Peruvian Amazon 2 -- Madre Selva Snakes

[moloch]

Here are the snakes that were observed at Madre Selva. Most of these snakes were discovered at night. We usually broke into singles or small groups and then walked the forest trails while scanning the surrounding forest floor and vegetation. In general, snakes were really difficult to find. I only found snakes on every other night but some of the guys were more successful. It always was interesting due to the incredible variety of arthropods. I will have posts of these before long.

Blind Snake (Typhlops sp.)




Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus) -- these varied considerably in colour and pattern. I will have photos of others in the Santa Cruz snake post.








Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria) -- a small juvenile.






Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor)







Rusty Whipsnake (Chironius scurrulus)







Tawny Forest Racer (Dendrophidion dendrophis)





Big-headed Snake-eating Snake (Dipsas indica)









Common Glossy Racer (Drymoluber dichrous)






Banded South American Water Snake (Helicops angulatus)









Spotted Water Snake (Helicops leopardinus)







Common Blunt-headed Treesnake (Imantodes cenchoa)








Common Swamp Snake (Liophus reginae) - These snakes put on a good show when annoyed.











Banded Calico Snake (Oxyrhophus melanogenys)






Amazon Scarlet Snake (Pseudoboa coronata)







Common Liana Snake (Siphlophus cervinus)







Red Vine Snake (Siphlophus compressa)








Short-nosed Leaf-litter Snake (Taeniophallus brevirostris)





Aquatic Coral Snake (Micrurus surinamensis) -- As the name implies, these corals live in the water. They were fish eaters that were fairly common at Madre Selva in the small streams like this:


These streams were full of fish:








South American Lancehead or Fer-de-Lance (Bothrops atrox)
This species was said to be the most common snake at Madre Selva but our group only encountered a few. They certainly blend well with the leaf litter so we may have overlooked others. I was surprised by the speed of the large snake below. When it decided to crawl away, it headed off at high speed, a little like the elapids in Australia.










Regards,
David

[Fooble]

Is the Dipsas indica not SLUG eater snake just a typo?

The Common Blunt-headed Tree snake is beautiful.

Great Photo's!

[moloch]

Oops, it was a typo, Fooble. The name should be Snail-eater or Slug-eater, not "Snake-eater".

Regards,
David

[Jen]

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing. I love the Big headed Slug Eating snake - quite bizarre! The Amazon is first on my list for when I can afford it. Thanks too for the link for the Ecotours - they look great.

[Mongoose]

I love your style of photography - great photos!

[Jen]

About the beautiful Blunt Headed tree Snake - truly beautiful snake. I tried to search for it but besides many photos, I can't find any facts. Is it venomous? Is it available from breeders in SA?

[moloch]

Thanks, Mongoose.

Jen,
The Imantodes are rear-fanged and are mildly venomous. They are active at night and can span considerable distances with their bodies when moving between shrubs. They are lizard eaters.


There is a good book available on the herps of the Peruvian Amazon. It is "Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon, an Ecotourist's Guide" by R.D. Bartlett. Dick was on the tour and he is quite a character!


Regards,
David

[mgiddings]

For me it is incredible to see our cb exotic snakes in the wild. That rainbow boa and amazon tree boa are just so amazing to see in the wild. Then of course seeing the fer-de-lance is of course incredible.

[moloch]

Thanks, mgiddings. I have photos of a gorgeous adult Rainbow Boa that will be included in the Santa Cruz post. Also, more oddly marked Amazon Tree Boas.

Regards,
David

[Boesman]

I love all those pics! But i must say the red vine snake is my favourite.It looks like a morped tiger snake,also love the slug eater what an amazin beastie!

Mind telling us how much the holiday cost and how long you stayed??

Cant wait fot the next post!

[greggo13]

Wow! that is amazing. Great pics!

[moloch]

Thanks, Boseman and Greg.

Boseman,
The cost of the tour was $1200 US for 10 days. This included all food, accommodation, transport, etc. The only thing extra that had to be purchased was beer or soft drinks. Food was good considering the facilities. We ate chicken, fish or various meats (including Paca and Capybara) each night. We also had rice, yuca (manioc) or fried plantinos (cooking bananas) along with beans. Fresh vegies were in short supply but then we were remote and there was no nearby store. Dessert was usually a variety of rainforest fruits most of which I have not seen before.

My friends and I travelled to Iquitos 4 days before the tour. We stayed in a basic but adequate hotel for $10 US/night. We then hired a taxi to take us out to Allpahuayo Mishona Reserve. This reserve is one of the few areas of primary forest that remain near Iquitos. The trees were small due to the white sand substrate. This habitat was very different for birds and we also saw a few herps that were not encountered elsewhere.

Regards,
David

[moloch]

Here is a photo of "Papa Noel" as Dick Bartlett was called.


The woman to his left is Lorrie, one of the owners of Margarita Tours. Left again is a Swiss photographer, Konrad, and his girlfriend.


Regards,
David

[Mitton]

Amazing post, amazing snakes and amazing pictures. I just love that Common Swamp Snake's pose.
Thanks so much for posting this David, looks like any herpers dream vacation.

[snake-5]

Stunning snakes, all look very healthy and well maintained.