Please help identify snake, thanks

Please help identify snake, thanks

Postby Zippyzoo » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:45 pm

Hi all,

My first visit to this site, and mainly cause I'm part of a hiking group and we like to identify all the things we come across while hiking. We found this snake recently and wondered if it's a night adder or perhaps a juvenile puffadder. Any and all help is hugely appreciated. Thanks to all in advance.

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Postby Zippyzoo » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:46 pm

Perhaps I should mention that it was found in the Eastern Cape.
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Postby Pezulu » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:52 pm

That looks like a Snout Nosed Night Adder CAUSUS DEFILIPPII
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Postby damiensharjah » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:01 pm

Hi there

It looks like a night adder. I couldn't open the link, but the thumbnail seem clear enough. It's venomous and will certainly teach you a painful lesson should it bite you, but these snakes are generally verly placid and laid back.

Nice find!
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Postby Zippyzoo » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:09 pm

Wow, that was fast. Thanks, that's great. I'll go back and tell the group. It was quite a feisty little snake, but slithered away quickly out of the way as we walked past. We're kind to nature and try to disturb them as little as possible.

Is there a better image hosting site that I should use to display the pic a bit bigger ?

And question 3 since you guys are so amazingly fast and helpful, can you recommend a good snake identification book, with good pictures that I can buy ?

Thanks again, I'll definitely make use of these forums again. Actually I have a gecko image that I'm sure you would be able to identify as well.
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Postby Pezulu » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:13 pm

Johan Marais - Snakes and snake bite in Southern Africa
Bill Branch - Field Guide to Snakes and otehr Reptiles of Southern Africa
Sasol Series - Pocket guide to snakes in South Africa
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Postby Pezulu » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:16 pm

You can upload images to photobucket:

www.photobucket.com
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Postby froot » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:27 pm

Welcome Zippyzoo, we also have our own resident image hosting.

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/gallery/
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Postby alli1 » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:40 pm

a snouted night adder to me i breed 23 of them and sold them all ! :D !!
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Postby Pythonodipsas » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:47 pm

Snouted night adders do not occur in the Eastern Cape.
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Postby Zippyzoo » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:47 pm

Thanks Pezulu, I'll check kalahari.net for them and spend some ebucks :) You guys have been a great help.

Ok, I now have my own Album, THANK YOU froot! I am impressed.

Here's a larger image:

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/gallery/displayimage-5324.html

Image
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Postby damiensharjah » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:53 pm

Pythonodipsas wrote:Snouted night adders do not occur in the Eastern Cape.


Yip. I thought it was a baby rhombic. It is very short and fat though??? Had snouties in Hoedspruit and bred them. Eish Long time ago now , and memory failing:( .

How big was the snake? I'll stick with a hatchling or juvie rhombic for now.
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Postby Zippyzoo » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:59 pm

I'd say about maybe 20 cm, quite a small snake, which is why we thought it might be a baby. That's the tip of a hiking pole in the pic, to give some size, it was too fast to actually add a coin or something to give a better size comparison.
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Postby BushSnake » Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:02 pm

I'll also go with a rhombic night adder...or a baby berg adder (just to be different :) ) At least the latter occurs there!
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Postby Pezulu » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:17 pm

From the small pic, and the colouration, it certainly looked like a snouty.
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