View Full Version : Table mountain herp ID please
I thought this might be a good place to put this picture a friend has given me. Some time ago he and his mum I think it was, were on Table mountain in Africa. This snake was sighted right next to them and he initiated the `ol skidaddle manuvere lol Got away from it quick smart but managed to take a picture of it disappearing into the grass. He`s always wondered whether it was dangerous or not. Obviously if you don`t know what it is, treat it as deadly anyway, he did the right thing. Can anyone ID the snake from this image? Looks like a lovely bit od orange/brown on the flank there and black spots! Shouldn`t be too difficult I wouldn`t have thought. What do you guys think?
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/feebix/IANSsnake-Copy.jpg
Looks like a Harliquin snake to me, what do you think?
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk294/feebix/spotted-harlequin-snake-tna.jpg
percey39
10-05-10, 07:43 AM
I am not that familiar with this species. It does look like it could be a spotted or striped harlequin snake ( Homoroselaps dorsalis ) though. They are a pretty unique looking species. Would of been easier had there been a photo of the entire body. If it is this species their venom is not too bad to humans and is not classed as being deadly, still better not to play with a snake you cant ID!
Yeah too right! In Africa too. It does look like it`s a match but there are plenty of snakes that imitate others and such, thought I`d post it and see what you guys think...
percey39
10-05-10, 08:11 AM
Yeah only play when you know what they are, otherwise look from afar. Your not wrong about africa lol many species to knock you down over there!
Yeah right! One of my favourites too, the Gaboon :) Cor I`d LURVE one of those! Not a bloody chance though. The most venomous thing I`ll ever have will be Mangroves or FWC`s I`ve got enough problems without putting myself in that sort of danger lol :)
percey39
10-05-10, 06:58 PM
Dont get me started, i would kill for a gaboon lol. One day i will get one i swear, just waiting for our laws to change ( might be a while )
Will0W783
10-06-10, 12:37 PM
I agree with you, Feebs! I LOVE gabbys and cobras but will content myself with FWCs and cat-eyed snakes. I get tagged all the time by my non-vens, so I imagine I'd get nailed pretty quickly by a deadly bugger, and all it takes is that one time....
SnakeyJay
10-06-10, 12:39 PM
yeah the thought crossed my mind aswell to keem a ven in the future... self preservation won haha
Too right, you`ve only got to look at photos of what they can do to you to realise it`s just not worth it in the slightest....
percey39
10-06-10, 07:08 PM
Venomous snakes are extremely rewarding to keep and are very interesting as well. As long as proper care is taken bites are unlikely, but in saying that you cant ever gaurantee. It would be worse for you guy's in the states as i heard it can cost well into the high tens of thousands for treatment. If we ever go to a system like that here im sure many would stop keeping them, i know i would have to contemplate downsizing my collection.
SnakeyJay
10-10-10, 09:40 AM
over here it would be free treatment if i was bitten....nhs and all that... but knowing my luck there wouldnt be the right antivenin....
That and you`d survive the bite and then die from legionares disease in the showers. I would have been double scared to death if I would have had to have my spinal surgery done on the NHS. Luckily for me they wanted me to wait a year and a half in howling agony before they could fit me in. It cost me ten grand to go private but it was clean and the food was lovely. Very much unlike the NHS. Eeeeergh every time I have to go to the hospital and they`re doing dinner, it`s enough to make me feel even sicker than normal. It smells like that nasty mashed potato you used to get at school! I have no idea how to make potato smell that bad! Who knows what they do to it. Gross.
Reptile_Reptile
10-11-10, 09:07 AM
what is nhs?
Lankyrob
10-11-10, 12:11 PM
National Health Service - all tax payers pay a little into a fund and then everyone gets free treatment when required. Have had three operations and numerous visits on the NHS in the last 4 years - no issues at all. Always nice and clean, food a little bland but filling enough and great nursing staff, tho some of the doctors are a little bit non communicative sometimes.
kenchenzo
10-11-10, 01:12 PM
gaboon i know where one has been rescued.
was brought in from germany as you can buy anything you want over there.
SnakeyJay
10-11-10, 03:01 PM
a little bit non communicative.. hahaha i love that! i think 95 % of the individual workers do an amazing job and i show them all respect... but the way its run is a shambles lol... anyway thts well off subject... whats everyones favourite venomous reptile (not limited to snakes)?? or has this been done recently ?! lol
MacAdder
11-09-10, 01:46 PM
Spotted Harlequin Snake / Gevlekte Kousbandjie
SCARCE HOME (http://academic.sun.ac.za/capeherp/cederberg/snakesspottedharlequin.htm)
shaunyboy
11-09-10, 02:24 PM
National Health Service - all tax payers pay a little into a fund and then everyone gets free treatment when required. Have had three operations and numerous visits on the NHS in the last 4 years - no issues at all. Always nice and clean, food a little bland but filling enough and great nursing staff, tho some of the doctors are a little bit non communicative sometimes.
i was lucky when i got my leg rebuilt,i was in for weeks on end a few times but never caught any of the crazy diseases.
there have been a lot of hygene issues up in scotland
people have went into hospital for minor operations only to catch a terminal disease due to unclean hospitals.
there was a whole ward closed due to it at one point
this is what happens when the government scrimps on cleaning and puts it out for tender to private corner cutting money saving buisnesses
apart from the hygene issues its usually nhs surgeons who perform the operations at private ones feebs
my surgeon was mr brian dean the one time orthopedic director for scotland
2 surgeons wanted to amputate but this man saw it as a challenge and im glad to say he one said challenge.
glad to hear you got your operation feebs,hopefully the pains a lot better now mate
cheers shaun
dragunov.762
11-09-10, 02:48 PM
sorry a little slow on the up take on this one but in the states it cost ten grand for them to pull a splinter all most, ok it isn't that bad yet but my Grandpa had back surgery that cost into the 80 grand range so 10 isn't too bad in my opinion. hope all went well and your back heals up nicely.
I`m sorry to say it didn`t. I was left a chronic pain sufferer and I`m in broken bone type pain constantly. There`s enough morphine in my medicine cabinet to drop an elephant. If someone were to have told me when I was younger that I was going to end up like this I`d have been terrified, I`d have predicted I`d fall apart mentally but that didn`t happen. When there aren`t any other options it`s surprising how you learn to cope. All things considered I`m happier now that I`ve ever been in my life :) I have a lovely wife, somewhere to live and a room full of snakes :)
shaunyboy
11-10-10, 09:35 AM
I`m sorry to say it didn`t. I was left a chronic pain sufferer and I`m in broken bone type pain constantly. There`s enough morphine in my medicine cabinet to drop an elephant. If someone were to have told me when I was younger that I was going to end up like this I`d have been terrified, I`d have predicted I`d fall apart mentally but that didn`t happen. When there aren`t any other options it`s surprising how you learn to cope. All things considered I`m happier now that I`ve ever been in my life :) I have a lovely wife, somewhere to live and a room full of snakes :)
imo believe it or not mate the pain helps the rest of you deal with the morphine
its too busy helping fight it that it dont seem to affect us the same way as a person abusing morphine that has no pain
sorry to hear your still in pain mate,the back is a complicated thing for doctors to manage the pain in.
im so glad the rest of your lifes going well though.
cheers shaun
Cheers :) The difference between someone like myself and an addict is basically mental dependance. That`s it. I only ever take the stuff to ease my pain a little, albeit about every two hours. An addicts whole life will revolve around getting the next hit and not being able to cope with life without it. It is possible for someone in my situation to become addicted, IF they start to "play" with thier medication and take it for the wrong reasons. I and many like me, easily avoid addiction by using the drugs I take professionally :)
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