than the video itself. I was saddened by this.
A drunk person became angry when a snake came in front of his bike and ended up biting it to pieces. The video is disturbing.
Link: http://www.thewiseherb.com/angry-dru...ssed-his-path/

[supremeBaleno]

A friend shared this photo of a snake from his farm near Gudiyatham (TN). He says it was a 12 feet long Cobra, but I do not think cobras grow that long. And it is not exactly King Cobra territory. Possibly a full grown rat snake ?


There is a video of it too, but unable to upload from the Tbhp phone app.

[shashant]

sorry for blur picture. can somebody help to identify this.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by shashant

sorry for blur picture. can somebody help to identify this.

The flared head means this is a Cobra, probably a baby one and is just around 3 ft long (considering the size of the plants). Baby Cobras also have the flared head, when agitated. Stay clear of this snake and if it is spotted again, please call professional help to have it captured and released to the wild.


There is a good animal rescuer in Delhi by the name of Aakash Vimal - His Insta handle is @wildly_indian and he also has a Youtube channel "wildy Indian"
You can connect with him if you spot the snake again. In the meanwhile, please avoid going in the dark in that area as stepping on the snake could be dangerous.