A rare gem - Cryptelytrops macrops

[Will0W783]

*sigh* Some snake-keeping friends know just how to tempt me beyond my limits. I went to the Hamburg PA expo on Saturday, armed with only enough cash to buy frozen feeders and planned on leaving right after I got them. As I was set to leave, a friend of mine asked if I could help him with his table because the guys who promised to work with him hadn't shown up. It was two hours into the show and he looked exhausted, trying to manage 3 tables on his own, so I said I would help. After a few hours, the other guys (also good friends of mine) made it there...they'd gotten stuck behind a bad accident. So we all kept watch on the table together. My friend Darren had brought a few stunning snakes with him, including a hypomelanistic fer-de-lance, a few baby Cryptelytrops venustus, a male V. vogeli (Vogel's viper) and this huge, plump female Cryptelytrops macrops (Big-eyed pit viper). I looked at the big girl, she fixed me with her almost-neon yellow, massive eyes, and I wanted to drool. Gorgeous snake! Darren saw me staring at her, and told me he'd give her to me for half the price listed. It was too good to pass up, so I made a run to the ATM and brought her home. There is a possibility she is gravid as well - she was with a male until 4 months ago and they'd been seen locked up a few times, but he needed more room for a few new projects. She is still eating, but she is heavy for her size and thick. I'm crossing my fingers that babies will come in a few months; it could be up to another 4 months though. Darren plans to send a male down for breeding next year if she doesn't produce this year. She is 6 years old, CBB, from imported parents.
I am torn between Nekra and Hypnota as names for her. I just cant' decide...what do you guys think?


C. macrops are quite rare in the US; this is the first specimen I've seen in the flesh, although I have drooled over pictures of them in the past. Here she is:

At the show (look at those insane eyes!!!):
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121201_111530.jpg


...and at home in her new enclosure (the blue highlights are every bit that vivid in reality):
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121204_205918.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121204_210006.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121204_210408.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121204_211008.jpg

[Gungirl]

Stunning.. I love the look it has in its eyes. :)

[Zoo Nanny]

With those eyes and pose in pics 3 & 4 Hypnota is very appropriate! She is incredible!!

[JustBitten]

Oh wow, she's just gorgeous! Beautiful shape and proportions. I vote Hypnota.

[Lankyrob]

Gorgeous! :)

[Will0W783]

Thanks guys. I couldn't pass up this snake. Darren is happy I have her, since we're close friends. She's definitely feisty....she was eying up the camera in a few of those pictures, trying to decide if she wanted to bite it. I had my gloves on so she couldn't pick up a heat signature from the camera or my hand. She was not thrilled though.

[Missster Snake]

Beautiful snake!!! If she has babies I'll take one off your hands haha
Do you know if he sold the vogels? I've been trying to get my hands on one of those haha

[Aaron_S]

I would call it DIAB....Death In A Bottle. From that first pic.

[DragonsEye]

Absolutely stunning creature!

[Will0W783]

Originally posted by Misster_Snake: Beautiful snake!!! If she has babies I'll take one off your hands haha
Do you know if he sold the vogels? I've been trying to get my hands on one of those haha

Thank you! Any babies I don't send back up to Darren will be up for sale, I'll remember to call you if/when she has them. :) I'm not certified to ship Delta dash though.

The Vogel's is on hold at the moment, but we'll see. :)

[MoreliAddict]

That is a great looking snake..

[aaron_cg]

Insane, those are some intense looking eyes!

[Missster Snake]

Do you know how much he wanted for it? Just curious how much they go for I was offered one 2 years ago for 75 bucks and I hate I passed up on it

[Nikki1984]

Wow wow wow! :blink: Oh how I wish I could keep more than native hots at times like this. I am partial to the name Nekra. Congrats on your new beauty. :)

[alessia55]

Amazing. Your collection keeps getting better and better :yes:

[Will0W783]

Thanks Alessia! :) I wish you were still up here to see them :)

[millertime89]

Awesome snake! I don't suppose you took a picture of the hypo fer-de-lance?

[Will0W783]

Kyle I actually did take a picture of the hypo fer-de-lance. It was gorgeous, but very aggressive from what my friend said.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121201_124637.jpg

[millertime89]

wow, that is amazing! I really need to make it out to Hamburg sometime.

[Will0W783]

You should Kyle. Hamburg is awesome!

[millertime89]

lol, gonna have to fly, I don't think its worth the 18hr drive...

[Will0W783]

Yikes, didn't realize until I looked at your signature that you were in Nebraska....that's quite a hike for you!

[millertime89]

Yikes, didn't realize until I looked at your signature that you were in Nebraska....that's quite a hike for you!

yeah, not the furthest I've driven, but its up there!

[poison123]

wow beautiful snakes. How do you not touch them? lol i would be dead if i owned any venomous snakes.

[Will0W783]

I don't really have the desire to touch them, because I know what the consequences of a bite could be. They also get really upset about being removed from their cages, so I feel badly when I have to get them out to clean.

[Snakeman8]

Name her neknota! A mix of the names!
Thats a cery beautiful, what temerment does she have?

[Will0W783]

She is not terribly snappy, but she has taken a few swings at me. She is alert and cautious, much like all the Cryptelytrops I've worked with. The purple mangrove vipers are insane, but the other species tend to simply be very very alert and follow your every movement.

[shaunyboy]

another gorgeous snake Kimberly.....

i love the eys also the head shape...

just looking at it you can see its a killing machine

cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Thanks Shaunyboy. Actually, there are no reported human fatalities from a macrops bite, although not much is known about them. They are fairly rare snakes in the US, but even in their native lands they cause swelling, bruising, systemic illness, and occasionally mild necrosis (blood blisters and the like) but are not usually fatal. One can have an allergic reaction, or coagulation problem with your blood following a bite and die from even the mildest viper, though, so it's best to always treat them with utmost respect.

[shaunyboy]

Kyle I actually did take a picture of the hypo fer-de-lance. It was gorgeous, but very aggressive from what my friend said.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/20121201_124637.jpg

from the little ive read...

the fer-de-lance is one of the smartest snakes out there,always watching waiting for a keeper to make a mistake,also it's very fast when it comes to both moving around and striking you

i have nothing but respect for hot keepers (the ones that do it correctly)

cheers shaun

p.s.thanks for the macrops info

[Will0W783]

Oh I thought you were talking about the C. macrops Shaun! The fer-de-lance is VERY deadly and dangerous. This particular snake spent a large part of the day striking at people walking past the table..it was nuts.

[EmbraceCalamity]

I'm pretty sure I saw your new snake when I was there. I drooled over it too. :D

~Maggot

[Will0W783]

You might have....she was on the table I was working with my friends for an hour or so before my fiance got back to me that I could get her. Did you see the Vogel's viper (smaller green/blue with red stripe)? I wanted him too!

[rachmangler]

What a heart melter! So gorgeous

[EmbraceCalamity]

You might have....she was on the table I was working with my friends for an hour or so before my fiance got back to me that I could get her. Did you see the Vogel's viper (smaller green/blue with red stripe)? I wanted him too!I walked through the entire place at least three times, so I'm sure I did. XD I'm sure I saw the other viper, but I don't remember well. Were they near each other? I remember seeing two vipers, but not details.

~Maggot

[Will0W783]

Yep, they were both on the table together.

[EmbraceCalamity]

Yep, they were both on the table together.Yeah, I remember them now! I think I got drool on the table. :D

~Maggot

[shaunyboy]

Oh I thought you were talking about the C. macrops Shaun! The fer-de-lance is VERY deadly and dangerous. This particular snake spent a large part of the day striking at people walking past the table..it was nuts.

at first i was talking about the Macrops Kimberly...

then i went on to talk about the fer de lance...

from what ive read on them,they are very dangerous to keep,due to their very high intelligence and the fact that they watch every move the keeper makes (waiting for a mistake,so they can strike)

sorry for the confusion pal

cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

No problem Shauny. Fer de lance are extremely dangerous. They are very alert and toxic.....but then Cryptelytrops watch everything you do too. They are slightly less toxic, but can have a nasty bite and they are very very alert and curious.

[Snakeman8]

its one of the smartest, but the snake that was name the smartest was king cobra.
ive never seen nor head of a hypo fer de lance, its a beautiful snake.

[Will0W783]

King cobras are geniuses as far as snakes are concerned....most of the cobras are highly intelligent but kings take the cake. My monocled is a handful because he is very smart, clever and aggressive. He has figured out the weaknesses of a drop-down door and how to try to bolt out of the corners when I go to feed him. It's time for a new cage....one with sliding doors! He's managed to learn three different feeding strategies and 4 cages' weaknesses. He keeps me on my toes....

[Snakeman8]

you should reinforce the cage with steel.:)

[Will0W783]

He only tries to escape when the door is opened, so I just need to put him in a sliding door cage- those are easier to block with a cage shield.

[limey]

So eye-catching. Those vivid colours. I've been creeping on the venomous forum for a while now and must say Willow, you have some amazing snakes. You must be very proud of your collection.

[Will0W783]

Thanks limey! They are such fascinating creatures.

[limey]

Slightly off topic, I've read quite a few places, including from yourself, about the high intelligence of cobras and how they are able to solve simple puzzles and actively think for themselves.

I recently watched a vid of Al's (viperkeeper) showing one of his red-spitters being not so bright. He actually stated his red spitter was a bit on the silly side and not too clever.

Do you think this may have just been an exception pertaining to that individual or that it's likely red spitters are not as intelligent as some of the other cobra species?

[Will0W783]

Well limey, just like people, snakes have individual personalities. I know the red spitter Al currently has and she's very shy and reclusive....extremely shy, nervous snakes can panic and then appear to do really stupid stuff. I don't personally keep spitting cobras, so I can't attest to the day-to-day interactions with one.

I can say that my personal experience with cobras is that they are intelligent snakes. I've worked with Al's Egyptian cobra, spectacled cobra, and big black spitter. All were very alert, curious animals that seemed to watch my every move. My own cobra, a monocled cobra, is very clever.

Some interesting anecdotes to give people an idea of what dealing with a clever, cantankerous cobra is like:
Cobras are high energy..they like to have things to explore. Every time I put Shelby back in his cage after cleaning it, he goes to the corners and tests their strength and then he goes around sniffing the cage. I usually put in things for him to move about, like big stones, or resin reptile cage decorations, and he'll push them around and sniff them and examine them. I often see him moving the decorations from one side of the cage to another every few days, as if he's bored and "playing" with them.
He has figured out the weaknesses of a drop-down style door. I have learned not to feed on days when he's up close to the glass being active and pushing on the door. If I feed him when he's in one of these hyper moods, he will lunge at the rat like he's going to take it, but feint to the side at the last second, fold over himself and dart out of the door at the other end of the cage. I then have to quickly drop the food, grab my Gentle Giant tongs, and snatch him up before he gets under anything in the room. It's terrifying to say the least.
He also seems to tell the difference between people....he is generally fine when I'm in the room, unless I've had to catch him in the last few days (he displays full hood, snapping and general grouchiness if this has happened), but if my fiance is in the room with me, he freaks out and charges the door, hissing and hooding and lashing his tail.

So I think that, yes, cobras are quite intelligent, but some individuals more so than others. I doubt that red spitters are less intelligent as a species...some just have silly-seeming quirks or habits. I would not consider a cobra a beginner hot for anyone. There are days when I fear that even I, with training and years of working with quick, agile, aggressive non-vens, may have met my match with Shelby. He's a handful and exhausting.

[limey]

Cool response, thanks!