The guy is holding the snake towards the camera on a stick. Perspective, it’s not nearly as large as the photo makes it appear.
She was asleep, probably rolled over on it or something. The snake was unidentified as it escaped, but more likely than not it was a krait. A small one is like a small coral snake - it won’t be much of a bite, but if it injects much venom you’ll gradually start suffering neurotoxic effects. From the above link:
Kraits are nocturnal, so seldom encounter humans during daylight hours; incidents occur mainly at night. Frequently, little or no pain occurs from a krait bite, and this can provide false reassurance to the victim. Typically, victims complain of severe abdominal cramps, accompanied by progressive paralysis. If death occurs, it takes place about four to eight hours after the krait bite. Cause of death is general respiratory failure, i.e. suffocation.
If she had been bit by something like a Russell’s viper or Saw-scaled viper she’d almost certainly have known almost immediately, because she’d start suffering massive tissue damage.
I’ve always been fascinated by this story. Helluva way to go: Joseph Bruno Slowinski - Wikipedia
“I knew Mrs. Viper when she didn’t have a pit to hiss in.” --Roy Blount, Jr.
It was worse, really. Met him once( twice? ) - he seemed like a pleasant enough guy. It was a truly unnecessary, careless loss. But then so many are - nobody keeps their guard up 24/7. Even in the most dangerous, high pressure situations, habituation leads to casualness, which leads to fuck-ups.
As an addendum to the snake story. Yesterday my neighbors’ Great Pyrenees was bitten on the face by a rattlesnake, possible the same one I saw - it was heading East from my pasture into their front field. It looks like the dog will make it, although it was touch and go. She’s calling me at 8:30 at night asking what to do. I told her to take the dog tot he emergency vet, but start him on benedryl first, so her airway hopefully wouldn’t close up. She said, “yeah, she’s having trouble breathing”. YOU DON"T CALL YOUR NEIGHBOR WHEN YOUR DOG IS STRUGGLING TO BREATHE!!!
StG
THANK YOU for this link! This is the article that got me interested in Slowinski but I couldn’t remember where I originally saw it.
Found a Coral snake in the parking lot at work yesterday. He was trying to cross it but apparently the grip sucked or something because he would move around a lot, but not go anywhere.
I honestly thought he was fake (my office is above a pediatrician, thought it was a toy that fell out of a van or something) but he was definitely real. I ended up getting a stick under him and throwing him into the bushes. We all initially thought he was a milk snake, but upon further review, he was a coral.
I didn’t even know those lived in Florida, much less in my work’s parking lot.
My lab got bit in my encounter with the rattler in So Cal (see above). Fortunately, it was a pretty dry strike – his head was swollen for a few days. I entertain the idea that another lab, who went to bed healthy and lived just a few hours in the morning after awakening, was bit by a venomous snake. We were surrounded by a vast and wild meadow/forest in New Jersey and her symptoms matched envenomation.
My brother is with Arizona Fish and Game and is responsible, amongst other duties, for surveying abandoned mines for bat activity and recommending how a mine opening should be sealed to keep humans out and allow bats in and out. He’s out in the field most weeks and takes his dogs, who attended snake aversion classes so they can be reliably called off if they go after a venomous critter.
Bro has some amazing footage of rattlers hanging from mine ceilings and nabbing bats mid-air. And, as well, some harrowing stories of encounters with drug runners, smugglers, and crazies out in the deserts. His department arms him and encourages taking the doggies with him for another layer of support.
He also monitors the spread of white nose disease amongst bats and fungal snake disease (which is similar). Bro may well have one of the coolest jobs ever.
Red touching yellow, kill a fellow?
I had to dispatch a rattler a couple days ago. Way too close to the house/dogs/livestock for my comfort.
Relocated a big-ass Bull snake, too. He didn’t seem to appreciate it.
Red on black, a friend to Jack.
Sure, but what if your name is Bill? Huh?
Speaking of rattlers - how’s Dixie doing?
I see them fairly regularly while roaming around the mountains near my home. Saw this young guy just this past weekend. He crossed the trail just a couple feet in front of me and coiled up in this bush.
My dog sometimes goes with my wife to the farm she manages. Since it’s in the foothills, rattlers are not infrequently seen there. Because of that, all the dogs that spend time there go through periodic rattlesnake training. It’s some freaky shit. A guy rolls up in a car full of rattlesnakes with little tiny muzzles. The snakes get distributed around the practice area and the dogs are led through. If a dog gets curious about a snake, and they all do 'cause dogs gotta dog, they get an electric shock. By the end of the session, they give even the scent of a snake a wiiiiiiiide berth.
I normally don’t condone shock training, but in a life or death case like this, I can let it slide.
Yeah we tried that, but couldn’t remember the rhyme exactly.
Actually it’s literally the only state where you can find one most anywhere in the state. Not that you’ll run across them commonly, since they tend to stay under cover most of the time and are typically pretty shy. You got very lucky :).
That’s what I love about being a northern girl. Cold winters seem to discourage creatures that sting and bite and tear and rend human flesh.
First I’ve seen in almost 3 years
Here we go:
Red Touch Yellow - Kills a Fellow
Red Touch Black - Venom Lack
Yellow Touches Red - Soon You’ll Be Dead
Red Touches Black - Friend of Jack
I think corals have black heads, their imitators do not? (Don’t trust me on this).
I repeat this whenever this topic comes up, but just as a reminder for casual lurkers - never use this mnemonic outside of the United States. It works HERE, but there are dozens of species of coral snakes in the Americas and as many or more mimics. Many of them violate those rules.