When is a giant a "giant"

[red ink]

Just a personal thought question guys...

What do people consider to be giants?

Is it the known species i.e. burms, afrocks, condas or is it a question of size?

[KSTAR]

I Think it's A Question of size....

[Xanafein]

I was Always under the impression it was determined by a species Average size

Wich is why Burms, Retics, Rocks, and Greens are considered Giants

[shaunyboy]

I Think it's A Question of size....

^^^^^
i'll 2nd that

i'm not up on my giant snakes,but in general i don't think scrub pythons are regarded as giants

where i " would " think of them as giants,considering scrubs at 5 meters in length are not uncommon,granted they are not as heavy bodied as giants,but at 15ft imo thats one giant snake


cheers shaun

[Caylan]

^^^^^
i'll 2nd that

i'm not up on my giant snakes,but in general i don't think scrub pythons are regarded as giants

where i " would " think of them as giants,considering scrubs at 5 meters in length are not uncommon,granted they are not as heavy bodied as giants,but at 15ft imo thats one giant snake


cheers shaun

Not to mention, even at a measly 10 feet, they can easily take down and eat a wallaby. Slim build doesn't mean less power, just means compressed power :D

Giant is a term used for something larger then normal, so any snake that is larger then "normal" could be a giant. Is a 7 foot ball python a giant snake? No, but its a giant ball python. I mean why try to classify any group of snakes by size?? Haven't seen anyone try to make a pygmy group, Chameleons have one... Pick on someone your own size :D

[shaunyboy]

i would say scrubby's are more dangerous to a keeper,than the heavy bodied giants

scrubs are fenominally quick and powerfull.....!!!

as percy on here used to say " heat seeking missles with teeth "

fast and powerfull they be :D

cheers shaun

[Caylan]

Snakes aren't dangerous... but yeah, a scrub could easily take a keeper by surprise with its power and speed. Heat seeking I'd believe too, I mean look at their face :D

[Lankyrob]

I take anything that AVERAGES over 10ft in length as a giant but have no idea of the "official" definition.

[shaunyboy]

Snakes aren't dangerous... but yeah, a scrub could easily take a keeper by surprise with its power and speed. Heat seeking I'd believe too, I mean look at their face :D

imo big snakes can be dangerous and should be shown respect at all times

having something like a black headed python,blood python,woma,scrubby or even an adult carpet hanging off your face.....

is dangerous mate

not having a go,i just disagree with your statment that snakes " aren't dangerous "

anything with that power and amount of teeth can do damage,hence the danger = dangerous;)

cheers shaun

[CDN_Blood]

I think it's a question of size also, but I can't agree that snakes aren't dangerous. Some boids are quite dangerous at relatively small sizes. Pound for pound they're stronger than we are, and that makes them a threat. It's how social (or unsocial) they are that lowers (or raises) the danger level. I'm actually shocked to hear someone who works with boids say that snakes aren't dangerous - it shows a lack of understanding and that scares me, lol.

[exwizard]

Is Black Betty a giant?

[CDN_Blood]

I take anything that AVERAGES over 10ft in length as a giant but have no idea of the "official" definition.

I believe the official thought is anything over 7 feet, or at least it used to be the accepted benchmark for being classified as giant...

[Norm66]

When I see people refer to "Giant snakes" it's usually retics, burms, Afrocks and Green annies they mean. A particular boa might be a giant but I don't usually consider BCI or BCC to be giants.

As far as I know it's just an un-official nomenclature so obviously what it means varies from person to person.

[CDN_Blood]

Make no mistake, boas can get BIG. Click here (http://www.mccarthyboas.com/BigSnake.html) if you don't believe it...

[KORBIN5895]

I feel anything bigger than me is pretty freaking big. Just saw a friends 8" bci and that was a lot of snake. I think any snake over 7' is a good standard. My male bci is 5.5' and can be a handful. I can just imagine another two feet on him would make him a real beast.

[StudentoReptile]

I always thought it was any species that can get over 20 ft.

[red ink]

Interesting responses guys...

Seems length is the main consideration, what about girth. I personally think Bloods are a whole lotta snake in one package even if they only avg 5-7 feet.

[shaunyboy]

Make no mistake, boas can get BIG. Click here (http://www.mccarthyboas.com/BigSnake.html) if you don't believe it...

some amazing boa's in that link mate

it really angers me the amount of keepers,that have them round their necks though:unhappy:

if a large snake round your neck gets spooked and constricts,you would be unconcious in seconds ( due to your cartoid arterys being closed):hmm:

imo,it shows those keepers,show NO respect for,or understanding of,the power of their large snakes :no:

cheers shaun:)

[StudentoReptile]

I suppose it could also be determined by how many people it takes to safely handle the snake in question. From what I've gathered over the years, it seems the general consensus that you want one person for every 5 feet of snake, and typically any boid species over 8 (ish) feet in length should require 2 people, or at least have a second person on standby (I say boid since an 8-ft ratsnake likely doesn't need 4 hands!). If the snake is particularly aggressive, then add a person. (or have a person for every 3 ft of snake)

So we could take that (albeit) general formula and say that even the largest specimens of BCI, BCC, Corallus, Morelia, blood pythons, and Aspidites sp. still fall within that "2 person" bracket. I'll admit my experience with all of those species is limited, and I will say that they are all strong, but I can't see it requiring three people to handle a large BCI, and most specimens could probably be handled by a single responsible adult with a "spotter" standing by.

I would say any snake that takes more than two people to handle could reasonably be considered a giant.

[reptile65]

some amazing boa's in that link mate

it really angers me the amount of keepers,that have them round their necks though:unhappy:

if a large snake round your neck gets spooked and constricts,you would be unconcious in seconds ( due to your cartoid arterys being closed):hmm:

imo,it shows those keepers,show NO respect for,or understanding of,the power of their large snakes :no:

cheers shaun:)


I totally agree with you, Shaun. I always hate seeing people put large snakes around their neck. I see it all the time at the expos I go to and I think it really sets a poor example for people who may not know much about snakes. Honestly, I don't even put my corn snakes around my neck. Better safe than sorry...

[shaunyboy]

Interesting responses guys...

Seems length is the main consideration, what about girth. I personally think Bloods are a whole lotta snake in one package even if they only avg 5-7 feet.

^^^^^
thats why i mentioned them in my post on this thread,about snakes " are dangerous "

i take length and power into account,when i deem a snake a giant mate

cheers shaun

[CDN_Blood]

To be fair, some snakes simply don't spook easily, but that's no excuse for being careless with a large boid. If anyone thinks large constrictors don't have the potential to take them down, they're naive and misguided. To forget the potential of a large constrictor at any time during handling is a good way to make the news. One must *always* be aware of their potential because forgetting it could well be the last lesson they learn as things start fading to black.

Bloods are indeed in the Giant category as far as I'm concerned, but in all honesty I think you're a little safer with a Blood than your average Boa constrictor - assuming you actually know what you're doing with either species.

Bloods are typically python in the use of their power (only really using it to flee, defend themselves or to constrict prey), whereas a boa is using a good chunk of it's power simply hanging on to something. Oh sure, they've got more to exert when they need it, as do pythons, but on the whole a boa utilizes more of their power for everything it does, including being handled. Just my opinion :)

[Norm66]

In the end though it really doesn't matter what someone refers to as a giant snake. I don't consider boas or bloods giants per se, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't exercise the utmost caution with either one. It doesn't take a giant to put a hurtin' on you. :)

[UwabamiReptiles]

I've always thought of the "Giants" as the retics, burms, african rocks, and anacondas. With that being said, boas are never thrown in the giant category and some of them get pretty big. I think it mainly depends on the species, as some of you guys know, I have an 8ft carpet and I don't consider her a giant. She's pretty big but not a giant in my eyes. Now a full grown blood is really big to me so I could see where they "could" be giants. I guess I automatically associate a lot of girth with being a giant because it seems a lot of girth = giant. I've never seen a full grown scrub in person but the pics and vids I've seen, those are definitely giants with attitude.

As for the snakes aren't dangerous thing, I don't agree with that but I can see where someone would say that. Once you get comfortable with the animals you work with and figure out how to read them, they usually aren't dangerous. But all snakes absolutely should be respected for what they can potentially do. I personally respect every single snake I have, I don't put them around my neck or even let them near my face for that very reason. Snakes respond to stimuli from what I understand, so one wrong move and that "tame" animal you've had for 10 years could take you out. Bottom line, giant or not, all snakes should be respected. Which in just about every case just comes down to using common sense when working with them.

[UwabamiReptiles]

And we forgot about Olives. They should be considered giants too.

[marvelfreak]

To me a giant is any thing over 10 feet or any snake big of enough to kill you. I have had a 8.5 foot RTB choke me out. Just remember they don't have to be a giant to kill or seriously injury you. And no matter the size no snake ever be underestimated. But in saying that it also depends on the kind of snake. A 8 foot boa is a lot stronger than say a 10 Coastal carpet.

[exwizard]

Under all these definions, would Black Betty be considered a giant?

[Norm66]

Under all these definions, would Black Betty be considered a giant?

Not mine. But she's still a giant Dum.

Like someone said earlier I think it's got more to do with the average of the species rather than exceptional examples within a species.

Nobody would consider humans giants in general, but stand next to an NBA player or an NFL offensive lineman and tell me he's not a giant. You can also look at the forum listings here and see what the forum owners at least consider giants. Bloods, carpets, royals etc. all have their own forum but all the giants are a) pythons and b) lumped in together.

[Xanafein]

I suppose it could also be determined by how many people it takes to safely handle the snake in question. From what I've gathered over the years, it seems the general consensus that you want one person for every 5 feet of snake, and typically any boid species over 8 (ish) feet in length should require 2 people, or at least have a second person on standby (I say boid since an 8-ft ratsnake likely doesn't need 4 hands!). If the snake is particularly aggressive, then add a person. (or have a person for every 3 ft of snake)

So we could take that (albeit) general formula and say that even the largest specimens of BCI, BCC, Corallus, Morelia, blood pythons, and Aspidites sp. still fall within that "2 person" bracket. I'll admit my experience with all of those species is limited, and I will say that they are all strong, but I can't see it requiring three people to handle a large BCI, and most specimens could probably be handled by a single responsible adult with a "spotter" standing by.

I would say any snake that takes more than two people to handle could reasonably be considered a giant.


This Coupled With What I mentioned Earlier about a Species Average Size Seems like the Most Logical Way to determine If a Species Should be classified as a Giant

[KSTAR]

I think Any Big Python Has more then enough potential to be a threat but I've been around plenty of big snakes and they're not all that bad except the snakes that honestly get no type of handling or time out they're enclosures to be socialized or experience human contact

[millertime89]

A giant species IMO is one which averages over 10 ft. So yes, IMO, a Scrub is a giant.
In that same vein a regular snake becomes a "giant" once it tops 10 ft, so I feel that exwizard's Black Betty is a giant. However Dums and BCI/BCC typically don't fit they bill, they have the potential to reach that size.
That said, like someone posted above, its all about reference. A 7 foot BP would be, IMO a "Giant BP".
Completely subjective topic, interesting responses.

[Caylan]

Well risking going back on my word, I will say that everything CAN be dangerous. I just don't find snakes all that dangerous as I feel I have a rather strong grasp on what to do in bite and constrict situations. I find it rather easy to manage a 10' carpet python by myself, even while it has one hand in it's mouth and wrapping up my arm. I usually just get them all settled and then keep working until it lets go and put it back. Dogs are dangerous, cats are dangerous, horses are dangerous, driving is dangerous. I don't find snakes nearly as dangerous as any of these things as I still have scars from everything but a snake bite. As for the danger in a giant snake, I would again be smart enough to have in place to the correct safety precautions and back up plans needed to safely work with them if need be, but that has never been the case and likely never will. So I guess snakes can be considered dangerous, but then I have to say that it is far less dangerous then a lot of other things I work with daily. That's not to say I will become complacent and never exercise precaution when working with snakes, but I don't feel overly threatened by them any more.

[CDN_Blood]

Well risking going back on my word, I will say that everything CAN be dangerous...

Phew! That makes more sense :)

[emmabee]

ok lets really throw the cat among the pigeons!

the "big 5" yeah big in length and that includes scrubbies! coastals also get bloody big if your doing the morelia thing.

i agree its the more heavy bodies of the biggies that are your traditional giant snakes, i mean does anyone thing a 9ft blue beauty is a giant snake? what about a 9ft granite burm? what damage can they do? who is most likely to tag you?

my olive python was 9ft and by and far the most "dangerous" snake i kept at the time, that included 14ft male burms and 7ft female boas, at 9-11ft average these are "giant" snakes but not even on most peoples radar! its all down to personal opinion or worse still popular opinion!

there are loads of "giant" snakes and all snakes should be considered dangerous.

[SnakeyJay]

However by stating that you don't feel snakes are dangerous once you have a grasp on their behaviour you may be right.... But even the most experienced keepers can be caught off guard. So still a danger to experienced people who can read them. Because of the nature of how they react to stimuli the element of danger can never be removed :D