Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

From humongous and fearsome (see my last post) to tiny and cute - Borneo's got it all in the cobra department. This is a common species I've always wanted to meet in its toddler life stage - an Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana). I was checking out a few herping roads in a coastal area this morning, when this proud warrior engaged my car high-noon style in the middle of the asphalt, head raised and full of piss and vinegar. Unfortunately it was so small that I only registered the little yellow-banded strip from the corner of my eye after I'd driven past it. Backing up, I was lucky not to run over the beast: instead of hauling ass into the coconut plantation flanking the road (where a troop of Long-tailed macaques were watching the battle unfold with snarky grins), the snake refused to budge from its "come-get-some" position. During the photo session, it didn't spit, by the way. It did hiss fiercely, though - or what passes for "fiercely" when your lungs are two inches long :-)

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kkchome
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by kkchome »

Very nice, indeed. :beer:
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Kelly Mc »

Exquisite and a whippersnapper :thumb:
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by RonanK »

The Bornean N.sumatrana are most definitely the bestest looking in my opinion.
Are they still classed under the name N.sumatrana.miolepis?
I got a chance to play with some gold phase ones in Thailand last weekend, and they are some stunning animals! Still waiting to find an individual here though.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks for the comments, everyone!
RonanK wrote:Are they still classed under the name N.sumatrana.miolepis?
Never heard of that distinction....very few Google hits, either, and the recent reference material I have doesn't mention miolepsis.
I got a chance to play with some gold phase ones in Thailand last weekend
Got pix?
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Zimmerman »

Wow such beauty! :D
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by RonanK »

I saw the term miolepis used by a guy in Indonesia who had an albino individual.

As for the Thai specimens, I don't have pics of the one that belonged to my friend that I got to interact with because it was simply too mental and spitty to stand still and not cover my lens in venom for long enough for me to get any sort of pic haha.
I do have some pics of the fairly sizable animal on display at the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute Snake Farm in Bangkok (which is an awesome place to visit if you are ever in Bangkok).

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LouB747
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by LouB747 »

Beautiful snake Hans.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Kelly Mc »

The other gold dont look so good. Missing tail tip, impartial mouth closure.

It would be an honor to care for such animals. So often I see husbandry induced problems that shouldn't happen if they are going to be kept.
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The Real Snake Man
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by The Real Snake Man »

Kelly Mc wrote:The other gold dont look so good. Missing tail tip, impartial mouth closure.

It would be an honor to care for such animals. So often I see husbandry induced problems that shouldn't happen if they are going to be kept.
To offer the benefit of the doubt, the snake could be wild-caught. Unlikely at a snake farm perhaps, but maybe.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Kelly Mc »

Or retained shed unaddressed on the tip necrosed and fell off. And misaligned possibly inflamed mouthparts are from its rough force feeding of whole food items, timed few and far between.
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Kevin Messenger
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Kevin Messenger »

so damn pretty!!!
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by RonanK »

The other gold dont look so good. Missing tail tip, impartial mouth closure.

It would be an honor to care for such animals. So often I see husbandry induced problems that shouldn't happen if they are going to be kept.
Both pics are of the same snake. The impartial mouth closure was due to the fact that it had just finished eating a frog (BY ITSELF) and had not re-aligned it's jaw before going for the other one (shown in the second pic). With regards to the tail, there was no evidence that it was cut off or had been necrotized due to a stuck shed. Snakes are animals, none of them are perfect. Apologies if the pictures are really sucky, it was difficult to get a pic without the glass glaring back at me.

With regards to "husbandry induced problems", that particular individual was brought in as a wild caught adult and appeared to be in perfect health, even eating in front of about 14 people trying to get its picture. The QSMI Snake Farm does amazing work with all its animals, and has bred many species that some have not even been able to keep alive in captivity; most notably the Red-headed Krait (Bungarus flaviceps), and the Blue Malaysian Coral Snake (Calliophis bivirgatus).

I don't want to get into a shouting match here, but please don't be so quick to judge when you have no idea of the history, or the situation of whatever subject is in the picture. It is awesome that you are concerned, but in future, don't be so damning and judgmental with your comments. I have no idea of your experience with snakes, and I might be totally in the wrong with this statement, but I just would like to see this forum free from the drama that has plagued a lot of other places *cough* Facebook *cough*.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Kelly Mc »

uh yeah, I wouldn't be on facebook if I were paid weekly in cardamom ice cream to do so, and there was no judgement or "research" of how great the farm is :| , involved in making a comment about what looks like not infrequently seen husbandry baggage.

If what you say are the facts you have the opportunity to comment back, which you did, so there ya go. ;)
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Sorry for derailing the train of thought, but ....
Kelly Mc wrote:uh yeah, I wouldn't be on facebook if I were paid weekly in cardamom ice cream to do so,
Smoked Cardamom Ice Cream with Salty Honey Caramel Swirl

Oh, the decadence....
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by orionmystery »

Cutie! Gotta love #1.
dendrelaphis
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by dendrelaphis »

Beautiful specimen. I think these small spitters are more dangerous than a large King. The one I found was so quick and aggressive and due to its small size so difficult to handle.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

The Making Of, aka The Bravest Man on Earth :-)

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Kelly Mc
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Kelly Mc »

There is something dear about this quick flash of you and Tiny Danger Doll. :D
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Isn't it, though? :-)
dendrelaphis
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Re: Borneo Dispatches #81: Spitter Baby

Post by dendrelaphis »

great and that situation is very familiar to me (-:
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