machigaita (“oops…”)

“Primarily hemotoxic; symptoms may include local swelling, progressive numbness spreading from bite site, bleeding from bite site, bleeding gums, & hematuria. Fatal human brain hemorrhage & renal failure have been reported. Numerous bites by this snake are reported in Japan each year.” [Armed forces pest management board-> venemous snakes www.afpmb.org]

… is the description of the venom of the snake I grabbed yesterday. When it lifted half of it’s body off the ground and flattened itself out, I semi-got the point, and let go of the body. I tried to go for behind the head, instead, but it slithered into the bushes. [Oh well.]

More interesting facts:

1) Tiger keel backs are fairly docile and normally don’t bite.

2) Rear fanged, so it’s tough to get a large dose of venom.

3) One of the two members of the Colubrid family with anti-venoms developed (the other being the Boomslang) .

4) I guess they are considered a delicacy in Korea, according to one website.

5) update: The japanese name is Yamakagachi.

5) update: It can shoot an irritating substance at predators through a pair of glands in the dorsal skin.

6) update: The locals are more scared of this water snake than the local viper, the mamushi.

for more info, follow this link

Lesson: I initially grabbed for it because it didn’t look like a viper. The lesson is, don’t assume a snake is non-poisonous, and don’t try to catch it, unless you know what type it is. (I’m now looking up all the local species of snakes on the web).

cat.inst.fr: “The epidemiological analysis of the severe bites indicates that most of the bites occurred in warmer months, from April to October. Most of the bites occurred in males trying to catch snakes…” [insert guilty smile here]

Pictures from the church trip to Yamagata, where me and the paster were looking for snakes, coming soon!

~ by timu on June 4, 2007.