Thursday, April 2, 2009

Russel viper or Krait?

Both are venomous, but look rather different.

This is a Russel viperPhoto by Preston Ahimaz

Now, please read the article below, and tell me which snake do you think that is.

14 comments:

  1. The photo in the news is evident enough that it was a Russel Viper. It wonder who made the mistake, the reporter or the forest staff.

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  2. You have a nice blog. I specifically like this post and the one on monitors.

    The monitor you have shot is a huge fella, the one I saw was not even half that size.

    Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog...Thomas

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  3. Whichever, it is frightening enough. but if it was the Russel Viper, I am amazed that the forest staff handled it with such insouciance -

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  4. Definitely looks like a viper, based on your photos. Krait...viper...it's probably all the same to them. Some snake. Which is so wrong and shoddy.

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  5. I knew I should've turned my garden into a Snake Park!
    I've got plenty of the R.Vipers slithering around. No, that's not true, they dont slither... they inch their way as if to say, "here I am. You going to try to do something about it? Ha!"
    And they hiss! If anyone hears them hiss, there's no way they could mistake them for anything else but a Russell's Viper.
    Oh, and did I mention I've got plenty of Cobras too?

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  6. zigackly! ferpectly right! How come they can make mistake like this?

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  7. Yes PSYL, I too wonder...thought it seems more likely to be the journo, in my opinion.

    Thank you Thomas, though i thought your monitor was bigger than mine!! For those wondering what we are talking about, please do visit TandS' blog - there are some great monitor lizard photos, as well as a great photo-essay on the black buck.

    You're right Raji, the forest staff and snake park crew are highly skilled at this - or so it definitely seems to the inexperienced like us.

    Kamini and Vishwanath, you both passed the test with flying colours, or should I say with glorious spots!

    Sunita, your garden suddenly doesnt sound er..., that inviting!! So they hiss is it, and move slowly?

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  8. What a lovely blog you've got here!
    The Russel's Viper is a beautiful snake and I saw one of them shedding at Bannerghatta. Unforgettable.

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  9. may be their tamil names caused the confusion Kattuvirian-Krait and Kanaadi viriyan-Russells viper........that is a russells viper undoubtedly .Media always makes mistakes as far as environmental news is concerned,a lot of 'em everytime.

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  10. 'Smee, you were fortunate with the viper. yes it is rather lovely - in a photo, esp!!

    Hopeland thanks for the Tamil names.

    The press make a lot of mistakes, and its not only on the environment front - its always good, I've learned, to treat with caution everything that appears in the media!!

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  11. Today on sun news they called the(erandu thalai pambu coz of the resemblances of the head to its tail)actual name in tamil-sowp mun pambu.(i.e)red sand boa to be Erandu thalai viriyan.Viriyan refers to vipers generally.

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  12. A lethal duo. I have a lot of respect for them when I am out in the wild.

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  13. tamil name of common krait is 'yennai viriyan or yettadi viriyan' yettadi means 8 feet, but it is not mean the lenght of the snake, it means, if it bits a man, his death will be in 8 feet!! it is an of the very dangorus snakes in the world. The picture which published was not krait, it is Russell's viper, in tamil 'kannadi viriyan'.

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  14. Thank you Evanooruvan. Now we have many Tamil names for the krait!

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