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Snakes of Colombia

Here is site on the snakes of Colombia. Señor Maldonado the contact person listed is expert and has helped me with False Coral identification.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7ftch/snakes_of_colombia/

By Atrevido on Jul 10, 2005, 19:15 in Friendly Talkzone.

Michael_B says on Jul 11, 2005, 07:45:

It was thinking DeLouisain,

Did'nt you mean Sharks :-)

The ones that come swarming once they smell either blood or money :-)

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 11, 2005, 08:07:

in the farm that I own in Colombia, we have some corals.when we go around the farm we wear wellington boots (guerrillero boots is how some people call them in Colombia) just in case.

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juanalejo says on Jul 11, 2005, 10:06:

Red to white is dangerous, red to black is not.....or is it the other way around. I do not think I would even have the nerve to look at it closely, I would be running as fast as I could.

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utopiacowboy says on Jul 11, 2005, 11:07:

We have corals too. They teach kids in school a rhyme:

Red touch yellow, kill a fellow.
Red touch black, friend of Jack.

I've never seen a live one but I've seen a couple of dead ones.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 11, 2005, 11:47:

I have seen them in the farm, we tell the kids not pick one, specially my niece, she thinks is a toy snake because of the color. In villavicencio is very common to see the "Uio", is a 20 feet long snake, is not poisoned but strangle animals, like cattles and horses, when is very hot and you see the grass burning because of the heat, you can see this snakes on the roads and sometimes they hide in houses.

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adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 11, 2005, 12:33:

I sat on a snake once in Colombia It was at the cemetary where my grandmother is buried. I was about 14. We had taken some roses to the site and were taking a photo of the stone after trimming the rose stems to make them fit the vase-thing. I felt something below me so I propped myself up on my arms thinking that I had sat on one of the chopped-off thorny rose stems (not wanting to get a thorn in my butt). As I did a snake slithered out. I freaked out (more from surpise), but everyone else kept on freaking out and running away. A nearby groundskeeper came running up with machete and chopped it up. I was somewhat appalled, as the snake was small, and all it had done was surprise me (plus there are no dangerous snakes where I am from)....but then they told me that it was very venemous, and had it bitten me I would only have had about 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

I don't know if they were exagerating or not, but it made me consider how our upbringing reflects in our reactions. (ie To Me: snake = unpleasant creature, To Colombian: snake = deadly creature).

I think alot of city-slicker Colombians generally consider all snakes dangerous (as it is easier than sorting out which aren't and which are), and it sticks with them. My mother is paranoid of snakes even here where none are dangerous.

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adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 11, 2005, 12:35:

Kat1 My mother claims have driven over a large snake once that was crossing a road. I asked if the snake survived and she said the was too scared to look and just drove on.

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kernow62 says on Jul 11, 2005, 12:56:

Corals are sometimes confused in the US with a harmless snake called the Scarlet King snake. The rhyme mentioned is the best way to remember. At least corals do not have the same sort of fangs as other venomous snakes.

The ones we have to watch out for are Cottonmouths, they will flat ass chase you down to bite you.

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utopiacowboy says on Jul 11, 2005, 15:51:

I've tangled with cottonmouths or water moccasins as they call them here. I've had a few of them back down after I came after them with a shovel. El rey down here is the western diamondback rattler which we've eaten. Tastes kind of like fish.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Sylvie says on Jul 11, 2005, 16:52:

..... I was once sun bathing on the side of a pool in Cartagena and reached down beside me to pick up a magazine that I put on the floor. I thought the magazine felt heavy and looked to see a baby snake laying across the magazine.

I nearly pooped myself while screaming. The pool boy laughed at me and told me that it was harmless but I still freaked out for about 20 minutes.

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kernow62 says on Jul 11, 2005, 17:45:

What is really weird is if you can get baby Ringneck snakes to bite your ear lobes they will dangle like earings for hours. You can do the same with the lizard called the American Anole.

I know, I should get out more. ;-)

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Atrevido (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 11, 2005, 18:59:

My mayordomo killed what he thought was a Coral snake which is what got me into researching Colombian snakes. It turned out to be a harmless Milksnake.

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adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 11, 2005, 19:23:

Kernow Doesn't it wriggle and writhe?

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kernow62 says on Jul 11, 2005, 19:31:

Not too much. The lizards remain motionless.

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Condorlisa Arroz says on Jul 12, 2005, 03:17:

Why would someone be scared of corals? They are fixed in their skeleton and cant attack you from there. Or do you perhaps mean Coral SNAKES? Also they are not too dangerous unless you run around in sandals or normal shoes, skirt/short trousers. If you put on long trousers, socks and normal shoes a coral snake cant do anything. The mouth is too small and the fangs too short. CA Montañas de Colombia

CA Montañas de Colombia

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 12, 2005, 04:52:

But is too hot to wear long trousers,sandals and socks in Villavicencio, so I wear my Machitas with shorts. still my feet get too hot. yuck

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terco panzone says on Jul 12, 2005, 20:16:

At last, something I know a little about! Condorlisa Arroz is absolutely right about the corals, their fangs are to short to do much unless they find a piece skin to chew on, like the webbing between your fingers. I'm familiar with the North American snakes, but the Colombian ones not so much. Atrevido , the web site you gave I have been to before, but it just gives the scientific names of the snakes and no information that I can find. Is there no other site to go to for snakes in colombia? Never saw a water moccassin chase anyone, but the won't get out of you way either.

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