Snakes on a Plane..oops...on the living room

[lovinglinux]

I just caught a coral snake on the living room. It is a very small snake (about 15 cm) but I have 8 dogs and a cat, which would certainly die if bitten. Nevertheless, I can't be sure if it is a real coral or a false one.

I'm still shaking from trying to capture it. That was scary.

[PostChache]

Intense! Where I use to live we would find rattlers around our house but never inside. I have a friend from India who found a python in his living room!

[23dornot23d]

Sound dangerous to Humans too .... reading the Wiki

Danger to humans

New World coral snakes possess the most potent venom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_venom) of any North American snake, followed closely by the Mojave rattlesnake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake). A coral snake must only administer 3-5mg of venom to be fatal to the average adult human; the Mojave rattlesnake must inject 10-15mg to be lethal. Most venomous snakes must inject between 75-100mg of venom to be fatal [5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_snake#cite_note-4). However, relatively few bites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_bite) are recorded due to their reclusive nature and the fact they generally inhabit sparsely populated areas. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are an average of only 15-25 coral snake bites nation-wide each year [6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_snake#cite_note-5).

[lovinglinux]

Intense! Where I use to live we would find rattlers around our house but never inside. I have a friend from India who found a python in his living room!

A python? Wow!

There is always spiders in the living room and I have already seen a water snake once in the garage. Additionally, the gardener found a rattler once in the backyard pond, but this is the first time I catch one inside the house.

[lovinglinux]

Sound dangerous to Humans too .... reading the Wiki

Yes, indeed. But considering the size, I don't think it would be fatal to adult humans. It wouldn't be pleasing tho :)

[hhh]

Yes, coral snakes are highly poisonous. They are also fairly unthreatening, as their fangs are in the back of their mouths and require them to gnaw on something a bit to inject their venom.

The only thing they can be confused with in the US is the Arizona king snake. A way to remember which is which is "red with yellow, stay back fellow, yellow with black, poison it will lack" meaning if the red stripe has yellow stripes on either side then it's a coral snake, if the yeloow stripe has black on both sides then it's not.

I used to be way into snakes and I'm going by memory. I'll do a little quick research to make sure I'm right and post right back.

Sorry, the gnawing is apparently not quite true, and the king snake I was thinking of is the scarlet king...
http://www.wf.net/~snake/coral.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_Kingsnake

National Geographic says they do need to gnaw...
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/eastern-coral-snake/

[Frogs Hair]

There is a rhyme about the color bands but it doesn't always apply . http://www.reptilechannel.com/snakes/venomous-snakes/coral-snakes.aspx

[PostChache]

Red and black friend of Jack! Yellow and Red WILL MAKE YOU DEAD!

[lovinglinux]

Yes, coral snakes are highly poisonous. They are also fairly unthreatening, as their fangs are in the back of their mouths and require them to gnaw on something a bit to inject their venom.

The only thing they can be confused with in the US is the Arizona king snake. A way to remember which is which is "red with yellow, stay back fellow, yellow with black, poison it will lack" meaning if the red stripe has yellow stripes on either side then it's a coral snake, if the yeloow stripe has black on both sides then it's not.

I used to be way into snakes and I'm going by memory. I'll do a little quick research to make sure I'm right and post right back.

Indeed, but I remember my Biology teacher saying that there is not that easy to differentiate South American species.

Anyway, considering only the color bands, looks like a fake...but see next post and this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrurus#Mimicry).

[lovinglinux]

It looks like this one (http://www.reptilechannel.com/images/snakes/coral-snake02.jpg), except for the middle black bands which are shorter. I guess that could be due to age tho.

The one from the picture is a Micrurus surinamensis...the real deal.

[hhh]

Do you live in a swamp in Surinam? If not, it's not Micrurus surinamensis...
http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/129470

I was wrong about the back of the jaw fangs, they are just rear facing and not nearly as efficient as the forward facing fangs of rattlers, copperheads and moccasins (responsible for 99% of fatal US snake bites).

It sucks that there isn't better info on snakes in the year 2010, I'm going from the memory of stuff I learned as a child in the '70s and some of the same misinformation is still being quoted by Nat. Geo.

[hhh]

Indeed, but I remember my Biology teacher saying that there is not that easy to differentiate South American species.

Anyway, considering only the color bands, looks like a fake...but see next post and this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrurus#Mimicry).
OK, I was talking North America, where the only other snake that looks like a coral besides the scarlet king is the scarlet snake. -edit- that's wrong too, there is a milk snake that mimics corals too.

Where in S. America are you?

[lovinglinux]

Do you live in a swamp in Surinam? If not, it's not Micrurus surinamensis...
http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/129470

The name doesn't necessarily means it lives only in Surinam, but that was probably first discovered there.

Comparative enzymatic composition of brazilian coral snake (Micrurus) venoms
(http://tinyurl.com/24t2zsr).

Besides, it makes sense to me that it is an aquatic coral snake, because I have a pound and there is a water stream behind it.

[lovinglinux]

Where in S. America are you?

Brazil

[Troublegum]

There is a highly venomous snake in your living room and yet you keep posting on the ubuntuforums?
If this was going to happen to me, I'd freak out, lock the room and call the fire department. But maybe that's something different in Brazil. ;) :)

[hhh]

Probably a False Coral, or maybe a coral. Kill it or let it go, your choice.

Glad you and the pets are OK;^) I love snakes for being the freaks of nature that they are, but I certainly understand why so many people are frightened out of their minds by them. They look otherworldly (and centuries of superstition regarding snakes doesn't help either).

[lovinglinux]

There is a highly venomous snake in your living room and yet you keep posting on the ubuntuforums?
If this was going to happen to me, I'd freak out, lock the room and call the fire department. But maybe that's something different in Brazil. ;) :)

:lolflag:

It is in a jar now, next to my monitor.


Probably a False Coral, or maybe a coral. Kill it or let it go, your choice.

Glad you and the pets are OK;^) I love snakes for being the freaks of nature that they are, but I certainly understand why so many people are frightened out of their minds by them. They look otherworldly (and centuries of superstition regarding snakes doesn't help either).

I'm going to call the Mayor Office tomorrow and ask where to take it.

[Troublegum]

Pheww, I'm glad you're alright. I thought, it was still free in your living room.

@hhh: Oh yeah, I think snakes are really creepy.

[lovinglinux]

Pheww, I'm glad you're alright. I thought, it was still free in your living room.

Oh, no. In that case I would be definitely calling the fire department. Thanks for the concern.

[Troublegum]

You never believe what just happened:

I just made me something for dinner and was about to watch another X-files episode before going to bed. And now what? The episode title is "snakes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751203/)" (in german) and begins with a guy being killed by dozens of snakes in his car. :shock: :mad:

[lovinglinux]

You never believe what just happened:

I just made me something for dinner and was about to watch another X-files episode before going to bed. And now what? The episode title is "snakes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751203/)" (in german) and begins with a guy being killed by dozens of snakes in his car. :shock: :mad:

:lol:

You will never believe that I'm watching X-Files every week, since TerraTV is streaming it. I recently watched S01E13. It's so old... :)

[arashiko28]

Just be sure it doesn't escape overnight and keep your animals away from it.

Thank goodness the only ones found in my country are not poisonous, other wise, I would empirically be negated to live anything lower than a 3rd floor... It crawls!!!

[wojox]

15 cm is 14 and a half cm to big! :eek:

[lovinglinux]

15 cm is 14 and a half cm to big! :eek:

I might have exaggerated a little bit. It is a baby snake. Well, I won't take it out of the jar to measure it :)

[Troublegum]

Baby? Lets hope its mother doesn't come looking for its child.

@lovinglinux. Mulder is so cool. I'm watching season 7 atm. :-)

[wojox]

I might have exaggerated a little bit. It is a baby snake. Well, I won't take it out of the jar to measure it :)

I don't think that's exaggerated. 15 cm equals 6 inches American. Thats not to bad.

When I lived in Florida, all the we had a lot of problems with hurricanes destroying exotic pet shops. So there would be hundreds and hundreds of pythons loose after the shops where leveled. It was a nightmare because the snakes were not indigenous to the state to nothing hunted and preyed upon them and they became quit the nuisance.

Do you have any colleges or serpentariums near by you could maybe sell it to?

[lovinglinux]

Baby? Lets hope its mother doesn't come looking for its child.

I was more worried about her sisters :)


@lovinglinux. Mulder is so cool. I'm watching season 7 atm. :-)

X-Files is really cool. I wish there were shows like that these days, but now is hard to find a show that doesn't involve cops, forensics and corpses. Fringe is really cool tho. I'm wondering how the next season will be.


I don't think that's exaggerated. 15 cm equals 6 inches American. Thats not to bad.

When I lived in Florida, all the we had a lot of problems with hurricanes destroying exotic pet shops. So there would be hundreds and hundreds of pythons loose after the shops where leveled. It was a nightmare because the snakes were not indigenous to the state to nothing hunted and preyed upon them and they became quit the nuisance.

Do you have any colleges or serpentariums near by you could maybe sell it to?

Yes, there is a pet shop nearby, which sells stuff like that. Nevertheless, I think they only sell animals that have an authorized origin. I don't think they would buy a wild snake.

[kaldor]

Just be sure it doesn't escape overnight and keep your animals away from it.

Thank goodness the only ones found in my country are not poisonous, other wise, I would empirically be negated to live anything lower than a 3rd floor... It crawls!!!

Heh, when I was in your country (Bavaro area) we had loads of lizards and a couple of small tarantulas. Nothing poisonous, thank god ;)