Tropical life - its not all beaches

A (probably venemous) snake in the house this morning

[graeme_p]

Just as I was settling down to work this morning I heard a scream from my wife.

She had just walked in after dropping our daughter at school, and she closed the front door to find a snake just inside it.

I killed it by bashing it with a a plastic rod of some sort. I am still not completely sure what it was, but I think it was venemous - probably a krait.

Having dealt with the snake, I went back to the site I am developing - in Python.

[martinibuster]

Living the tropical life, you probably see your share of scary bugs and critters!

Most snakes I encounter in New England are non-venomous mice and grub eaters. They look scary but aren't a threat.

[LifeinAsia]

Having dealt with the snake, I went back to the site I am developing - in Python.

Possibly killed your muse? :)

[tangor]

In Texas we have our share of venomous snakes... though bites are rarely fatal... but can sure ruin your day! Worst I ever encountered was some 25 years back on horse trek with some friends in West Texas... a rattler chose my boot to sleep in. That's why you always shake 'em out before jamming your foot in. However, one of the guys didn't and was chomped by a centipede, which resulted in a side trip to the doc near Hidalgo...

[tbear]

Yeah, I got bitten by a centipede, here in Spain. It was, at least 5 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Felt like a hot needle shoved into my ankle, for about 6 hours. Scared the proverbials out of me, watching it wiggle away. No way I was gonna put my bare foot onto it.
Fortunately, snakes haven't found a way to get to my 2nd floor apartment...........yet! ;)

[graeme_p]

Snake bite fatalities are rare here, even though (I think) its the highest per capita rate in the world. Snakes rarely attack humans whereas its fairly command and easy for us to kill them.

Centipedes .... ouch! Have had a few get into the house, but no one has been bitten by one yet.

[londrum]

that's nothing, i had an ant in my kitchen this morning which was about 2 millimetres long. i smacked it with my 9-iron and it wont bother me again

[graeme_p]

It might have been a fire ant: they are seriously venomous!

[lucy24]

i had an ant in my kitchen this morning which was about 2 millimetres long

... where 2mm is so exceptionally small that it can only mean something sinister?

If they played jai alai in my area, I might be better equipped to deal with the flies :(

[bwnbwn]

Got a good one. In the 80's I was a raw timber buyer so I was in the woods all the time. One tract we were cruising (estimating standing timber volume) was quite big 1200 acres or so. It made for a long day so at the end we got together to discuss our day about 3-4 of us. My legs were very tired as it was 90+ and a light rain.

Well not want to sit on wet ground I squatted with my behind say 3 inches off the ground. We chatted 3-5 minutes. When we got ready to leave and I stood back up there was a rattle snake were my behind was, a small young one. 1st thing the guys wanted to do was kill it but I stopped it caught it and let it go. They asked why I said think about it. It chose not to bite me on me arss so I chose to let it go.

I very seldom will kill a snake most are there due to food, so if your seeing snakes ya got rats or small critters they eat. Rats and mice are their favorite food.

[Essex_boy]

I saw my first Grass snake in the uk a few days ago, despite living in the middle nowhere ive never seen an Adder either

[graeme_p]

That is one of the things I really miss about the UK: nature is safe (partly because all the dangerous animals were exterminated years ago). It feels so safe and cosy! The downside is that there is less wildlife overall, especially large animals and flamboyantly pretty birds.

@bwnbwn, I do not kill non-venomous snakes for that reason - for one thing it increases the food supply which may attract a venomous snake. We do have a largish garden in a fairly green area, with a lot of small animals by suburban standards: there are mongooses in the garden, lots of birds, a troop of monkeys that come through regularly (they are a nuisance) and a huge variety of birds, and (less visibly) mice and frogs.

[lucy24]

Well, if you've got mongooses (er, mongeese?) then snakes should not be a problem. If Kipling was a liar, I do not want to hear about it.

[graeme_p]

Lucy, you know the story about a man who was writing a letter (presumably to an animal dealer), which he started:

"Dear sir, please send me a two mongeese"

That looked wrong, so he wrote:

"Dear site, please send me two mongooses"

Still uncertain, he ended up with:

"Dear site, please send me a mongoose. Also, send me another one."

The mongooses can kill snakes, but there is no guarantee that they will get everyone. Even Riki Tiki Tavi's humans had some near escapes.