Venomous Snakes of Udon Thani

Sorry for taking so long to respond. I spent the last 10 days in the field helping a university with research, doing research myself in the Bangkok area and getting my visa extension paperwork in order.

Polehawk, you are right, it was Lycodon laoensis- completely harmless (besides the tiny pin pricks the teeth could make in a bite ) Geordie was right, the banded krait (Bungurus fasciatus) is more of a triangular shape. Thais actually call it a 'triangle snake' (งูสามเหลี่ยม).

Jungle Dave, the Red-Necked Keelbacks (Rhabdophis subminiatus) do have a dangerous bite, but is one to bite out of defense, not out of aggression; it will always go away when given the chance.

Fussychunk, that appears to be Ptyas korros (Indochinese Rat Snake). They are rear fanged, but should be considered harmless. Their venom is only capable of producing minor swelling. Many Thais love to eat them. Care should be taken, since the pattern on them is similar to some King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) variants; some have similar banding, like the one in the picture, or outlining of the scales.

Benzman, your snake is a Xenochrophis flavipunctatus. This is actually what your earlier snake was, which is almost identical to Xenochrophis piscator. I had missed a small pattern characteristic in the picture on your post of 7 April, which was much more clear in this picture. The two species are very difficult to tell apart and I have seen some of the better references misidentify the two in pictures (not sure whether it was the author's mistake or the publisher's). Both are rear fanged and should be considered harmless.

On the subject of spiders, scorpions and centipedes, none of the spiders appear here in Thailand to be really dangerous, I have been told by one of the biologists that I work with that the smaller brown scorpion can cause some ill effects and of course, the centipede can cause some ill effects. My wife (while in bed) and I (one hiding in my trouser leg) have been stung over the past month by the smaller brown scorpion and besides quite a bit of pain, we did not suffer any ill effects.

Michael C, thanks for identifying the snakes. Thai relative said our snake was poisonous but we would have had a dead dog if that was the case. Dog goes after everything and seems to think snakes, scorpions and lizards were put on the property for her enjoyment. She will probably live a little longer now that we've started locking her in her cage at night.

No real danger from scorpions, spiders and centipedes unless you're allergic to their bites then? That's good to know but will still be watching where I step out here, especially at night.

thanks Michael G

this one i see to day not so big

Polehawk, most Thais think that almost every snake is venomous, except some of the ones that they find good to eat, some of which are actually mildly venomous. When I was living in central Thailand, I received a call to remove a venomous snake from someone's yard. After seeing what it was, I just grabbed it with my bare hand, recognising it as a harmless species that never bites; the person that called me nearly feinted seeing me grab it like that.

Benzman, your latest snake is an Oligodon fasciolatus, a non-venomous Banded Kukri Snake. Although it is non-venomous and rather shy, if grabbed it can give you a nasty bite due to two enlarged rear teeth, similar to fangs, but not fangs, that move independently (not fixed to the jaw) and slice, most all snake teeth puncture. Just like a deep little razor wound, their bites take a long time to heal.

The extended length in healing time is due to it being a deep slicing wound, like a knife cut, which is why they are called 'Kukri Snakes', Kukri, sometimes spelled 'khukri' or 'khukuri', is a type of knife.

Snake mouths are generally clean and I would just suggest keeping the bite area of any non-venomous snake clean by washing the area. Antibiotics are not needed and are often overused here.

i see the Banded Kukri Snake in the pond.





swiming arund

This morning the maid found a 1m snake in our living room. It looked like a tree snake. She chased it with a ceiling broom. I have never seen a snake move so fast. It tried to get into my TV room and then made a beeline out the front door. Green with yellow bands.

Benzman, that is a young Xenochrophis flavipunctatus, same species as the one on the previous page. In the juveniles, the lateral sides of the neck are much lighter in colouration, but you can match up the pattern of the earlier photo and the one above at the nape of the neck for comparison.

Mak, sounds like you had a Chrysopelea ornata (Golden Tree Snake). It is a rear fanged snake that should be considered harmless.

thx Michael C
this ratsnacke tock a litel to big lunch to day

big pic

Not in Udon, but snake related..

On Friday Morning, Khun Sirintip aged 27 was rushed to the Queen Sirigit Hospital in Sattahip after sustaining a snake bite as she was harvesting vegetables from her garden. It was raining at the time and Khun Sirintip suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right leg. To avoid any poison travelling throughout her body she tied a piece of rope just above the bite in an attempt to stop circulation to the foot. At Hospital she was given anti-venom and is now doing well. She was praised by doctors for her quick thinking to avoid the poison from spreading throughout her body.

http://pattayaone.net/news/2009/june/ne ... 52_3.shtml

Didn't mention what snake it was, but i thought you needed to know as to which anti-venom to administer..

Michael C

Do they use the ELIZA kits in Thailand to identify the poison etc

Also what is the current first aid teaching for snake bites in Thailand, im familar with Australian techniques, but different regions have different treatments according to the classification etc

Benzman, that snake is an Oligodon fasciolatus (Banded Kukri Snake), see banding on the back, attempting to eat a Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Black Spined Toad), most common toad in Southeast Asia. The white liquid coming out of the skin where it was bitten, from the parotoid glands (above and behind the eyes) and below the tympanum are rather strong toxins, which are much more dangerous than many snake venoms, if ingested.

Wazza, they have used ELISA in Thailand, but I am not sure how wide spread the use is, especially in more remote areas away from Bangkok. Next time I visit the snake farm/antivenin laboratory in Bangkok, I will ask them. As far as I know, most Thais are not taught about first aid for snake bites. Most of the first aid taught in the past has proved to be of more harm than good. The best thing to do is go to hospital for a venomous snake bite.

This is the tree snake after eviction from our living room.

Saw one just like it yesterday on our property. Looks like your snake didn't have a problem clinging to the wall, mak. Wondered if our snake can climb up and over our 7 to 9 foot wall with smooth faced blocks but doubt it. Friend suggests that snakes are able to "jump" or propel themselves from trees over the wall. Might be something to that so will trim branches of trees outside our walls.

Anyway, our dogs found the tree snake yesterday while I was walking with them around the property. This type of snake CAN move fast. I was about 10 feet behind the dogs and snake made a beeline straight towards me! I wasn't carrying a stick or anything and wasn't sure what kind of snake it was. What would you have done? I skedaddled next to the dogs. Snake kept going to our water pump house and hid in there someplace so left it alone. Thanks to Michael C's input, I'm not too worried now about these non-poisonous snakes although my dogs (pit bull and Thai ridgeback) will kill them if they get the chance.