brown and cream snake is it poisoness

johnty


Joined: 03/06/2008
Posts: 257

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 17:22

help anybody know if it a good one or bad one

Whistler


Joined: 28/07/2008
Posts: 1332

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 17:34

Not sure, but I think bad. Anyone?

bazilbrush


Joined: 29/03/2008
Posts: 404

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 17:34

Its a bad one, really unless its black best steer clear.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 17:35

johnty. Sounds like it might be a local viper (they're light brown with cream undertones). If so, then it would be poisonous but not deadly, except to a very small child, sick person or an animal that wasn't treated immediately. Can you describe it in more detail? Length, approx. width, specific markings etc., or better still, post a photo of it on the forum?

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 17:56

Please don't kill a snake unless you can positively identify its species!



Your snake could well be the rare and endangered Cyprus Grass snake - see link:



http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl= http://www.agrino.org/fishing/photos/natrix/grass%2520snake%2520normal.jpg&imgrefurl= http://www.agrino.org/fishing/htmldocs/grass_snake.html&h=525&w=652&sz=139&tbnid=KDUkg7n-pUURDM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcyprus%2Bsnakes&usg=__cE6jOIRJqt6DOVgIWmztJYRVWZs=&ei=mlfxS-6XLczz-QahivzMCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=7&ct=image&ved=0CBoQ9QEwBg

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:01

Sorry!



Try this link:



http://www.agrino.org/fishing/photos/natrix/grass%20snake%20normal.jpg

Ailletoo


Joined: 24/01/2009
Posts: 1003

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:02

Not poisonous as far as I know. but I believe it can spell!!!! Smile.. shaka. shaka

johnty


Joined: 03/06/2008
Posts: 257

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:14

swannee7 just as you described. didn't hang around. went back down the hollow of my olive tree.need to do something to get rid

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:30

If it is long and thin with a small head and fast moving it is probably a Coin Snake which is often mistaken for the Blunt Nose Viper. The Coin Snake has very distinctive black spots the size of a coin on it's back and they frequent trees, walls and rock piles. Vipers are slow moving and with a broad triangular head - they are quite thick in the body and rarely climb.

Remember that ALL snakes are protected.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:34

johnty (8). Please 'don't get rid'. And now you know where it is or at least where it last holed up, you can steer clear of the tree. No snakes come chasing after you! Also, having again read up on snakes in Cyprus, I don't think its likely to be a viper as the really poisonous one is quite a big fella and most vipers prefer rocky ground, not hollows in olive trees! To get in and out of that hollow it would have been a more agile snake and longer than a viper. Guess we'll never know now! Just let it be and it should disappear of its own accord as it moves on. Remember - the snake would have been as alarmed as you were! All the best.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:39

Well said, Jovial John (9). I suspected the Coin snake (can often be mistaken for the blunt nosed viper) but its impossible to say.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:53

"Remember that ALL snakes are protected"



Absolutely, the glib way some folk talk of dispatching the local snakes without a by or leave is quite shameful...



The snake will leave you alone if you leave it alone... However get a photo and post it on FlickR and post the link here and you will soon find out for definite which variety it is. Then it's not impossible to say.



Even if it is a Blunt-nose Viper you should not kill it. It is protected by law.

Jovial_John


Joined: 31/01/2009
Posts: 1024

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 18:55

This business of snakes comes up so often maybe some enterprising person could design a definitive guide with pictures of the Cyprus snakes. It could be posted as a sticky for 1 month and then archived somewhere on the North Cyprus Guide as a permanent reference. I don't have the technical skills to do this but I will happily do the research and provide pictures, descriptions etc.

Any volunteers????

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 19:24

Jovial John (13). Are you prepared to include a guide to Cyprus arachnids as well ?? Those 2 species crop up on the forum time & again (especially the tarantulas) ! Have always loved the subject of wildlife of any kind but regret I can't offer any assistance with your project. Great idea though.

laptagal


Joined: 28/05/2008
Posts: 549

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 20:00

Hi Jovial John - what a fantastic idea. We had a snake in the garden last year and, although by the discription in a book I have, it sounded like an Coin Snake, we couldn't be sure. Would have been really good to have seen a photo. We did not have the presence of mind to take one ourselves.

cyprusairsoft



Joined: 22/06/2009
Posts: 2066

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 20:50

let it bite you if you drop dead its a viper if you dont dont worry

cyprusairsoft



Joined: 22/06/2009
Posts: 2066

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 20:52

http://letterfromlarnaca.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/bluntnosedviper.jpg



this is the baby to avoid

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 21:02

You didn't answer a 'yes' or 'no' when I posted a link containing the picture of the snake you described.



Please don't kill it until you have positively identified its species.



Since it'll be more scared of you than you are of it, don't worry it won't chase you, or stalk you!



Please give the poor thing the benefit of YOUR doubt!

batterboy58



Joined: 20/04/2008
Posts: 442

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 21:49

As per Jovial John's suggestion, this link may be useful and could save a lot of work if it were to be placed on a sticky as is.

http://essentialcyprus.com/snakes-north-cyprus/



John

johnty


Joined: 03/06/2008
Posts: 257

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 22:58

having looked at the various snakes on that fab link i think it is a cain snake

mollycorbin


Joined: 12/03/2010
Posts: 390

Message Posted:
17/05/2010 23:57

I would crap my pants if I saw a snake in my garden. Is there somebody or a service that I call who would come and catch it and release it somewhere else? I would like to keep this number on the fridge. Thanks.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 00:46

Batterboy: What a great link. Thanks for that and your suggestion that it be placed as a sticky in its current format. There you go, Jovial John. Job done!



Johnty: Glad you feel you can now recognise 'your' snake & hope you're feeling more relaxed about it all.

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 01:01

mollycorbin. I don't think there's anybody or a service available to catch/release snakes in N.Cyprus but I'm happy to be proved wrong. Down South there's a foreigner called 'Snake George' who's the expert in his field and knows how to catch them properly as well as being a walking encyclopedia on reptiles, spiders and snakes in Cyprus. All the local ethnic groups (GC & TC) are terrified of snakes (mainly) and wouldn't touch one with a barge pole - except to kill it. All snakes are meant to be killed in their view. 'Snake George' has done a fair bit to educate the GC in his area and make them more aware of the importance of conservation wherever possible. Don't think this has happened yet in the TRNC, though individuals try their best.

mollycorbin


Joined: 12/03/2010
Posts: 390

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 01:23

That's unfortunate. I honestly don't know what I would do. I found a tarantula in the house the other day and I surprised myself by not being terrified of it. Just gently swept it out of the house. Later when I pondered why I was not scared, I credited Steve Irwin. Then again, why would I still be terrified of snakes? Oh well. Off to bed and I'm sure a few nightmares now!

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 07:19

Snakes are an important part of the balance between vermin and other wild life... Snakes kill the tree rats and other vermin. Kill the snakes and the balance is upset and you'll be overrun with other things you don't want.

Hilltop



Joined: 28/04/2008
Posts: 636

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 07:26

The balance was upset when the black snake was introduced in an attempt to control native species. We should let nature get on with it (within reason).

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 08:31

Hilltop you are right,



The introduction of alien species is a criminal act in my opinion... nowadays I think the world ought to be a bit wiser. The fact that the Blunt-nose viper is now a protected species tells us they were wrong to do it...



Will man ever learn that he can't alter the balance of nature in this way without some adverse effect?

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 13:05

Msge.26 & 27 The introduction of cane toads in Oz is another example where the balance of Nature has gone haywire.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 13:08

It's a 'village fantasy' that the Black 'Whip Snake' gobbles the other 'nasties'!



In our garden we had a 'Blackie' - used to put bread & milk out for it - it luvved it!



But we also had a nest of 'Bull Nosed Pit Vipers' - 'Blackie', although 10 feet long/3 metres, didn't want to know - neither did he of the 'Montpeliers', which abounded!

Hilltop



Joined: 28/04/2008
Posts: 636

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 13:12

That's what happens when you spoil a snake. It goes soft. Bread and milk indeed!!

MartinM


Joined: 03/10/2009
Posts: 166

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 14:38

Re Tenakoutou



"Please don't kill it until you have positively identified its species."



DON'T KILL IT AT ALL!!!!!



What nonsense Tenakoutou.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 17:48

I agree, 'don't kill it at all', but on Msg 8, he says he wants to 'get rid' - that can be taken several ways!



I'm sorry, but our builder (in Paphos) got bitten on his thigh by a 'Fina'/Blunt-nosed pit viper - my neighbour drove him to hospital and he got the anti-serum in time, but told me, 2 years later, he still had excruciating pain.



These snakes favourite 'dish', when they can get it, is the Cyprus hare - scrawny as they are! The snake coils itself up like a steel spring and can launch itself several feet at its victim/prey - that's what happened to our builder.



My neighbours had their grandchildren staying in the summer - the 'Fina's' had a nest in the dry-stone wall dividing our properties. Sorry to upset you, but we managed to kill the whole nest of the so & so's. Anyone would be a fool not to do the same - what, your wife, children - or this deadly poisonous snake?



Our black, 'Whip Snake', was like the family pet - not scared of us at all - no need!

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 17:53

Cont'd: In fact, it would lay basking in front of us. It was excellent at catching Carob Rats - it's grab one, coil itself up in our full view and swallow the rat, which (rather disconcertingly) was screaming all the way down as the peristalsis 'sucked' it further and further down!

jimchris09


Joined: 13/02/2009
Posts: 547

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 18:07

So...the buider was scrawny with big ears and feet was he?

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 18:25

jimchris09/Msg 34:



I wrote 'Whip Snake' - not a bloody Anaconda, mate!

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 18:36

Jimchris09 (34) Oooh, you are awful - but I like it!



Tenakoutou (32) very interesting stories. If that 'nest of vipers' was really THAT close to your family home and as those particular snakes apparently 'launch themselves' at their prey, I suppose you felt you had no alternative other than to destroy them. But I have a feeling your poor Greek builder may have embellished his account - just a little. I would suggest the truth of the matter is he accidentally disturbed the snake in its resting place and it swiftly struck out in self-defence. All snake 'strikes' are fast as they propel their bodies forward, but that's not quite the same thing as launching themselves into the air by quite a few feet before sinking their fangs into a hapless victim!

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 18:42

There are a few snakes lurking opposite the Girne PO but they tend to launch themselves and sink their fangs into bank accounts of hapless victims!



Richard

marcosthechef



Joined: 30/11/2009
Posts: 646

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 19:11

2 weeks ago i came across a very large (1.25m) Adder basking in the sun on the track to my house, very dangerous and in attact mode when my van drove near it, it is known as the death snake to locals, but will only attack if threatened, put the willys up me tho (no pun intended Hoops).

If you come across a snake. leave it alone, unless its in your house !!!!

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 22:11

We had 3 cats but regrettably 1 killed by a snake in the garden. The other 2, over a period of 5 years, have brought into the house perhaps half a dozen snakes the largest being 3 ft or so. The largest had a fight with my cat underneath a futon next to which I was sat despatching e mails. Managed to separate them and pull the snake by the tail from the fold in the futon into a pail and cover it. After experiences in Guyana and Belize have learned how to remove snakes without harm to all (so far!) but admit my arse still squeaks. My Wildebeest (bless her) is terrified by them and when I tell her the only one to worry about is my "one eyed trouser snake" I am always turned flacid by the inevitable reply "that one has been benign for years". Seriously, I believe the best reaction to their presence is to leave the area but if they need to be removed do it carefully using something like a long broom, bucket and lid, acting delicately. A diploma in tap dancing also helpful !

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
18/05/2010 22:31

swanee7/Msg 36:



Our Greek builder was 'as honest as the day's long' - I knew him for 22 years. He had stacked up a load of concrete block ready to build our neighbour's garage, but was not able to start (with agreement from the neighbour) until the following year. Of course he accidentally uncovered the snake as he was down to removing the last few blocks. Nevertheless, the snake launched itself at him - probably it felt threatened, surprised, or cornered. So, that's what happened and if you don't believe me - your choice!



The area where we lived has the only permanently running river, the 'Diarizos', in Cyprus and is known to be seething with every type of snake. We used to go down to the river to pick the Cyprus wild asparagus and had to be extremely careful!

swannee7


Joined: 21/08/2009
Posts: 394

Message Posted:
19/05/2010 14:26

Richard (37) Seen them on my travels, too. They're endemic to the region, unfortunately, and best advice is to steer well clear. 'Fangs aren't wot they used to be, eh' !