Venomous Snakes of Udon Thani

[LoongLee]

Gents,,,,, I'll be the first to admit,,, I much prefered the old style bungalow up on stilts/pilings over the new modern ground level houses. The time I lived in Takhli was an eye opener,,, there were snakes everywhere; regular and individual cobras, banded Kraits, Russells pit vipers, pythons (big ones!). It even made me leery of visiting dark bars (imagine that). A girl was bitten by a cobra one night in a bar, it was under the table where people were sitting. In Udon back in 1974 or so, a large cobra came under the door and cornered about 10 of my buddies in a small shed until someone made a "new" door in the side wall. Guys would find them in the outdoor latrines all the time. IMHO, the best solution is to try and keep any and all types of mice and rats away, the snakes follow them.

[aznyron]

maybe it a good idea to keep a CO/2 container handy and freeze the SOB if they get in the house
as for keeping pets out side I would assume dogs and cats make a nice meal for a large snake
so like L/L said keep those varmints away they are a food chain for snakes but the question
is how ?

[Michael C]

is that the snake venom or the antivenin? - is it the medication that can kill you?

That was both- the snake venom often kills people from an allergic reaction AND the antivenin can kill people from an allergic reaction. People that are not immediately allergic to antivenin usually become allergic if they are treated multiple times (over time, multiple bite incidents, not from an initial bite incident). These same people also become increasingly allergic to snake venom also. There are exceptions to this, but they are very rare.

[LoongLee]

Aznyron,,,, that sounds like a great idea to keep a good-sized co2 fire extinguisher handy. Be a good idea even without the snake issue, huh?

[LoongLee]

Gents,, another war story I just remembered. Also happened at Takhli. A Security forces cop (dog handler) that I knew told me about the only time his k9 was scared. One night out on the perimeter a huge individual cobra continuosly tracked him and his dog until he called in and got picked up. He said that dog (big German Shepherd) was scared out of his skin, the cobra kept tracking them and raising up out of the grass to look at them. He said the snake "stood" about 4 or 5 feet tall. Had to be because the grass was that tall. Back then an individual cobra had the reputation among the GI's as being the most aggressive.

[beer monkey]

Should of traded that German Shepard For A Mongoose.

[aznyron]

L/L yes it would be good to keep a co/2 extinguisher handy not just for a small fire or a snake but you can make warm beer cold in a few seconds LOL old navy trick just stand them in the corner and cover them with CO/2 bingo you got ice cold beer any way getting back to snakes I saw a long SOB down in pattaya
one day while riding my M/B and I stopped sudden & was ready to make a U turn but it continued on into the brush and disappeared I am no snake expert but if I was to guess I would say it was a python to long to be cobra and python are non poisonous snake but it still could kill a grown man by strangulation

[aznyron]

B/M mongoose can kill snakes but what about python or boa constricta or a large cobra some get pretty big

[Michael C]

and kraits are active during the day, had to kill one cutting across front lawn with kids playing near blocks. along with a cobra or 2.

Kraits NEVER come out during the day unless they are physically removed from their hide. Daylight completely disorients them and they will not do anything when forced into daylight with the exception of seeking a dark place to retreat to. I have come across all of Thailand's species in the field and those that have decades studying Thailand herpetofauna will tell you the same. If you look at the pictures in this thread, their heads are in a downward position and it was difficult to get good pictures of them, because they were trying to bury their heads or go underground. If you see a banded snake active during the day, IT IS NOT A KRAIT. Lycodon, Dinodon, and Dryocalamus are just some of the genera of completely harmless snakes in Thailand that have multiple species that are banded. By no means is every banded snake a krait and there are also many species that will flatten out their necks (like the Rhabdophis subminiatus pictured) to make themselves appear like a cobra.

LoongLee, Ophiophagus hannah (individual Cobra) is actually a very shy snake and usually goes out of its way to avoid human confrontation. The only exception is when they are defending their nest; they are the only snake that actually builds a nest. Raising and hooding by all cobras is a defensive gesture, it puts the cobra at a terrible disadvantage in striking speed, its ability to defend itself and its ability to move rapidly, since up to 1/3 of its body is being raised off of the ground.

Aznyron, that happened in Central or South America. The mongoose was introduced in banana plantations to rid them of venomous snakes. The boa constrictors ate them.

[LoongLee]

Yeah,,Aznyron,, some of the guys that worked out on the flight line would use the aircraft LOX bottles for the same thing,,, worked like a charm.

Re the python,,, I know some people won't believe me but a blue Air Force bus taking us into Nakhon Phanom from the base ran over a python one day. The Thai driver just laughed. Didn't even faze the snake. We looked out the back window and that snake stretched from the klong ditch on one side of the road, across 2 lanes, and down into the klong ditch on the other side. It sure was quiet on that bus for the rest of the ride......

[beer monkey]

Any Boa's In Udon..?

[old-timer]

Aznyron, that happened in Central or South America. The mongoose was introduced in banana plantations to rid them of venomous snakes. The boa constrictors ate them.

nearly fell off my chair again, funniest thing today......

[laphanphon]

Kraits NEVER come out during the day unless they are physically removed from their hide.

it was definitely disoriented after i banged it with a hoe a couple times. it was cutting across open yard with kids playing near my cinder block pile. farily easy to see, the stripes give it away. 'never say never' why it was, i don't know, but it never will again. something may have disturbed it, but it wasn't the kids and it definitely had a mission, wasn't lost or disoriented, originally. they are a bit slow moving though, or maybe was just have a bad day before have a worst day after trespassing.

[LoongLee]

MikeyC ,,, the only thing I can figure is maybe the cobra was defending it's nest and it was the middle of the night. But the Cop told me it kept following him and the dog and everytime he stopped and shown his flashlight back the snake would rise up and go down and continue to follow them. I do know the guy did everything possible to get off perimeter duty after that ,,,

[Michael C]

Any Boa's In Udon..?

No boas in Asia, but there are two species of Python that can be found in Udon Thani.

[cali4995]

Laphanphon a.k.a. "snake-killer". Could probably make some money moonlighting at this,
If I see a snake I'm running like a sissy and call one of you guys to come deal with it.

[farang]

bit off topic , but...

can you tell me what this snake is? have lot of them in garden( and much bigger ones) in koh samui

thanks

[udonploi]

oho looks very creepy.Where abouts are you on Samui? because I lived there and plan to go back and buy a house in Plai Leam [ near big bhudda] .....

[beer monkey]

Jeeesussss thats one skinny snake... , looks as if you could snap bits off of it....think i could handle that one.

And nice thread Micheal, very informative and interesting.

but there are two species of Python that can be found in Udon Thani.

What lengths would they grow to..?

[rick]

Biggest snake i ever handled was a 30 foot python. The herpetologist took the head end, i took the tail (he was the expert!), we stretched it out in the lab to measure it. i remember the lab directors secretary looked out of her office to see what was happening, shrieked, slammed her door and blockaded it with a desk for an hour!

Sounds big but this was a very thin species, never more than 6 inches thick.