SLOG (Singapore Snakes Blog)

Singapore Wildlife Stampede

2007-11-04T16:29:00.000+08:00

Singapore's first parade for endangered animals and environment, led by Dr. Jane Goodall, happened on 2 November 2007 4-7 pm at Singapore Botanics Garden. A 'snake contingent' consisting of three 'snakes' and many kids (real kids plus adults that are young at heart) was there, which I believe was led by the Nature Society of Singapore. Bravo to all of them! The parade was a fun and meaningful event, which brought many nature lovers together for a common cause.

Four Whips In A Day!

2007-09-25T22:06:00.000+08:00

During a late afternoon on 8 September 2007, Chan Kwok Wai found not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Oriental Whip Snakes (Ahaetulla prasina)!!!! One of the snakes was sighted at eye level, while the rest were encountered at the tree canopies. The green colour and long body length of this species, are perhaps adaptations for life at the canopy, since the former provides the snake with a good camouflage against aerial predators and the latter allows the snake to move from canopy to canopy.

From what I know, the Oriental Whip Snake is a popular pet. By disclosing the microhabitat of this snake, I fear that it will become easy target for potential poachers. Thus I would like to urge people to refrain from collecting this snake. I hope that information on the habit of this snake will instead allow us to understand its needs and eventually lead to better management of our few remaining forests.

Cobra In Mangroves

2007-09-25T21:28:00.000+08:00

Yang Shufen found this Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Black Spitting Cobra; Naja Sumatrana) near a mangrove at the southwest of Singapore Island on 13 September 2007. The following photographs were contributed by her.

Sivasothi encountered the same species (pictured below) in the mangroves of Sungei Mandai on 23 December 2005.

In Singapore, this species is frequently sighted in urban areas, but seems to be common in mangroves during low tides as well.

Pythons Skinned And Left To Die

2007-09-25T21:00:00.000+08:00

There is an recent article in The Daily Mail that reported on the increasing use of snake skin in the fashion industry.

This article is archived in Wild Singapore, which also provides links to articles that reported on the smuggling of snake skins.

I would like to thank Charlene Yeong and Gloria Seow for the alert.

More Records Of House Wolf Snake

2007-09-25T18:59:00.000+08:00

Lai Chien-Houng opened the door and a House Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus) fell onto the floor. This snake is THAT common (relative to other species) in buildings, probably because their food, geckos, are also abundant in this type of habitat. However, this species is still rarely encountered by people because of their secretive nature. Fortunately to us, it is neither venomous nor dangerous. This encounter, occurred in the TMSI (Tropical Marine Science Institute) compound at St. John's Island on 24 September 2007, made our day. We took some photographs and released it soon after that. The following photographs were taken by Lim Swee Cheng.

Photographs from top to bottom: A small individual (probably a few weeks old) in my hand; Right side of head; Dorsal side of head.

There were more photographic records of this snake in the past year, most of which occurred in buildings. I am glad to know that the harmless snakes were either left alone or released after cautious handling, instead of killed at first sight.

Matt Tench found this snake (pictured above), with an estimated body length of 8 inches, in the bathroom of Bungalow 53 at St. John's Island on 22 April 2007. He got it onto a long handled dustpan and set it free in the wild.

Peter Karlsson found this snake (pictured above), with an estimated body length of 40 cm, at Serangoon Gardens on 10 March 2007. The snake was under some rooftiles that were placed on the floor. He left the snake alone.

This snake (pictured above) was photographed by Ron Yeo at Pulau Hantu on 4 March 2007.

A friend of Gail Q, who lives near Kent Ridge Bus Terminal, found this snake (pictured above) at the doorsteps of his house on 18 October 2006 at about 6pm. He kept the snake in a pail because he wanted to know its identification (after consulting me) before releasing it.

A cleaner found this snake (pictured above) in the NIE (National Institute of Education) canteen on 1 September 2006. He picked it up with a thong, kept it in a plastic bag and passed it to me. It was released.

More records of this snake here and here.

Fun With Snakes

2007-09-25T18:49:00.000+08:00

A fun-filled activity, named 'Fun with Snakes', was organised by the NSS Education Group on 15 September 2007 to raise awareness on snakes, with emphasis on local species, among kids in the age group of 5-9 years old.

Read more about this event in a blog posting contributed by July.

Brown Kukri Snake (Oligodon purpurascens)

2007-08-28T11:20:00.000+08:00

This dead but fresh specimen was encountered and photographed by Gloria Seow along Old Upper Thomson Road, near the Upper Peirce Reservoir, on 26 August 2007 at about 9.30 am. It was initially misidentified as the Barred Kukri Snake (Oligodon signatus) but was later recognised as a "red form" of the Brown Kukri Snake (Oligodon purpurascens) by Kelvin Lim. Unlike the Striped Kukri Snake, this rare species tends to be restricted to forests (Lim & Lim, 1992). This nocturnal snake is non-venomous and has a terrestrial-burrowing habit (Lim & Lim, 1992). It can attain a length of about 90 cm (Lim & Lee, 1989). Clutches of 8-13 eggs are known (Cox et al., 1998). It occurs in southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo and Indonesia east to Java (Cox et al., 1998).

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 59.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 46-47.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 60.

This Snake Is Not So Elegant After All

2007-07-16T17:38:00.000+08:00

We have been calling this beautiful snake the wrong name.

This elegant-looking snake that we have been calling Elegant Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis formosus) actually does not have a name until 18 January 2007 (Vogel & Rooijen, 2007). It is now named as Kopstein's Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis kopsteini), after Dr Felix Kopstein (1893-1939). This newly-described species is thus different from Elegant Bronzeback, which is also found in Singapore.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" Juliet Capulet said. Kopstein's Bronzeback is still an elegant snake even if it is not named as "Elegant Bronzeback" after all.

The snake identified in Lim and Lee (1989) and Lim and Lim (1992) as Elegant Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis formosus) should be renamed as Kopstein's Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis kopsteini).

REFERENCES

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 53.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 64.

Vogel, G. & Rooijen, J. V., 2007. A new species of Dendrelaphis (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Southeast Asia. Zootaxa 1394: 25-45.

Banded Krait Graced Launch Of Chek Jawa Wetlands

2007-07-08T10:48:00.000+08:00

This Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus), photographed by Loh Kok Sheng and posted in his blog, made a pleasantly surprised appearance at the launch of the Chek Jawa Wetlands on the morning of 7 July 2007.

Norman Lim encountered this snake last year, also along a muddy shore, but on another northern island of Singapore. This 'common occurence' of banded kraits in aquatic habitats are unusual because these are known to be terrestrial snakes. Maybe we just do not know much about them.

It is common that people misidentified the Banded Krait as the Yellow-lipped Sea Krait (pictured above). Both species belong to the same family of Elapidae (a group of venomous snakes including cobras, old-world coral snakes and true sea snakes). However, kraits belong to the genus Bungarus while sea kraits belong to the genus Laticauda. Although both snakes have the black-and-white bands along their body, the Banded Krait lacks the paddle-shaped tail tip that its cousin Yellow-lipped Sea Krait possesses. This tail shape allows the sea krait to swim more efficiently in the open sea.

Tails of Banded Krait (above) and Yellow-lipped Sea Krait (below).

* All photographs by Loh Kok Sheng and Ria Tan.

Striped Kukri Snake (Oligodon octolineatus)

2007-07-04T20:54:00.000+08:00

The Striped Kukri Snake (Oligodon octolineatus), as in all kukri snakes, possesses remarkably sharp teeth in the shape of kukri knives that probably allow it to cut open bird eggs, which form a large part of its natural diet (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). This nocturnal snake also feeds on frogs, lizards, other snakes, and frog spawn (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

This handsome snake can grow up to a total length of 60 cm (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). It is non-venomous and is generally inoffensive (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). However, if it is provoked, it has a habit of hiding its head under its coil and raising and waving its tail to reveal the coral pink undersides (Lim & Lee, 1989). It also discharges a foul smell (Lim & Lee, 1989).

Breeding seems to occur all year round for this oviparous snake, which can lay up to five eggs in a clutch (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). In the wild, eggs are often deposited in soil, and in piles of vegetation debris and sawdust (Lim & Lee, 1989).

Oligodon octolineatus is considered a terrestrial-burrowing snake (Lim & Lim, 1992) and is fairly common in gardens, cultivated areas and forests in Singapore (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

This is a roadkill photographed by Chan Kwok Wai in Choa Chu Kang on 1 July 2007.

This handsome snake was photographed by Norman Lim along Chestnut Avenue on 28 March 2006 at about 10 pm. Note the tail coiling displayed by the snake when provoked.

This snake was photographed by Wong Yueat Tin in Chinese Garden on 6 April 2006 at about 9 pm. It was initially on a pavement.

REFERENCES

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 46-47.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 59.

Dead Snake Attracted Food For Swallows

2007-07-01T13:09:00.000+08:00

A post in the Bird Ecology Study Group blog reported how a dead snake, found along the road in Choa Chu Kang, attracted food (flies) for the Pacific swallows. In this case, as in nature, the carcass was "not wasted". At least the flies and swallows came before our efficient cleaners. But still, drive carefully. Snakes such as Banded Malayan Coral Snake, Keel-bellied Whip Snake, House Wolf Snake, and King Cobra have became victims of roadkills, which I believe is one of the biggest killers of this amazing animals.

Good Snakes Come In Pairs

2007-07-01T01:44:00.000+08:00

We are lucky or what?

A pair of juvenile Wagler's Pit-vipers (Tropidolaemus/Trimeresurus wagleri) were spotted at about 3 metres from each other in the forest of Bukit Timah on 30 June 2007. They were probably ambushing geckos that are common at the rocky habitat.

First snake:

Second snake:

Close-ups of the head:

Characteristic pose of this pit-viper:

The brown colour tail tip that is extremely prehensile:

* All photographs by Chim Chee Kong

Previous posts on this snake here and here.

What Happens To The Snake When You Call 999

2007-06-30T00:15:00.000+08:00

"What happens to the snake when I call 999?"

I decided to write to the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Zoo to find out the answer.

Relevant information from their replies are provided here:

POLICE

"Generally, the police will respond to incident of snake when there is an immediate threat to life and property at public areas. For incident of snake found in private compound, the police will normally advise the complainant to call a pest control agency who can provide value-added services to discourage snakes presence. However, our officers will first assess the situation based on the degree of threat to life and property before they respond to incident of snake found in private compound. As it is impossible to identify all snakes, the officers are briefed on the common poisonous and non-poisonous snakes; python and cobra. All our officers have been briefed on how to use a snake catching device, and they are expected to handle any case of snake sighting when called upon. Every Police Division is equipped with the device and it is available for use to the officers. No special single Unit is tasked with catching snakes. All snakes are caught alive. Police hand over the live snakes to AVA or Zoo."

ZOO

"Snakes that are brought in by the public or the police are usually released to the wild. The practice and appropriate release location would be done in close partnership with the National Parks Board. Also, for certain snakes, we would absorb them in our collection for display and breeding purposes."

In my opinion

Leave snakes alone if you see them in the wild. They will usually slither away without much hesitation. Call the police or the zoo only if the snakes are too close for your safety (e.g. trapped in your house). Otherwise, I feel that it is unnecessary to disturb the snakes and also the authorities.

Article On Snake Venoms

2007-06-16T22:32:00.000+08:00

This is an interesting article on snake venoms that was written more or less in Singapore context:

Snake Venoms
Goh Lee Gan, 2002
The Singapore Family Physician 28(2): 40-54

A passage from the article is highlighted here:

Why It is Illegal To Keep Snakes In Singapore

2007-06-12T13:16:00.000+08:00

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA, which I sometimes refer to "Animals & Vegetables Authority" Haha!) explained why it is illegal for people living in Singapore to keep exotic wildlife such as snakes:

There is no mention of a fine. I guess the reasons given above are good enough to persuade us not to keep snakes as pets.

I have mentioned earlier that it is important to be able to identify snake species that occur naturally in Singapore, so that we can make better judgements when we encounter a snake. However, alien species escaped or released into the wild can complicate matters. Someone might mistake an exotic venomous snake for a similar-looking native non-venomous snake. Although it is unwise to handle snakes of any kind, I believe that people will still be taking chances (sometimes with goodwill). One unpleasant accident can cause the public to lose confidence in their own ability to identify snakes. This may prevent the "Ask questions first, kill later" spirit from spreading among the public.

In Case Of A Snake Bite

2007-06-11T20:24:00.000+08:00

I got this information from the article "Doctors, hospitals and pharmacies in Singapore" that was produced by the Parents Committee of the German European School (Singapore) and updated on 1 January 2007, which I believe will be useful in case of a snake bite in Singapore.

Please remember that not all snakes are venomous, not all venomous snakes bite, and not all venomous snakes that bite inject venom.

Most, if not all, snakes do not bite unless provoked.

The late Dr. Joseph Slowinski (a famous herpetologist who died from a snakebite on 11 September 2001) said “The best way to avoid being bitten by a venomous snake is simply to leave it alone.”

Snakebites usually result from our own carelessness, when we tried to handle them or, in the case of Slowinski and fellow biologists, because it is part of the job.

In other words, in most cases, we only have ourselves to blame when we got bitten by a snake.

Dog-toothed Cat Snake (Boiga cynodon)

2007-06-11T18:32:00.000+08:00

"We are looking at two dog-toothed cat snakes. You want to come down now?"

I slapped my forehead after receiving this sms from Norman Lim at about 10.30pm on 18 May 2007. I have earlier left him and other friends for "Home Sweet Home". Sigh! Look what I have missed out! The two uncommon snakes were sighted together at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The pair were so close to each other, they might be trying to mate or have already done 'that thing'.

I have no idea of the story behind their 'dog teeth" but I know that this snake uses an unusual method to immobilize avian prey. Unlike most constrictors, which use their anterior trunk or mid-body region to immobilize prey, constriction of prey by the dog-toothed cat snake is done primarily by the tail (Murphy, 1977; Fig 1). The tail of this snake is strong and prehensile (Lim & Lee, 1989), which allows it to climb trees. This good climber is capable of stretching its slender and laterally flattened body into space to reach a distant branch (Lim & Lee, 1989).

This nocturnal snake is primarily arboreal and hunts for birds and their eggs at dusk (Murphy, 1977; Lim & Lee, 1989). Lim and Lim (1992) claimed that this species also feeds on rodents and lizards, but rodents offered by Murphy (1977) were ignored by the snakes.

The Dog-toothed Cat Snake is an egg-layer and seems to reproduce throughout the year (Lim & Lee, 1989). This mildly-venomous species can grow up to three metres in total length (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

Boiga cynodon inhabits lowland forests of the southern region of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia east to Flores and the Philippines (Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

From top to bottom: Head left; Head dorsal; Body left; Body ventral

* All photographs by Chan Kwok Wai

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 76.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 78.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 74.

Murphy, J. B., 1977. An unusual method of immobilizing avian prey by the dog-toothed cat snake, Boiga cynodon. Copeia 1977(1): 182-184.

More On Pythons In STOMP

2007-06-10T13:55:00.000+08:00

I realised that STOMP contained a few more postings on snakes, which were not reflected in the result of my search for 'snakes' in the site. The following sightings appeared after I did a search on 'python':

Carcass of huge python spotted
Posted on 03 November 2006
Sighted on 02 November 2007
Species: Reticulated Python (Dead)
In a canal next to the National Kidney Foundation building in Kim Keat

1 metre python found dead in drain
Posted on 30 November 2006
Species: Reticulated Python (Dead)
In a drain along South Buena Vista Road.

Python caught at Potong Pasir
Posted on 12 May 2007
Species: Reticulated Python
In a drain at Potong Pasir Ave 1

The total tally of python sightings reported in STOMP stands at eight (5 live and 3 dead). The python species that can be found in Singapore is the Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus). Sightings of this snake is common because it feeds on rats and is comfortable living in drains. This species is usually shy and will normally avoid contact with man, although large specimens of over three metres in length are potentially dangerous to us (Lim & Lim, 1992). More on this snake here and here.

REFERENCE

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 47-48.

A Cobra Got Stuck!

2007-06-09T17:25:00.000+08:00

A Black Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana) was spotted at a drain near Block 716 of Clementi West Street 2 today (9 June 2007) at about 10.30 am. This snake feeds on rats and thus can be commonly found in urban areas (Lim & Lim, 1992). Although this is a highly venomous species, it is reluctant to bite or spit venom unless we are too near for comfort. It is defensive rather than aggressive and will often put on a defensive pose to shoo us away when threatened. Accidents usually happen only when we stepped on them accidentally or tried to handle them intentionally. There are actually very few cases of cobra bites, even in densely populated Singapore (Lim & Lim, 1992). Leave it alone and it will leave you alone.

REFERENCES

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 82-83.

Stomping On Snakes

2007-06-09T00:07:00.000+08:00

I entered "snake" in STOMP's search engine and realised that the site actually contained quite a number of snake sightings posted by the public:

Dead snake in the heart of Orchard Road
Posted on 15 October 2006
Species: Unknown (Dead)
Along Orchard Road

Python found in my car!
Posted on 14 January 2007
Sighted on 11 January 2007
Species: Reticulated Python
In a car at Capital Tower carpark

Snake on a car!
Posted on 18 January 2007
Species: Unknown
On a car radio antenna while travelling along Yio Chu Kang Road

Horror find in Zion Road Canal
Posted on 30 January 2007
Sighted on 30 January 2007
Species: Reticulated Python? (Dead)
Drifting along Zion Road canal

Snake spotted outside IKEA Alexandra
Posted on 21 February 2007
Sighted on 16 February 2007 1200 h
Species: Black Spitting Cobra
On grass near IKEA Alexandra

Snake spotted in drain
Posted on 12 April 2007
Sighted on 12 April 2007 0800 h
Species: Reticulated Python?
Swimming in monsoon drain near Kembangan MRT

Python captured, while snacking on cat
Posted on 19 April 2007
Sighted on 17 April 2007 evening
Species: Reticulated Python
Feeding on a cat in Bedok

Good grief! A python in Orchard Rd!
Posted on 04 May 2007
Sighted on 03 May 2007 0400 h
Species: Reticulated Python
Crossing footpath in Orchard Road

Two snakes caught at Sembawang Park
Posted on 13 May 2007
Sighted on 13 May 2007 1330 h
Species: Unknown
In the rafters of a shed at Semabawang Park

These sightings are important for us to understand the behavior and distribution of snakes. They are also pretty entertaining (Haha!). Stompers, thank you for your contribution.

I Killed A (Harmless) Snake

2007-06-08T22:59:00.000+08:00

The last time I checked Singapore Seen (STOMP) at 23:00 h on 8 June 2007, a post titled "I killed a snake - in my 8th floor HDB flat" is top in the "Most Commented" category with 91 comments and is second best in the "Most Viewed" category with 5,766 views.

The snake in question is the non-venomous snake, Striped Keelback (Xenochrophis vittatus). This native of Indonesia (Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi) is probably introduced to Singapore as a pet snake, and has become a fairly common inhabitant of open grasslands here (Lim & Lim, 1992). As this is not an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, I suspect that the reason why the snake was found at such a high level of a building is because it escaped or was released after being kept as a pet.

Comments on the kill are interestingly divided into two groups. One group applauded the destruction of a potentially-dangerous monster. Another group condemned the killing as mindless, cruel and barbaric.

This debate just shows, again, the importance of being able to identify a snake. One of my previous post recommended some good guide books anyone can use to pick up this essential (for you and the snake) skill. Correct identification can help humans tell whether a snake is a friend or a foe, and eventually allows us to make better decisions during an encounter with a snake.

If the situation is not life-threatening, give the pest control guys or the policemen a call (999). These people have the knowledge and equipment to deal with the situation, safely for you and (hopefully) the snake. At the LAST resort, give the snake a quick death by clubbing it on the head. After that, contact me or the Raffles Museum of Bodiversity Research (RMBR) so that we can keep the body for scientific research that is otherwise wasted.

REFERENCES

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 79.

Talk On Snakes In Singapore

2007-06-08T22:14:00.000+08:00

Scanned from "Programmes May/June 2007" brochure of NLB.
* TRL: Tampines Regional Library

Featured in Habitatnews.

Snakes & Ladders

2007-06-04T19:18:00.000+08:00

938LIVE (93.8 FM) The Living Room

Details from the radio station's web page:

Tuesday, 5th June
10am to 10.30am
Snakes & Ladders
They stick their forked tongues out to smell the air. They are able to consume prey that’s three times larger than the diameter of their heads. They also survive in just about every habitat, including underwater. Have we given you goosebumps yet? We’re talking snakes this half hour. There are more than 60 species of snakes in Singapore so which are the potentially dangerous ones? What are some common myths and misconceptions that surround snakes and their behaviour? Are cobras and pythons the most venomous of the lot? What are flying snakes, crab-eating snakes and whipsnakes and where are they found? What’s the first thing you should do, in the event that you get bitten by a snake? Snake enthusiast Chim Chee Kong joins us to allay your fears of this often misunderstood reptile.

Snakehunters Needed

2007-06-04T19:03:00.000+08:00

Nadiah Hana Abd Rahman, a final year undergraduate from the National Institute of Education, is studying the diet of the dog-faced water snakes (Cerberus rynchops) for her research project. If you are the kind of people who loves to wake up in the middle of the night and catch snakes in the name of science, please email nhr8@hotmail.com.

Thanksss.

Another Cantoria

2007-06-04T18:57:00.000+08:00

I encountered Cantor's water snake (Cantoria violacea) again! It was about 2am on 29 May 2007. The snake was swimming along the water's edge at the mouth of Sungei Tampines.

Read more about sightings of this snake posted in May and August 2006.

Curse Of The Fish Net

2007-06-04T18:30:00.000+08:00

There was a recent article in The Straits Times which featured all the bad things a mist net can do to our flying friends such as birds and bats.

On Sunday morning (3 June 2006), I found a snake death trap in the form of a long fish net across Sungei Tampines. There were probably more than twenty of my beloved dog-faced water snakes (Cerberus rynchops) caught and rotting in the net, which was eventually tore apart and removed by me.

Nets kill animals indiscriminately. Please refrain from using them.

Hissspologies

2007-06-04T18:24:00.000+08:00

Hey folks, sorry for misssing in action. I have been so busy dealing with my snake writings that I have totally neglected this blog. I am back with a venom. ~^^

Ssseismometer

2006-12-29T11:37:00.000+08:00

Source: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/163182.asp

Snakes on cam...literally

2006-12-28T14:54:00.000+08:00

Stumbled upon this when i googled for 'Paradise snake'.

Fancy clothing your camera with genuine exotic paradise snake skin?
From source, "Snake skin with a fine, tight pattern. Compatible with black or chrome cameras. Available for all supported cameras."
In case you are wondering, Paradise Tree Snakes REALLY look like this,
http://singaporesnakes.blogspot.com/2006/05/you-can-hisss-too_20.html
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes/paradise_tree-snake.htm

Comes in cobra too! *not for the faint hearted

Unidentified 'red' snake

Snakes are not the only reptiles stripped off their skin (we already know about skinless alligators & crocodiles with their skin on handbags & shoes),
poor lizards are not spared too.
Above: Unidentified 'brown' lizard

i would rather have the snake IN the cam (as a snapshot) than have it ON my cam.
Source of pics: http://www.cameraleather.com/

Bravo, SSnakehunters!

2006-12-14T18:19:00.000+08:00

SSnakehunters (sequel of Snakehunters) is a volunteer group which was set up in January 2006 to assist in the field sampling of my MSc research project (Population Ecology of Dog-faced Water Snakes, Cerberus rynchops in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore). Time flies. The last field work ended last night.

These people have gone through thick and thin mud with me, have endured snake and mosquito bites, and have been traumatised emotionally by lurking crocodiles.

Bravo!!!

Special thanksss to my regular kakis:

Chan Kwok Wai; Heng Ci Pei; Ho Shu Ping; Fiona Hong; Katherine Coyle; Ivan Khong; Nicole Lee; Leong Wai; Lim Wei Ling; Robin Ngiam; Tan Haihan; Tan Kai-xin; Ria Tan; Tan Sijie; Tay Ywee Chieh; Teo Ling Rong; Helen Wong; Yang Shufen; Charlene Yeong.

Thanksss a hisssllion to you, wonderful volunteers:

Ang Jian Wei; Ang Yu Chen; Chang Meiping; Shermaine Chen; Chin Chwee Kim; Ching Biyun; Michelle Choo; Choo Yuan Ting; Chua Siew Chin; Foo Shi Ping; Lim Cheng Puay; Terry Lim; Lim Li-Feng Rachel; Lim Shimin Gwynne; Lim Swee Cheng; Lin Yang Chen; Ng Sophia; Desmond Ng; Nur Azilah Osman; Sor Fang Ting; Kathy Su; Tan Hang Chong; Tan Xiao Ting; Marcus Tay; Helen Tay; Tay Yi Lin; Rebecca Teo; Thong Yueh Yee; Wong Seong Leng; Wong Teck Min; Ye Meishan; Yeo Siew Kee.

Thanks people, for getting dirty with me! ;)

Helen during her mud baptism.

Happy faces (of Helen and Shuping) while their legs are enjoying the mud spa.

Terry and Fang Ting 'eating snake' at one corner?

Cooperation in process: Charlene giving a hand to Wai.

Violet decided to take a seat on the soft mud.

Ci Pei looks like she has been doing this for a lifetime.

Michelle and Xiao Ting serious at work.

Swee Cheng carefully picking up a snake.

Ling Rong, Helen and the snake look like they are enjoying themselves.

Robin, Wei Ling and Shufen giving the snake a photoshoot.

Sijie and Shuping doing The Double Catch!

Python squeezes pet dog to death at River Valley condo

2006-11-21T15:00:00.000+08:00

Python squeezes pet dog to death at River Valley condo
By Lee Hui Chieh & Chong Chee Kin
Sunday, November 19 2006.
The Sunday Times Page 12.

This is an unfortunate incident.

To quote the newspaper article, pythons are "generally defensive by nature and usually feed on small creatures like birds or rodents (especially rats). They tend not to attack humans, unless they feel threatened".

This is how a local python species (Reticulated Python) looks like. Call 999 the next time you feel threatened by one. Provide the right details (name of the snake) so that the police officers can bring along the appropriate tools.

Oriental Whip Snake (Ahaetulla prasina)

2006-11-18T01:21:00.000+08:00

It seems like no snakes can escape the sharp eyes of Chan Kwok Wai. I, "The Blinded One", benefited alot from his presence. He spotted this long (about 2 m) and slender Oriental Whip Snake (Ahaetulla/Dryophis prasina) high up on the branches in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 12 November 2006 at about 7.30 pm. Recently, Dionne Teo spotted the species at the Central Catchment Natural Reserve on 13 April 2006, 22 May 2006 and 22 June 2006. Gail Q also spotted the same snake in the reserve on 25 August 2006.

This species is one of the most commonly sighted and photographed snake in our local forests, probably because it is abundant and it seldom flees. It is mildly venomous but is harmless to humans and is rather inoffensive (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). These characteristics make the snake extremely prone to poaching by people. I urge all to learn to bring yourself to nature, and not bring nature to your home. I believe that this makes the whole experience of appreciating these beautiful creatures a lot more meaningful and exciting. This snake is also the frequent victim of unnecessary killings because the green colour makes it resembles the highly venomous pit-vipers.

It is not surprising that Oriental Whip Snakes are not well studied although they are so common. This is the general trend for snakes in the region. Sharing information on sightings and observations can help us to know more about them.

This arboreal, diurnal snake is known to feed on frogs, birds and lizards (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). It gives live birth to about 4-10 young in a litter (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998), which are brown in colour (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

Oriental Whip Snakes inhabit throughout Southeast Asia (Cox et al., 1998).

From top to bottom: Head left; Body left; Body ventral; Cloaca

* All photographs by Mr Chim Chee Kong, except the one on cloaca which is by Mr Chan Kwok Wai.

Local sightings posted on photographic forums:

www.naturephotosociety.org.sg/dcforum/DCForumID2/496.html
forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=79154
forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=106837
forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=131977
forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=166812
forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?p=1941941

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 69.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 66-67.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 70.

Black-headed Collared Snake (Sibynophis melanocephalus)

2006-11-10T00:30:00.000+08:00

Chua Siew Chin found a Black-headed Collared Snake (Sibynophis melanocephalus) on the tarmac road leading to the summit of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on 3 November 2006 at about 9.30 am.

This non-venomous snake is shy and harmless (Lim & Lim, 1992). Diurnal and terrestrial, this snake inhabits lowland areas (Lim & Lee, 1989) such as rainforests (Cox et al., 1998) and agricultural areas (Lim & Lim, 1992). It is usually found near streams (Cox et al., 1998) and among the grass and bushes (Lim & Lee, 1989).

Skinks, frogs, tadpoles and grasshoppers features in its diet (Cox et al., 1998). This oviparous species (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992) can grow up to 80 cm in total length (Cox et al., 1998).

It occurs in southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia east to Java (Cox et al., 1998).

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 57.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 57.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 57.

The Night The Snake Got Insulted

2006-11-08T17:31:00.000+08:00

Helen Wong shouted "Earthworm!" when she saw the culprit above. It is understandable because the animal is pretty small and it was raining. After a few seconds of time lag, I shouted "Snake!" and Helen jumped three steps back at lightning speed. It took me some time to register the identity of the snake because of the unusual (for this species) pattern on this individual's body. But the characteristic red eyes gave it away. It is a juvenile Shore Pit-viper! Like previous encounters, this snake was crawling on the ground. It was escaping (Yes! Snakes are shy!), and I need a good photograph of it for documentation, so I stopped it by pulling gently at its tail (Not advisable! If I were to be bitten, the fault lies entirely on me). This encounter is on 7 November 2006 (7.15 pm) at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

Juvenile Female Wagler's Pit-viper

2006-11-06T01:40:00.000+08:00

I received this photograph of a juvenile female Wagler's Pit-viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) from Dionne Teo just after I finished "slogging" on this species. She encountered this snake on 30 October 2006 in Lower Peirce Reservoir at about 4 pm. The patterns on this individual is unlike those on other specimens posted in my previous entry. This is a rarely (relatively) seen juvenile female with bars instead of dots seen in juvenile males. This is what scientists call "sexual dimorphism". Will be interesting to find out the evolutionary cause for this phenomenon.

Wagler's Pit-viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri)

2006-11-06T00:54:00.000+08:00

Chan Kwok Wai, always the sharp-eyed one, spotted a Wagler's Pit-viper (Tropidolaemus/Trimeresurus wagleri) on a low-lying branch during our night walk in the Central Catchment Area on 4 November 2006. Although this is not a rare snake, it seems to be that there is very little scientific publications on the ecology of this species. Enter "Tropidolaemus wagleri" or "Trimeresurus wagleri" in Google Scholar and what you get are mostly, if not all, papers on the snake's systematics and venom. However, one can still find lots of information on the natural history and husbandry of this species in Thomas Jaekel's impressive Wagler's Viper Site. It is from this site where we get information to suggest that the pit-viper we encountered is most probably a juvenile male snake.

This arboreal snake lives among low vegetation in forests (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998) and has a prehensile tail (Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

Like all pit-vipers, this nocturnal species possesses heat-sensitive pits to track warm-blooded animals (Lim & Lim, 1992). It is known to feed on small vertebrates, (Lim & Lim, 1992), geckos (Jaekel, 2006), birds (Lim & Lee, 1989), and jungle rats (Lim & Lee, 1989).

A Wagler's pit-viper can grow up to about 1 m (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998) and is known to give birth to 41 neonates per litter (Cox et al., 1998).

Although this species is venomous, it is not known to bite people (Lim & Lee, 1989) and its bite is seldom deadly (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

This snake is distributed in southern Thailand, West Malaysia, Singapore, parts of Indonesia and the Philippines (Cox et al., 1998).

Other sightings:

MountainMan (ClubSnap), Central Catchment Nature Reserve, posted 18 May 2005
slaam (ClubSnap), Hindhede Park, posted 18 July 2005
Azure (ClubSnap), Upper Bukit Timah Road, posted 17 February 2006

19 March 2005, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Ria Tan

18 January 2006, Dairy Farm Centre, Kenneth Chng

23 April 2006, Lower Peirce Reservoir, Yang Zhigang

1 August 2006, Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Heng Ci Pei & Violet Lee

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 23.

Jaekel, T., 2006. Wagler's Viper Site. World Wide Web. http://www.thomas-jaekel.homepage.t-online.de/index-wa.htm.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 102.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 95.

Gold-ringed Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila)

2006-10-25T01:20:00.000+08:00

I cannot believe my eyes when a Gold-ringed Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila) swam towards me, Chan Kwok Wai and Lim Swee Cheng. We were standing besides a small stream in Upper Peirce Reservoir on 24 October 2006 at 8.30 pm. It was a large specimen, approximately 2 m in total length and 2.5 kg in body weight. When mature, the Gold-ringed Cat Snake reaches a length of about 2.5 m (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998). This arboreal species is also commonly known as the Mangrove Snake, but seems to be rarely found in local mangroves.

This mildly-venomous but docile snake is popularly used by local snake charmers (Lim & Lim, 1992) and "gor yok" peddlers. It is nocturnal and is known to hunt for small vertebrates such as birds, eggs, lizards and rodents (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). About 4 to 15 eggs are laid per clutch, and the incubation period is about 3 months (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998). Hatchlings are about 40 cm and resemble adults (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998).

Gold-ringed Cat Snake occurs in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and part of Sumatra (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998).

* Photograph from Mr Lim Swee Cheng

* Desktop Wallpaper from Mr Chan Kwok Wai

REFERENCES

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 73.

Dwarf Reed Snake (Pseudorabdion longiceps)

2006-10-22T23:44:00.000+08:00

The Dwarf Reed Snake (Pseudorabdion longiceps) resembles the Brahminy Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) in morphology and habits. Both are small nocturnal burrowing snakes that feed on minute invertebrates such as insect larvae (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). These non-venomous snakes lay eggs (Lim & Lim, 1992). Although both species are common, they are seldom encountered due to their size and lifestyle. As a result, very little is known about them.

Chan Kwok Wai, of Wildlife Singapore, sighted a Dwarf Reed Snake on a northern offshore island of Singapore on 15 September 2006. He would like to share this desktop wallpaper with everyone:

REFERENCES

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 50.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 62.

Twin-barred Tree Snake (Chrysopelea pelias)

2006-10-22T22:52:00.000+08:00

Heather Jones was at Lower Peirce Reservoir on 19 October 2006 morning when she spotted a very rare (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998) Twin-barred Tree Snake (Chrysopelea pelias) on the wooden boardwalk. According to "The Singapore Red Data Book", this beautiful snake is considered vulnerable (Species believed likely to move into the "Endangered" category in the near future if the threats to its survival are not reduced or eliminated.). Unfortunately, there is little known about this species (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

This diurnal, arboreal and mildly-venomous snake inhabits forests and feeds on small vertebrates such as lizards (Lim & Lim, 1992). It can grow up to 74 cm in total body length (Cox et al., 1998) and lays eggs (Lim & Lim, 1992).

This species is distributed in southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby islands (Cox et al., 1998).

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 66.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 65.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 69.

Desktop Wallpaper of Feeding Puff-faced Water Snake

2006-10-21T20:42:00.000+08:00

Chan Kwok Wai, of Wildlife Singapore, took beautiful shots of a Puff-faced Water Snake (Homalopsis buccuta) feeding on a "larger-than-mouth" prey in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 15 October 2006. He would like to share this wonderfully created desktop wallpaper with everyone.

Another Close Encounter With Shorey

2006-10-15T02:33:00.000+08:00

My good luck with Shore Pit-vipers (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) continues. A small beautiful individual crossed my (gravel) path on 12 October 2006 (Thursday) in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve at about 7.30 pm. The snake was doing "it's thing" but I interrupted it for awhile to take some shots (with a camera). Thereafter, it slithered away into the bush.

This is the fourth time (17 May 06 @ Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp; 18 Aug 06 @ Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp; 28 Aug 06 @ Lim Chu Kang Road End Mangroves) which I have chanced upon this snake, and it was always on the ground.

Ria Tan of Wild Singapore sent me the following photographs of her sightings of Shore Pit-vipers which were all taken at SBWR (on 27 May 2002, 4 October 2003, and 2 November 2003) but the snakes were all off ground.

These snakes rest on high ground during the day and hunt for prey on the ground in the night? Will be interesting to find out.

Guide Books for Indentification of Singapore Snakes

2006-10-11T23:41:00.000+08:00

It is good to know the difference between a Oriental Whipsnake and a Wagler Pit-viper; a Malayan Brown Snake and a Equatorial Spitting Cobra; a Pink-headed Reed Snake and a Blue Malayan Coral Snake; a Striped Kukri Snake and a Banded Malayan Coral Snake; a Gold-ringed Cat Snake and a Banded Krait; ...

These three references should help you learn more about snakes in Singapore, apart from differentiating the harmless snakes from the venomous ones:

A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore
ISBN 997188304X
Coverage: HISSSS (Good coverage of common species found in Singapore)
Text: HISSSS (Concise yet comprehensive)
Photographs: HISSS (Good enough for identification purposes)
Size: HISSSSS (A true pocket-sized field guide)
Price: HISSSSS (SGD 5.25, incl. GST!)
Availability: HISSSS (In most good bookstores and library collections)
Overall: HISSSS (THE BOOK for that life-and-death situation; easy reference because it is concise and covers ONLY local species)

A Photographic Guide To Snakes And Other Reptiles Of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore And Thailand
ISBN 1853684384
Coverage: HISSSSS (Almost all local species)
Text: HISSSS (Pretty detailed)
Photographs: HISSS (Good enough for indentification)
Size: HISSSS (Small enough to put in a waist-pouch)
Price: HISSSS (Under SGD 20)
Availability: HISS (In some good bookstores)
Overall: HISSSS (Useful for herping in the region; covers more than is needed for identification of local species)

Fascinating Snakes Of Southeast Asia - An Introduction
ISBN 9677300458
Coverage: HISSSS (Most local species)
Text: HISSS (Very descriptive. Not concise.)
Photographs: HISSSS (Huge and clear)
Size: HISS (Leave it on the coffee table)
Price: HISS (More than SGD 30)
Availability: HISS (Difficult to find in local bookstores and library collections)
Overall: HISSS (Good book to have but not for quick reference)

Banded Malayan Coral Snake (Calliophis intestinalis)

2006-10-10T00:48:00.000+08:00

Debby Ng sent me this photograph of a Banded Malayan Coral Snake, Calliophis (Maticora) intestinalis, roadkill which she spotted just outside Mandai Track 15 on 23 Septempber 2006. This venomous but inoffensive snake is supposed to be fairly common but is seldom sighted, probably due to its burrowing and nocturnal nature (Lim & Lim, 1992).

REFERENCE

Lim, K. K. O. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. SIngapore Science Centre, p. 89.

A Snakeful Night

2006-10-03T23:41:00.000+08:00

Luck was with me on 29 September 2006.

Five snakes in a night!

There was a Common Malayan Racer (Coelognathus flavolineatus) that was faster than F1 racer, escaped before a photograph can be taken.

A Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana) with cloudy eyes, suggesting that the snake is about to shed its skin.

A Keel-bellied Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens) roadkill.

A juvenile King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) roadkill.

And finally ... the skeletal remains of a large Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) in a monsoon drain.

Ok, I cheated a bit. But dead snakes are still snakes, and are important for locality recording purposes.

Sightings are from a northern offshore island of Singapore.

Previous sightings:

http://singaporesnakes.blogspot.com/2006/08/another-snake-roadkill.html
http://singaporesnakes.blogspot.com/2006/08/snake-roadkills-in-singapore_01.html

* All photographs from Mr Norman Lim and Mr Chim Chee Kong

Snake In A Park!

2006-10-03T00:50:00.000+08:00

I was informed by Tay Ywee Chieh that a Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) had attracted too much unwanted attention in Bishan Park after a hearty breakfast on 30 September 2006. The snake was too full for its own good, being too heavy to move to a less conspicuous spot to enjoy a lazy Saturday afternoon. People were threatening to call the AVA (Agri-Veteninary Authority) or other authorities to remove the python, a move which will most likely seal its fate. Ywee Chieh, with some knowledge on snakes, tried to convince the concerned crowd that the snake is a harmless one (which is true) and they should leave it alone. They left not entirely convinced. Apart from people, the snake was also terrorized by an army of ants which seemed to be "eating it alive". There was also high chance of the snake becoming a roadkill, since it was lying so near to the pavement. Being concerned about the safety of the poor creature, Ywee Chieh and a kind passerby commendably used a branch and moved the animal to a less eye-catching location.

WHAT TO DO IF I SAW A SNAKE IN A PARK?

The best thing to do is do nothing, unless you are 100% sure about the snake's identity. Thus, it is extremely important to know your snakes. This is to save the snake and you. More often than not, the snakes we killed are harmless ones. I believe that encounters such as the one mentioned above was not the fault of the python being a snake, but was the result of our ignorance. If we know more about our snakes, we can better handle a situation. A "snake-ledgeable" person is probably less likely to suffer heart attack when she/he encounters a legless friend.

Pythons longer than 3 m may be dangerous to man. If you are very sure that your existence is being threatened by snakes this big, call 999.

* All photographs by Ms Tay Ywee Chieh (using her mobile phone!)

Reptile skin smuggler jailed, fined.

2006-09-27T08:22:00.000+08:00

Reptile skin smuggler jailed, fined
By Elena Chong
Saturday, September 23 2006.
The Straits Times, Home, H4.

An Indonesian seaman who smuggled in 11 bales of reptile skins last Thursday was sentenced to four months in jail and fined $10,000 yesterday.

Ali Mirhan, 24, a crew of the barge Sindora Seraya, pleaded guilty to importing 104 monitor lizard skins, six blood python skins and about 4,080 reticulated python skins from Indonesia without a permit.

He will serve an additional two months in jail as he was unable to pay the fine.

Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) prosecuting officer Yap Teck Chuan said an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) anti-smuggling team, acting on information, boarded the vessel at the Eastern Working Anchorage at about 4pm last Thursday.

They found 11 bales of skins worth about $250,000 hidden between canisters of fire extinguishers.

The reptiles are all protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Ali said he was paid 100,000 rupiah (S$17) by an Indonesian-Chinese man in Selat Panjang to bring the reptile skins over. He was promised another $50 if the items were delivered successfully.

Singapore has often been labelled a centre for the illegal wildlife trade and criticised for being relax in enforcing laws.

"This is very damaging for Singapore, especially our international image, that we are a 'laundering' centre for illegal wildlife, particularly wildlife from biodiversity-rich neighbouring countries," said Mr Yap, who pressed for a deterrent sentence.

Parliament amended the law in March, increasing the maximum fine from $5,000 to maximum $500,000, and the maximum jail term doubled to two years.

"Curse" of "The Devil-Eyed"

2006-08-29T16:56:00.000+08:00

A Shore Pit Viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) was sighted by Charlene Yeong in Lim Chu Kang mangroves on 28 August 2006, at about 9 pm. This venomous snake, as in my previous sightings in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp on 7 May 2006 and 18 August 2006, was lying on the ground coiling its body around mangrove roots and branch twigs. So please watch where you step and do not kill the snake under your feet! Oh, of course this is for your own safety too.

Somehow, I found a strange and unproven correlation between the presence of Short Pit Viper and the absence of crustacean-eating homalopsines (Cantoria violacea, Fordonia leucobalia and Gerarda prevostiana), and vice versa. This is the trend for all 6 nights:

4 September 2005 (Cantoria violacea)
7 May 2006 (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus)
18 August 2006 (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus)
19 August 2006 (Cantoria violacea and Fordonia leucobalia)
27 August 2006 (Fordonia leucobalia and Gerarda prevostiana)
28 August 2006 (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus)

Could environmental factors be the cause of this observations?

Gerard's Water Snake (Gerarda prevostiana)

2006-08-29T15:30:00.000+08:00

A Gerard's Water Snake (Gerarda prevostiana) was spotted by Helen Wong and caught by Lim Weiling in a tidal pool at the base of a mud lobster mound in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp on 27 August 2006, 9 pm. This mildly-venomous snake seems to be rather rare nowadays.

Karns et al., (2002) investigated on the homalopsine snakes population in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp, and found Gerarda prevostiana to be the second most common of four species in Pasir Ris Park, after the fish-eating Cerberus rynchops. Results showed that this species is more commonly encountered on full and new moon nights compared to half moon nights.

John Murphy and Harold Voris (2002) called Gerarda prevostiana "a snake with a secret".

They also wrote:
"Gerald's water snake remained a mystery in virtually all aspects of its biology until recently. Few museum specimens were available before the 1990's."

This trend holds true for the other crustacean-eating homalopsines found in Singapore: Cantor's Water Snake (Cantoria violacea) and Crab-eating Water Snake (Fordonia leucobalia).

Studies by a team of American biologists (Harold Voris, Daryl Karns and Bruce Jayne) here in 2001 shed invaluable light on these mysterious creatures.

It has been suggested that Gerard's water snake, like most homalopsines, feeds on fishes (Cox et al., 1998; Murphy & Voris, 2002; Voris & Murphy, 2002). Examination of museum specimens proved this to be wrong, and revealed that this snake preys on grapsid crabs (Murphy & Voris, 2002; Voris & Murphy, 2002).

In the laboratory, Bruce Jayne found that captive snakes feed only on freshly moulted crabs. The video can be downloaded here.

The table manners of Gerarda prevostiana is so unusual that it has never been documented in other snakes. All snakes are known to swallow food whole, except this species which uses a 'loop and pull' technique to tear its food into bite-sized pieces before enjoying the meal (Jayne et al., 2002; Murphy & Voris, 2002). By doing this, the snake can feed on prey that are otherwise too large for its mouth (gape). This is also probably the reason why Gerard's Water Snake loves soft-shelled crabs.

Like Fordonia leucobalia, the distribution of Gerarda prevostiana is remarkably similar to that of the mud lobster (Thalissina anomala) (Murphy & Voris, 2002). This snake hides in the burrows of mud lobster mounds, swims in tidal pools formed in depressions around the bases of mud lobster mounds, and moves in and out of the water and crab burrows on the outer surface of the mounds when foraging (Murphy & Voris, 2002; Voris & Murphy, 2002).

Gerarda prevostiana has been recorded from India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines (Murphy & Voris, 2002; Voris & Murphy, 2002). Locally, this snake has been collected from Pasir Ris Park and Lim Chu Kang (Karns et al., 2002; Voris & Murphy, 2002).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Ventral side of head; Right side of head; Dorsal side of body; Ventral side of body; Dorsal side of tail; Ventral side of tail.

* All photographs by Mr Lim Swee Cheng.

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 42.

Jayne, B. C., Voris, H. K. & Ng, P. K. L., 2002. Snake circumvent constraints on prey size. Nature 418: 413.

Karns, D.R., Voris, H. K. & Goodwin, T. G., 2002. Ecology of Oriental-Australian rear-fanged water snakes (Colubridae: Homalpsinae) in the Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Forest, Singapore. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 50(2): 487-498.

Murphy, J. C. & Voris, H. K., 2002. Aquatic snakes with crustacean-eating habits elude herpetologists for two centuries. Litteratura Serpentium 22(3): 107-114.

Voris, H. K. & Murphy, J. C., 2002. The prey and predators of Homalopsine snakes. Journal of Natural History 36: 1621-1632.

INTERNET LINKS

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/museum_info/press/press_snake_eating.htm
http://whyfiles.org/shorties/109crab_snake/index.html
http://www.wildlifenews.co.uk/articles2002/july/july1302h.htm
http://animal.discovery.com/news/briefs/200207/snaketear.html

Bad Publicity For Snakes

2006-08-23T23:57:00.000+08:00

Poor snakes.

New blow to their reputation.

And you thought they have enough bad publicity.

"Snakes On A Plane" (a ridiculousss Hollywood movie about snakes terrorising humans on a plane) will be opening tomorrow (24 August 2006) in Singapore theatres.

Before you become too paranoid after watching the show and decide to kill every snakes you encounter, it is important to know that only a small percentage of the almost 3,000 species of snakes in the world are dangerous to people.

I cannot get any figures from the books I have, but through googling, I found websites consistently stating the percentage to be 10%.

I think there are about 25 species of venomous snakes in Singapore, 11 of which are considered mildly venomous (venom which is often too mild to have any serious effects on normal humans), 7 of which inhabits the sea, some rarely bite people, and most are very shy/elusive.

In fact, ALL snakes (maybe except a huge and hungry Reticulated Python) cannot be bothered with humans, unless you "suay suay" disturbed them (e.g. stepped on their tails).

Interesting articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakebite
http://www.umass.edu/nrec/snake_pit/pages/myth.html

Video of Ular Laut in Pulau Hantu

2006-08-23T01:19:00.000+08:00

Debby Ng of Hantu Bloggers has a wonderful video of a Yellow-lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina) swimming along the sea bed of Pulau Hantu.

Check out earlier SLOG post on this beautiful snake.

Crab-eating Water Snake (Fordonia leucobalia)

2006-08-23T01:10:00.000+08:00

Two Crab-eating Water Snakes (Fordonia leucobalia) were sighted in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp on 19 August 2006, 9 pm. One snake was lying on the mudflat while the other was found on a mud lobster mound. My first encounter with this species was when I was part of a volunteering team "Snakehunters" led by a group of American biologists (Daryl Karns, Harold Voris & Bruce Jayne) researching on the ecology of homalopsines (A group of snakes that includes Fordonia leucobalia, Cantoria violacea, Gerarda prevostiana, and Cerberus rynchops) in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp in 2001. This study was published in our local biodiversity journal Raffles Bulletin of Zoology in 2002 [pdf, 1390 kb].

Ten years after the description of Fordonia leucobalia in 1837, Theodore Cantor recognized that F. leucobalia ate crabs, thus its common name (Murphy & Voris, 2002). Alan Savitzky (1983) suggested that this snake uses its jaws to crush crabs. John Murphy and Harold Voris (2002), however, found that the carapace always remained intact when F. leucobalia consumed hard-shelled crabs. Richard Shine and Terry Schwaner (1985) observed this species using an unusual form of constriction while feeding on crabs and removing and eating each of the crab's legs. By using the same method, F. leucobalia teared apart carapaces of very large soft shelled crabs (Murphy & Voris, 2002).

John Murphy and Harold Voris (2002) described the unique feeding strategy of Fordonia leucobalia:
"Small crabs were simply seized and swallowed with the strike, but larger crabs were handled in a different manner. The snake struck at the crab with a closed mouth, but instead of grabbing the crab in its jaws it slapped the crab with its chin. The crab, apparently realized it was under attack, withdrew its legs and sunk into the substrate into a defensive posture. The snake then went to work swallowing the crab sideways. Large crabs that resist predation may end up having the snake chewing on one of its legs, and as the crab tires, it may eject the leg to escape, leaving only a small piece of itself as a morsel for the snake."

This midly-venomous snake possesses massive fangs that look like nail punches built to puncture the hard chitinous exoskeleton of crabs (Murphy & Voris, 2002).

Cox et al. (1998) claimed that this species not only preys on crabs, but also on small fish.

Litters of 6-15 young, each 18 cm long, are known (Cox et al., 1998). Adults can grow up to 94 cm (Cox et al., 1998).

This nocturnal snake inhabits tidal rivers and coastal areas (Cox et al., 1998). It made extensive use of mud lobster mounds, has been observed foraging on mud tidal flats, and also known to use crab burrows (Karns et al., 2002).

It occurs from Burma through southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and New Guinea to northern Australia, a distribution remarkably similar to mud lobsters (Thalissina anomala) (Barrett, 1950; Cox et al., 1998; Murphy & Voris, 2002).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Right side of head; Dorsal side of body; Ventral side of body; Ventral side of tail.

* All photographs by Chan Kwok Wai

REFERENCES

Barrett, C., 1950. Reptiles of Australia: crocodiles, snakes and lizards. Cassel & Company Limited, p. 113.

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 39.

Jayne, B. C., Voris, H. K. & Ng, P. K. L., 2002. Snake circumvent constraints on prey size. Nature 418: 413.

Murphy, J. C. & Voris, H. K., 2002. Aquatic snakes with crustacean-eating habits elude herpetologists for two centuries. Litteratura Serpentium 22(3): 107-114.

Savitzky, A. H., 1983. Coadapted character complexes among snakes: fossoriality, piscivory, and durophagy. American Zoologist 23: 397-409.

Shine, R. & Schwaner, T., 1985. Prey constriction by venomous snakes: a review and new data on Australian species. Copeia 1985(4): 1067-1071.

Cantor Lost It's Golden Rings

2006-08-20T01:59:00.000+08:00

Joe Ong spotted a Cantor's Water Snake (Cantoria violacea) on the mudflat in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp on 19 August 2006, 10pm. The scale pattern of this individual is slightly different from that of the other snake I found on 4 December 2005. The golden rings of the former are not present throughout the whole body and tail as in the latter. Chan Kwok Wai captured wonderful close-up shots of this beautiful snake.

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Right side of head, Dorsal side of body, Ventral side of body; Cloaca; Ventral side of tail.

* All photographs by Mr Chan Kwok Wai.

Banded File Snake (Acrochordus granulatus)

2006-08-18T03:05:00.000+08:00

Ria Tan seems to have lots of luck with Banded File Snakes (Acrochordus granulatus), having sighted them 3 times on the northern shores of Singapore:

Chek Jawa 21 October 2001
Chek Jawa 16 June 2003
Pulau Sekudu 10 July 2005

This nocturnal species inhabits various coastal habitats such as shallow seas, river mouths, estuaries and mangroves (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998). It feeds on fishes, including eels (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

These live-bearers produce a litter of 5-10 young, averaging 22 cm, after about six months' gestation (Cox et al., 1998). One individual was found to have 7 fully developed embryos in late April (Lim & Lee, 1989). This non-venomous species can grow to about 1 m in length (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

It ranges from India to northern Australia and to Hainan (Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Right side of head; Dorsal side of body; Ventral side of body; Dorsal side of tail.

* All photographs by Ms Ria Tan.

References

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

What's Hisss Name?

2006-08-17T03:24:00.000+08:00

Since we live in a multi-lingual society, I supposed it is useful to know the name of our beloved limbless friends in all five "National" languages:

English: Snake
Malay: Ular
Mandarin: She (pronounce "Sir")
Singlish (Hokkien in this case): Zua
Tamil: Pambu

Another Snake Roadkill

2006-08-17T01:57:00.000+08:00

Another roadkill sighted by Norman Lim on The Singapore Offshore Island. This House Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus) was found lying on the side of the road on 10 August 2006. It was not flattened but has some scratches. Perhaps it was abandoned after being attacked by a predator (e.g. bird)? Nobody knows.

SLOG had already documented 6 other snake species from this locality, most of which are thanks (oh well ...) to roadkills:

Keel-bellied Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens) 20 May 2006
Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) 21 May 2006
Common Malayan Racer (Coelognathus flavolineatus)27 June 2006
Painted Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus)27 June 2006
Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana) 27 June 2006
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) 27 June 2006

I am sure there are many more out there ...

"Gor Yok" Uncle and His Gold-ringed Cat Snake

2006-08-09T20:35:00.000+08:00

I chanced upon this uncle selling "gor yok" (膏药; medical oilment) in Jurong West today. On the table is this Gold-ringed Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila) displayed in an opened red bag. I am not sure what the legless friend has got to do with the medicine the uncle is selling but it is definitely a crowd-puller!

People might have mistaken the snake for a highly venomous snake such as a cobra or a krait, and somehow formed an equation of "uncle not afraid of venomous snake" = "medicine is good" = "must buy!" Haha.

Happy 41st Birthday, Sssingapore!

2006-08-08T18:06:00.000+08:00

Blind snake MTV

2006-08-07T00:18:00.000+08:00

Blind snake 1
Release from box, back to home sweet soil
4th July 06, approx. 5pm, Junyuan Primary School

Blind snake 2
Found another one 5m away! woo hoo!
4th July 06, approx. 5.30pm, Junyuan Primary School

Stalking Blindy who was so camera shy. Not sure if it's the same guy as the lucky one spotted on 4th July.
7th July 06, approx. 5pm, Junyuan Primary School

The secret location of where Blindy 2 stakes out - under the stone slab!
7th July 06, approx. 5.30pm, Junyuan Primary School
*Thanks to my very enthusiastic P6 Science Gym students who tirelessly lift up almost all the stone slabs in their ecogarden!

There used to be a lot of snakes in Singapore

2006-08-02T01:01:00.000+08:00

I chanced upon this extremely illogical but hissslarious article by T. S. Daniel (19 May 2004, Singapore Can!), when I was googling on "Singapore Snakes".

There used to be a lot of snakes in Singapore

"There are not very many snakes slithering around the streets of Singapore, But there are a few. And they are very big. Usually about 30 metres long. It wasn’t always like this. Snakes used to be much smaller and there were thousands of them everywhere. What happened is that the stronger snakes started to eat the weaker snakes. This usually meant that the longer snakes were swallowing the shorter snakes. To cut a long story short, the reason there aren’t many snakes left and why those that are left are so big is because they have swallowed all the others. It has been calculated that within 5 years there will be only one snake left in Singapore. And that snake will be so big that when he gets hungry he will mistake the end of his tail for another snake and start eating it. This won’t hurt, of course, because his other end will be so far away. And snake pain doesn’t travel very fast. This, the mad hotness of the sun beating down and the lack of water will probably mean that he will gobble himself up in no time. Then there will be no snakes at all. This is what happened in Ireland."

A Snake-Charmed Life in Singapore

2006-08-02T00:29:00.000+08:00

Michael Richardson wrote the article "A Snake-Charmed Life in Singapore" in International Herald Tribute on 07 Jan 1997.

The article might be old, but I think it is still good enough to share with you. N. Sivasothi of Habitatnews has kindly uploaded a pdf file of the article on his website.

Richardson was charmed by the snakes in Singapore. I am charmed by him, especially his change of perspective towards snakes.

Some interesting extracts from the article:

" As a boy who spent time on farms in Australia, I was taught that the best snake is a dead one."

" So when I arrived in Singapore — a small island-state where nearly all of the original tropical. jungle has been replaced by apartment and office blocks, factories, highways and manicured parks and gardens — I did not expect any further problems with snakes."

"I have lately discovered that one of the reasons Singaporeans are disinclined to rent such places (old British military quarters) — apart from their reputation as being haunted — is the prevalence of snakes."

" But it is hard to feel so affectionate about the snakes that seek sanctuary in the park where we live."

" I never try to harm these snakes as none of them is aggressive or seriously venomous."

"The snake was fully exposed on a bare embankment — a relatively easy target for my stick. But instead of striking, I hesitated, mesmerized by its slow, sinuous movement."

"It was true that I was still recovering from food poisoning. But that was only part of the truth."

Snake Roadkills in Singapore

2006-08-01T23:35:00.000+08:00

Norman Lim sighted FOUR roadkills of different snake species on a single day (27 June 2006) on an offshore island of Singapore: Coelognathus flavolineatus (Common Malayan Racer), Dendrelaphis pictus (Painted Bronzeback), Naja sumatrana (Equatorial Spitting Cobra), and a Ophiophagus hannah (King Cobra) juvenile.

Snakes need to bask but these poor souls were probably enjoying a nice sun tan, when they were driven to their graves. Nobody knows how many snakes are killed this way in Singapore. Please drive safely, for the snakes.

Bad for snakes but good for scientists. Live snakes are hard to collect, thus dead specimens are extremely precious. Scientists can still collect loads of useful data from well-preserved specimens, without killing one. You can do your part for local conservation by reporting roadkills to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research soon after your sighting.

Malayan Brown Snake Xenelaphis hexagonotus

2006-07-02T00:41:00.000+08:00

An unexpected sighting of this long snake while on a fieldtrip to CCNR one day...well ok spotted on 22nd June 06 10.15 plus minus 15min in the morning if you have to know. Noone will blame you if you can't really see the brown snake in the midst of the brown background, it's the best shot ive got! In any case, this guy was busy swimming up & down the forest stream, foraging or perhaps it got agitated by some humanoid screams. I hope it didn't become deaf! After some verification with Mr Snake Hunter* himself, this creature is most probably a Malayan Brown Snake, Xenelaphis hexagonotus. For those fact hungry people, do read on...

Upclose: Beautifully captured by Norman Lim and K W Chan
(see Wildlife Singapore)

Reaching around 2 metres in length, the Malayan Brown Snake is a harmless, largely terrestrial species inhabiting forests, plantations and swamps (freshwater and mangrove). It feeds on other vertebrates, particularly rodents, but in freshwater swamp habitats it is known to be highly aquatic in behaviour, feeding chiefly on small fishes and frogs. The typical hunting method is to adopt an erect posture, waiting for prey to come into range, and then to strike quickly.

Dorsal scales are brown, becoming more olive-green posteriorly, especially in juveniles. A regular series of dark brown bands extends slightly onto the belly, which is white or pale yellow.
The species ranges from Southern Burma and Southern Thailand, and parts of Indochina, through Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.

Info adapted from Nick Baker's EcologyAsia, click on this to check out his snapshots.

Another lucky candidate mphil spotted a Malayan Brown on P. Ubin, his posting on ClubSnap). According to him & Nparks, this species has yet to make it to the NParks list of snakes found on P.Ubin. Well now we know these guys are around in our backyard, aint that comforting =o>

*Chim C K

House Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus)

2006-06-16T00:26:00.000+08:00

Dionne Teo found a dead House Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus) along the roadside of Florissa Park on 12 June 2006 at 8.15 am. The snake was in an awkward position, biting on its own mid-body. No injuries were detected. I wonder what is the cause of the mysterious death!

This nocturnal species (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998) is commonly found in buildings (Lim & Lee, 1989), and also inhabits dry forested areas and cultivated areas (Cox et al., 1998). It possesses remarkable climbing abilities, and often lives in cracks and crevices of walls or timber (Lim & Lee, 1989). It’s favourite prey is geckos (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992), but it also feeds on other lizards and frogs (Cox et al., 1998). The prey is seized by the head and held in the snake’s coils till it is finally subdued (Lim & Lee, 1989). This non-venomous snake (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992) is generally quite inoffensive (Lim & Lim, 1992).

House Wolf Snake lays clutches of 3-11 eggs (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998), and the young hatch from the eggs after an incubation period of 11/2 months (Lim & Lee, 1989). It can reach a length of 76 cm (Cox et al., 1998).

This species occurs throughout Southeast Asia (Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Ventral side of head; Inside of jaws; Right side of head; Dorsal side of body; Side of body; Anal Plate; Ventral side of tail.

Sivasothi reported on 1 July 2005, that a House Wolf Snake resided on Hopea sangal wood slices he had left out to dry.

Kctsang caught a House Wolf Snake in a ladies toilet on 26 May 2003, and has some good photographs of the animal here.

“Exploration Trails Gallery” has the photograph of a House Wolf Snake sighted in Pulau Hantu.

* All photographs from Ms Dionne Teo

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

Hisssteria On The Far Side

2006-06-15T01:23:00.000+08:00

Gary Larson loves to make fun of snakes in his "The Far Side" comics strips. Really hisssterical! Plenty of such strips can be found here. Have a good hisss!

Checklist of Snakes in Pulau Ubin

2006-06-06T23:50:00.000+08:00

I Yahoo-ed, discovered and downloaded the "Checklist of amphibians, reptiles and mammals of Pulau Ubin", published by the National Parks Board (NParks). It is unfortunate that the author and date of publication was not stated. The list included 20 species of snakes:

Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) CR
Sunbeam Snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) CR
Common Blind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) CR
White-bellied Blind Snake (Typhlops muelleri) SR
Oriental Whip Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) CR
Dog-toothed Cat Snake (Boiga cynodon) SR
Yellow-ringed Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila) SR
Paradise Tree Snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) CR
Twin-barred Tree Snake (Chrysopelea pelias) SR
Striped Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) CR
Painted Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus) CR
Keel-bellied Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens) SR
Common Malayan Racer (Coelognathus flavolineatus / Elaphe flavolineata) UR
Striped Kukri Snake (Oligodon octolineatus) CR
House Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus / Ophites aulicus) CR
Dog-faced Water Snake (Cerberus rynchops) CR
Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) SR
Equatorial Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana) CR
Marbled Sea Snake (Aipysurus eydouxii) SR/V
Shore Pit-viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) SR

C=Common, U=Ucommon, S=Scarce
R=Resident, F=Feral, V=Visitor

Yellow-lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina)

2006-06-06T11:29:00.000+08:00

Yellow-lipped Sea Kraits (Laticauda colubrina) are large (to 1.5 m, 2 kg) amphibious sea snakes that forage for eels in tropical oceans but return to land to digest their prey, slough their skins, mate, and lay eggs (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998; Shetty & Shine, 2002a). This species is usually found on coral atolls and rocky islets where it congregates in large numbers during the breeding season (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998). The loss of such habitats in Singapore is threatening this beautiful snakes (Ng, 1995). The eggs are laid in clutches of 5-9 (Cox et al., 1998), and deposited in crevices and holes in the rocks (Lim & Lee, 1989). The hatching of the eggs was reported to occur in the period of June to August on islands near Singapore (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998). This snake is widely distributed, ranging from the Bay of Bengal to the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Left side of head; Right side of head; Dorsal side of body; Right side of body; Ventral side of body; Dorsal side of tail, Right side of tail.

My first encounter with a Yellow-lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda colubrina) was on 24 June 2005 at about 10 am. The snake was on the water’s surface near the jetty of St. John’s Island. It was behaving strangely, somewhat twisting and turning. I recorded three video clips:

I noticed that there is a bulge at the region of the snake's stomach (indicating that it just had a meal?). It soon “floated” very near to the seawall. I wanted to check if the snake was suffering from any injuries or diseases, so I picked it up and rested it on the sea wall. The snake looked “normal”. It disappeared into the deep waters after being released.

These highly venomous snakes are generally non-aggresive but they might bite when roughly handled (Chou, 1993). Reptile ecologist Robert Reed, pictured on the left, even commented that "The Yellow-lipped Sea Krait is so tame and docile that the venomous animals can be collected by the handful".

Ria Tan (Wild Singapore) and Debby Ng (Hantu Bloggers) have also sighted Yellow-lipped Sea Kraits in the Southern Islands. These are their accounts:

Ria Tan; Sisters’ Island during low tide; 24 December 2003
Debby Ng; Pulau Hantu during diving; 22 May 2004
Ria Tan; Pulau Semakau during low tide; 18 September 2005
Ria Tan; Sisters’ Island during low tide; 12 February 2006
Ria Tan; Pulau Hantu during low tide; 15 April 2006

*All photographs, except the one on Robert Reed, from Mr Chim Chee Kong and Ms Ria Tan.

The ecology and behaviour of Yellow-lipped Sea Kraits are relatively little known until recently when researches conducted by Sohan Shetty and Richard Shine on the Fijian islands produced a wealth of knowledge on these beautiful creatures. Below is a summary of their findings:

Yellow-lipped sea kraits spent equal amounts of time on land versus in the ocean, moving between these two habitats about once every 10 days (Shetty & Shine, 2002a). These snakes maintained relatively high and constant body temperatures both while on land and in the water; the only overt thermoregulation involved shade-seeking (Shetty & Shine, 2002a). Juvenile sea kraits rarely ventured far from water, whereas adults often moved well inland (Shetty & Shine, 2002a). The snakes move about at night, engaged in courtship during the morning and were inactive during the afternoon (Shetty & Shine, 2002a). Thus, snakes were frequently found in courting groups during the morning, but most were solitary at night (Shetty & Shine, 2002a). Male sea kraits move about more frequently and actively on land than do females (Shetty & Shine, 2002a).

The mating season is from September to December (Shetty & Shine, 2002d). On land, many females are accompanied by one or more courting males (Shetty & Shine, 2002d). The males align their bodies with that of the female and occasionally twitch spasmodically (Shetty & Shine, 2002d). These groups remain together for days, with overt courtship by males much less frequent and intense than in most previously-studied snake species (Shetty & Shine, 2002d). Larger females attracted more intense courtship than did smaller animals (Shetty & Shine, 2002d).

Females grow much larger than males, and have longer and wider heads than do conspecific males of the same body length (Shetty & Shine, 2002c). Adult female sea kraits feed primarily on larger conger eels, and take only a single prey item per foraging bout (Shetty & Shine, 2002c). In contrast, adult males feed upon smaller moray eels, and frequently take multiple prey items (Shetty & Shine, 2002c). Prey size increases with snake body size in both males and females (Shetty & Shine, 2002c). Female sea kraits consume larger eels relative to predator head size and body length than do males (Shetty & Shine, 2002c).

Males have much longer tails (relative to snout-vent length) than do females (Shine & Shetty, 2001b). This sex difference may reflect the fact that females use their tails primarily for swimming, whereas males also must frequently use the tail in terrestrial locomotion and in courtship as well as for swimming (Shine & Shetty, 2001b).

The evolutionary modifications of these snakes for marine life have enhanced their swimming speeds by about 60%, but decreased their terrestrial locomotor speed by about 80% (Shine & Shetty, 2001a). Larger snakes moved faster than smaller individuals in absolute terms but were slower in terms of body lengths travelled per second, especially on land (Shine & Shetty, 2001a). Male sea kraits were faster than females (independent of the body-size effect), especially on land (Shine & Shetty, 2001a). Prey items in the gut reduced locomotor speeds both on land and in water (Shine & Shetty, 2001a).

Shetty and Shine (2003) also found that relocated snakes returned “home” almost immediately after they were released.

REFERENCES

Chou, L. M., 1993. A Guide To The Dangerous Marine Animals Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 160.

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

Ng, P. K. L., 1995. A Guide To The Threatened Animals Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 160.

Shetty, S. & Shine, R., 2002. Activity patterns of yellow-lipped sea kraits (Laticauda colubrina) on a Fijian island. Copeia 2002: 77-85.

Shetty, S. & Shine, R., 2002. Philopatry and homing behavior of sea snakes (Laticauda colubrina) from two adjacent islands in Fiji. Conservation Biology 16: 1422-1426.

Shetty, S. & Shine, R., 2002. Sexual divergence in diets and morphology in Fijian sea snakes, Laticauda colubrina (Laticaudidae). Austral Ecology 27: 77-84.

Shetty, S. & Shine, R., 2002. The mating system of yellow-lipped sea kraits (Laticauda colubrina, Laticaudinae). Herpetologica 58: 170-180.

Shine, R., & Shetty, S., 2001. Moving in two worlds: aquatic and terrestrial locomotion in sea snakes (Laticauda colubrina, Laticaudidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology 14: 338-346.

Shine, R., & Shetty, S., 2001. The influence of natural selection and sexual selection on the tails of sea-snakes (Laticauda colubrina). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 74: 121-129.

Keel-bellied Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens)

2006-06-01T22:23:00.000+08:00

An unlucky Keel-bellied Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens) fell from a tree, landed on the windscreen of a vehicle, and was captured on 20 May 2006 in the day on an offshore island. Ironically, it is supposed to have acute eyesight that enables it to seek out elusive prey among its leafy habitat (Lim & Lee, 1989). Prefered prey includes frogs and geckos (Cox et al., 1998). It is mildly venomous (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992). This diurnal and exclusively arboreal snake prefers forests up to 500 m (Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

A clutch of 2 eggs is known (Cox et al., 1998). This species can grow to a little over 1 m in length (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

Keel-bellied Whip Snake is considered vulnerable in Singapore (Ng & Wee, 1994). It inhabits southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, much of Indonesia and the southern Philippines (Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Ventral side of head; Right side of head; Dorsal side of body; Ventral side of head; Ventral side of tail and anal plate.

* All photographs from Mr Chan Kwok Wai and Mr Norman Lim.

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

Ng., P. K. L. & Wee, Y. C., 1994. The Singapore Red Data Book – Threatened Plants & Animals Of Singapore. The Nature Society (Singapore), p. 331.

Puff-faced Water Snakes (Homalopsis buccata)

2006-06-01T20:02:00.000+08:00

I (together with Ria Tan, Chan Kwok Wai, and Charlene Yeong) visited a freshwater pond in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 19 May 2006, at about 8 pm, and found that the Puff-faced Water Snakes (Homalopsis buccata) are particularly abundant. They are probably the only other snakes in Singapore, besides the Dog-faced Water Snakes (Cerberus rynchops), to appear in high densities. These nocturnal snakes are more or less confined to freshwater habitats, such as rivers, ponds, and canals (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

We sighted both juveniles and adults, which have slightly different scale colourations and patterns. Females give birth to 2-20 young of about 230 mm in a litter (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998). This species can grow to a little over 1 m in length (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

We also witnessed an adult and a juvenile fighting over a prey (Tilapia?)! The tinier one, as expected, lost the tug-of-war. Puff-faced Water Snakes are also known to consume frogs (Cox et al., 1998). Due to their appetite for freshwater fish, these snakes are considered pests in ornamental fish farms (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

There are mixed accounts on the temperament of this mildly-venomous species. Lim & Lee (1989) claimed that it has a vicious temper and will bite severely if roughly handled. But according to Lim & Lim (1992), this is one gentle snake!

Puff-faced Water Snake inhabits most of Southeast Asia, including southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore (Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Front of head; Left side of head; Dorsal side of head; Ventral side of head; Dorsal side of body; Ventral side of body; Ventral side of tail and anal plate.

* All photographs from Mr Chan Kwok Wai.

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus)

2006-05-29T11:02:00.000+08:00

Norman Lim sighted a Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) on 21 May 2006, 11.25 pm on an offshore island. The snake was swimming from water and moving onto land, near the mangroves. This is unusual as it is a terrestrial species and is usually found in dry and forested areas (Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998). According to Lim & Lee (1989), Banded Kraits feed exclusively on other snakes, namely baby pythons, whip snakes, rat snakes and bronzebacks. However, Cox et al. (1998) claimed that they also feed on small mammals and lizards. These venomous snakes seem to be sluggish and docile in the day, but become active and aggressive at night (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998).

Banded Kraits can grow up to 2 m (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998), and has been recorded to live for over 11 years in captivity (Lim & Lee, 1989). They lay 4-14 eggs, and hatchlings are 25-40 cm (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998). One individual in the Madras Snake Farm, India, was reported to have laid 12 eggs in early April, 6 of which hatched 61 days later (Lim & Lee, 1989).

This species occurs throughout Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and nearby regions (Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Left side of head; Left side of body; Dorsal side of tail.

* All photographs from Mr Norman Lim

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

Updated Checklist of Singapore Snakes

2006-05-28T05:54:00.000+08:00

The National Biodiversity Reference Centre has launched! I found and downloaded the "Reptile List". It is reviewed by Kelvin Lim (co-author of "A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles of Singapore") and updated on March 2006, so I suppose it can be considered to be the most updated and reliable checklist of Singapore snakes. There is now a total of 61 species. Many species are omitted while a few are included. There are also changes in scientific name of some species. Compare this to previous checklists.

Typhlopidae (Blind Snakes)
Ramphotyphlops braminus (Common Blind snake) (Daudin, 1803)
Typhlops muelleri (White-bellied Blind Snake) Schlegal, 1839

Cylindrophiidae (Bob-tailed Pipe Snakes)
Cylindrophis rufus (Red-tailed Pipe Snake) (Laurenti, 1768)

Xenopeltidae (Sunbeam Snakes)
Xenopeltis unicolor (Sunbeam Snake) Reinwardt, 1827

Pythonidae (Pythons)
Python reticulatus (Reticulated Python) (Schneider, 1801)

Acrochordidae (File Snakes)
Acrochordus granulatus (Banded File Snake) (Schneider, 1799)

Colubridae (Colubrid Snakes)
Ahaetulla fasciolata (Speckle-headed Whip Snake) (Fischer, 1885)
Ahaetulla prasina (Oriental Whip Snake) (F. Boie, 1827)
Boiga cynodon (Dog-toothed Cat Snake) (H. Boie, 1827)
Boiga dendrophila (Mangrove Snake or Gold-ringed Cat Snake) (F. Boie, 1827)
Boiga jaspidea (Jasper Cat Snake) (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Calamaria lumbricoidea (Variable Reed Snake) H. Boie, 1827
Calamaria schlegeli (Pink-headed Reed Snake) (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Cantoria violacea (Cantor’s Water Snake) (Girard, 1858)
Cerberus rynchops (Dog-faced Water Snake) (Schneider, 1799)
Chrysopelea paradisi (Paradise Tree Snake) H. Boie, in F. Boie, 1827
Chrysopelea pelias (Twin-barred Tree Snake) (Linnaeus, 1758)
Coelognathus flavolineatus (Common Malayan Racer) (Schlegal, 1837)
Coelognathus radiatus (Copperhead Racer) (F. Boie, 1827)
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Striped Bronzeback) (Gray, 1834)
Dendrelaphis cyanochloris (Blue Bronzeback) (Wall, 1921)
Dendrelaphis formosus (Elegant Bronzeback) (F. Boie, 1827)
Dendrelaphis pictus (Painted Bronzeback) (Gmelin, 1789)
Dryocalamus subannulatus (Malayan Bridle Snake) (Dumeril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Dryophiops rubescens (Keel-bellied Whip Snake) (Gray, 1834)
Fordonia leucobalia (Crab-eating Water Snake) (Schlegal, 1837)
Gerarda prevostiana (Gerard’s or Yellow-lipped Water Snake) (Eydoux & Gervais, 1837)
Gongylosoma baliodeira (Orange-bellied Ringneck) F. Boie, 1827
Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Red-tailed Racer) (F. Boie, 1827)
Homalopsis buccata (Puff-faced Water Snake) (Linnaeus, 1758)
Lycodon capucinus(House Wolf Snake) (Linnaeus, 1758)
Lycodon subcinctus (Banded Wolf Snake) Boie, 1827
Macropisthodon rhodomelas (Blue-necked Keelback) (H. Boie, 1827)
Oligodon octolineatus (Striped Kukri Snake) (Schneider, 1801)
Oligodon purpurascens (Brown Kukri Snake) (Schlegal, 1837)
Oligodon signatus (Barred Kukri Snake) (Günther, 1864)
Pareas margaritophorus (White-Spotted Slug Snake) (Jan, 1866)
Psammodynastes pictus (Painted Mock Viper) Günther, 1858
Pseudorabdion longiceps (Dwarf Reed Snake) (Cantor, 1847)
Pytas carinata (Keeled Rat Snake) (Günther, 1858)
Pytas fusca (White-bellied Rat Snake) Gunther, 1864
Pytas korros (Indo-chinese Rat Snake) (Schlegal, 1837)
Sibynophis melanocephalus (Black-Headed Collared Snake) (Gray, 1834)
Xenelaphis hexagonotus (Malaysian Brown Snake) (Cantor, 1847)
Xenochrophis maculatus (Spotted Keelback) (Edeling, 1865)
Xenochrophis trianguligerus (Triangle Keelback) (F. Boie, 1827)
Xenochrophis vittatus (Striped Keelback) (Linnaeus, 1754)

Elapidae (Cobras, Coral Snakes, Kraits & Sea Snakes)
Aipysurus eydouxii (Marbled Sea Snake) (Gray, 1849)
Astrotia stokesii (Stoke’s Sea Snake) (Gray, 1846)
Bungarus fasciatus (Banded Krait) (Schneider, 1801)
Calliophis bivirgata (Blue Malayan Coral Snake) (F. Boie, 1827)
Calliophis intestinalis (Banded Malayan Coral Snake) (Laurenti, 1768)
Enhydrina schistosa (Beaked Sea Snake) (Daudin, 1803)
Hydrophis cyanocinctus (Blue-banded Sea Snake) (Daudin, 1803)
Hydrophis fasciatus (Western-banded Sea Snake) (Schneider, 1799)
Lapemis curtus (Short Sea Snake) Shaw, 1802
Laticauda colubrina (Yellow-lipped Sea Krait) (Schneider, 1799)
Naja sumatrana (Equatorial Spitting Cobra) F. Müller, 1887
Ophiophagus hannah (King Cobra) (Cantor, 1836)

Crotalidae (Pit-vipers)
Trimeresurus wagleri (Wagler’s Pit-viper) (H. Boie, 1827)
Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus (Shore or Mangrove Pit-viper) (Gray, 1830)

Shore Pit Viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus)

2006-05-28T04:00:00.000+08:00

This Shore Pit Viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) crossed our (Me, Chan Kwok Wai, and Norman Lim) path in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp on 7 May 2006 at about 9 pm. This is an arboreal species (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992) and is often observed on low bushes (Cox et al., 1998) but was, surprisingly, moving on soft mud on that day. They spend much of their time coiled up in trees and shrubs where they ambush small mammals and birds (Lim & Lee, 1989). These nocturnal snakes also feed on lizards, frogs, and other small animals (Cox et al., 1998). In captivity, this viper will take mice and day-old chicks (Lim & Lee, 1989).

These venomous snakes have a reputation of being bad-tempered and quick to strike (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998). Fortunately, the one we encountered did not show any of that nature.

Shore Pit Vipers give live birth to 7 to 15 young of about 24 cm in length (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox et al., 1998). Lim & Lee (1989) reported that captive snakes from Thailand gave birth in the months of April and May. An adult reaches a length of about 1 m (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992).

This species inhabits southern Thailand, Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore, Tenasserim and Sumatra (Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Front of head; Dorsal side of head; Left side of body.

* Photographs from Mr Chan Kwok Wai.

REFERENCES

Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

You can HISSS too!

2006-05-20T02:04:00.000+08:00

You can Help in Saving Singapore Snakes by doing the 3 Ss!

SHOOT ... do not KEEP
We either love or hate snakes. Those who love snakes are always tempted to keep them as pets. Try keeping photographs instead. Shoot them with your cameras!

SHOO ... do not KILL
Singaporeans always ask "Can eat or not?" whenever we see anything that moves. For snakes, we are more concerned about "Got poison (=venom) or not?". Some of us are too trigger-happy and prefer to adopt a "kill first, find out later" policy when it comes to snakes. We must know that few snakes in Singapore are venomous enough to harm or kill us, and most snakes are so shy that they will 'run' for their life with a simple shoo.

SLOG
Click here to understand what this is all about.

Cantor's Water Snake (Cantoria violacea)

2006-05-20T00:50:00.000+08:00

The first time I met this beautiful snake was back in 2001, while helping Harold Voris and Daryl Karns in their survey of homalopsine snakes in Pasir Ris Park Mangrove Swamp. I chanced upon this species again at the same place on 4 September 2005, 12.25 am. It has a very slender elongate body and can reach lengths of 120 cm (Rooij, 1917). This species has a wide distribution and is found in Burma, Thailand, Peninsula Malayasia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, and Timor (Rooij, 1917; Frith & Boswell, 1978). The diet records of this species was first published only in 2002, about 145 years after its description! Voris and Murphy (2002) discovered that Cantoria violacea feeds on the giant mangrove snapping shrimp Alpheus microrhychus. Incredibly, there is almost nothing else we know about this snake!

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Left side of head; Dorsal side of body.

* All photographs from Mr Lim Swee Cheng

REFERENCES

De Rooij, N., 1917. The reptiles of the Indo-Australian archipelago (II Ophidia). EJ Brill Ltd. Leiden, p. 190-191.

Frith, C. B. & Boswell, J., 1978. Cantor's Water Snake, Cantoria violaecea Girard; a Vertebrate New to the Fauna of Thailand. Natural History Bulletin of Siam Society (Bangkok) 27: 187-189.

Voris, H.K. and J. C. Murphy. 2002. The prey and predators of homalopsine snakes. Journal of Natural History, 36(13):1621-1632.

Brahminy Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus)

2006-05-18T01:39:00.000+08:00

We (Me, Chan Kwok Wai and Lim Swee Cheng) were on an open field near International Business Park on 7 May 2006 at about 4pm, when Kwok Wai lifted a small rock and found a pair of these tiny snakes. Ever since then, we realised that Brahminy Blind Snakes (Ramphotyphlops braminus), indeed, can be found on soil under rocks pretty easily. In fact, these creatures are so common in flowerpots that they are also known as Flowerpot Blind Snakes. That is how this species is being transported to all over the world, including places (e.g. Hawaii) that do not have any native snakes. According to Cox et al. (1998), This species is found throughout Thailand, Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore, Africa, the Middle East, the remainder of tropical Asia and parts of eastern temperate Asia, islands across the Pacifics, Mexico, and the United States. These snakes occur from sea level up to 1,640 m (Cox, et al., 1998).

The most interesting fact about Brahminy Blind Snakes is that it is the only known parthenogenetic snake species; all individuals are females and males are unknown (Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox, et al., 1998)! Females produce clutches of 1-7 eggs, measuring 2 x 6 mm, without fertilization; all eggs develop into females (Lim & Lee, 1989; Cox, et al., 1998).

According to Lim and Lee (1989), Brahminy Blind Snakes feed on soft-bodied insects. Lim and Lim (1992) claimed that they feed on minute soil-dwelling invertebrates. Cox et al. (1998) claimed that these snakes feed mainly on the larvae of ants and termites.

These non-venomous snakes are very common, nocturnal, and the adults can reach up to only 15 cm in length (Lim & Lee, 1989; Lim & Lim, 1992; Cox et al., 1998).

From left to right: Dorsal side of head; Left side of head; Dorsal side of body; Ventral side of body; Dorsal side of tail' Ventral side of trail

* Photographs from Mr Chan Kwok Wai and Lim Swee Cheng

REFERENCES
Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K., 1998. A photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, p. 12.

Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 30.

Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 147.

Checklist of Singapore Snakes

2006-05-01T17:57:00.000+08:00

Lim and Lee (1989) listed 57 species of snakes that can be found in Singapore. The checklist of Singapore snakes compiled by Lim and Chou (1990) increased the total number of species to 93, by adding another 37 species to the list in Lim and Lee (1989) and omitting the dubious record Enhydris plumbea. Lim and Lim (1992) have a similar list, but with an additional species (Enhydris enhydris), further increasing the total number of snake species in Singapore to 94. The conservation status of 14 snakes were listed in Wee and Ng (1994).

() – doubtful records; _ – almost certainly introduced; R – rare; V – vulnerable.

Boidea (Pythons)
Python reticulatus (Reticulated Python) (Schneider, 1801) 1, 2, 3
Python curtus (Short or Blood Python) Schlegal, 1872 (1), 2, 3

Acrochordidae (File Snakes)
Acrochordus granulatus (Banded File Snake) (Schneider, 1799) 1, 2, 3
Acrochordus javanicus (Javan File Snake or Elephant Trunk Water Snake) Hornstedt, 1787 (1), 2, 3

Xenopeltidae (Sunbeam Snakes)
Xenopeltis unicolor (Sunbeam Snake or Iridescent Earth Snake) Reinwardt, 1827 1, 2, 3

Aniliidae (Pipe Snakes)
Cylindrophis rufus (Red-tailed Pipe Snake) (Laurenti, 1768) 1, 2, 3

Typhlopidae (Blind Snakes)
Ramphotyphlops braminus (Common Blind snake) (Daudin, 1803) 1, 2, 3
Typhlops muelleri (White-bellied or Diard’s Blind Snake) Schlegal, 1839 1, 2, 3
Typhlops lineatus (Striped Blind Snake) Boie, 1827 2, 3

Colubridae (Colubrine Snakes)
Elaphe flavolineata (Common Malayan Racer) (Schlegal, 1837) 1, 2, 3
Elaphe radiata (Copperhead Racer) (F. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3
Elaphe porphyracea (Red Mountain Racer) (Cantor, 1839) 2, 3
Elaphe taeniura (Striped Racer or Cave-dwelling Rat Snake) Cope, 1861 (1), 2, 3
Gonyosoma oxycephala (Red-tailed Racer) (F. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3, V
Pytas korros (Indo-chinese Rat Snake) (Schlegal, 1837) 1, 2, 3
Pytas mucosus (Banded Rat Snake) (Linnaeus, 1766) (1), (2), 3
Pytas carinatus (Keeled Rat Snake) (Günther, 1858) 1, 2, 3
Zaocys fuscus (White-bellied Rat Snake) Gunther, 1864 2, 3
Sibynophis melanocephalus (Black-Headed Collared Snake) (Gray, 1834) 1, 2, 3
Lycodon aulicus (House Snake) (Linnaeus, 1758) 1, 2, 3
Lycodon subcinctus (Banded Wolf Snake) Boie, 1827 2, 3, R
Dryocalamus subannulatus (Saddled Tree snake) (Dumeril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) 2, 3, V
Oligodon octolineatus (Striped Kukri Snake) (Schneider, 1801) 1, 2, 3
Oligodon purpuracens (Brown Kukri Snake) (Schlegal, 1837) 1, 2, 3, V
Oligodon signatus (Barred Kukri Snake) (Günther, 1864) 2, 3, V
Calamaria lumbricoidea (Variable Reed Snake) H. Boie, 1827 1, 2, 3
Calamaria albiventer (Red-bellied Reed Snake) (Gray, 1835) 2, 3
Calamaria schlegeli schlegeli (Pink-headed Reed Snake) (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) 1, 2, 3
Calamaria prakkei (Prakke’s Reed Snake) Lidth de Jeude, 1893 (2), 3
Pseudorhabdion longiceps (Dwarf Reed Snake) (Cantor, 1847) 1, 2, 3
Liopeltis baliodeirus (Orange-bellied Ringneck) F. Boie, 1827 1, 2, 3, V
Liopeltis tricolor (Tricoloured Ringneck) (Schlegal, 1837) 2, 3
Dendrelaphis pictus (Painted Bronzeback) (Gmelin, 1789) 1, 2, 3
Dendrelaphis formosus (Elegant Bronzeback) (F. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3
Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Striped Bronzeback) (Gray, 1834) 1, 2, 3
Xenelaphis hexagonotus (Malayan Brown Snake) (Cantor, 1847) 1, 2, 3
Chrysopelea paradisi (Paradise Tree Snake) H. Boie, in F. Boie, 1827 1, 2, 3
Chrysopelea pelias (Twin-barred Tree Snake) (Linnaeus, 1758) 1, 2, 3, V
Gonyophis margaritatus (Rainbow Tree Snake) (Peters, 1871) 2, 3
Ahaetulla prasina (Oriental Whip Snake) (F. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3
Ahaetulla fasciolata (Speckle-headed Whip Snake) (Fischer, 1885) 2, 3, V
Dryphiops rubescens (Keel-bellied Whip Snake) (Gray, 1834) 1, 2, 3, V
Boiga dendrophila (Mangrove Snake or Gold-ringed Cat Snake) (F. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3
Boiga cynodon (Dog-toothed Cat Snake) (H. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3, V
Boiga jaspidea (Jasper Cat Snake) (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) 1, 2, 3, V
Boiga drapiezii (White-spotted Cat Snake) (Boie, 1827) (1), 2, 3
Psammodynastes pictus (Painted Mock Viper) Günther, 1858 2, 3, V
Cerberus rynchops (Dog-faced Water Snake) (Schneider, 1799) 1, 2, 3
Homalopsis buccata (Puff-faced Water Snake) (Linnaeus, 1758) 1, 2, 3
Fordonia leucobalia (Crab-Eating Snake) (Schlegal, 1837) 2, 3
Enhydris enhydris (Rainbow Water Snake) (Schneider, 1799) (1), 3
Gerarda prevostiana (Gerard’s Water Snake) (Eydoux & Gervais, 1837) 2, 3
Cantoria violacea (Cantor’s Water Snake) (Girard, 1858) 2, 3
Bitia hydroides (Keel-bellied Water Snake) Gray, 1842 2, 3
Xenochrophis piscator (Chequered Keelback) (Schneider, 1799) (1), 2, 3
Xenochrophis vittatus (Striped Keelback) (Linnaeus, 1754) (1), 2, 3
Xenochrophis trianguligerus (Triangle Keelback) (F. Boie, 1827) 2, 3
Xenochrophis maculatus (Spotted Keelback) (Edeling, 1865) 2, 3, V
Amphiesma petersi (Peter’s Keelback) (Boulenger, 1893) 2, 3
Rhabdophis subminiatus (Red-necked Keelback) (Schlegal, 1837) (1), 2, 3
Macropisthodon rhodomelas (Blue-necked Keelback) (H. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3

Elapidae (Cobras, Kraits & Coral Snakes)
Naja sumatrana (Black Spitting Cobra) F. Müller, 1887 1, 2, 3
Ophiophagus hannah (King Cobra) (Cantor, 1836) 1, 2, 3, V
Bungarus fasciatus (Banded Krait) (Schneider, 1801) 1, 2, 3
Bungarus candidus (Malayan Krait) (Linnaeus, 1758) 1, 2, 3
Maticora bivirgata (Blue Malayan Coral Snake) (F. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3
Maticora intestinalis (Banded Malayan Coral Snake) (Laurenti, 1768) 1, 2, 3
Calliophis gracilis (Spotted Coral Snake) Gray, 1835 2, 3

Hydrophiidae (Sea Snakes)
Laticauda colubrina (Amphibious Sea Snake) (Schneider, 1799) 1, 2, 3
Aipysurus eydouxii (Marbled Sea Snake) (Gray, 1849) 2, 3
Enhydrina schistosa (Beaked Sea Snake) (Daudin, 1803) 1, 2, 3
Leioselasma cyanocincta (Blue-banded Sea Snake) (Daudin, 1803) 1, 2, 3
Leioselasma spiralis (Tiger Sea Snake) (Shaw, 1802) 2, 3
Thalassophis anomalus (Anomalous Sea Snake) Schmidt, 1852 2, 3
Kolpophis annandalei (Annandale’s Sea Snake) (Laidlaw, 1901) 2, 3
Kerilia jerdoni (Jerdon’s Sea Snake) (Gray, 1849) 2, 3
Praescutata viperina (Olive Sea Snake) (Schmidt, 1852) 1, 2, 3
Acalyptophis peronii (Eyelash Sea Snake) (Duméril, 1853) 2, 3
Hydrophis klossi (Kloss’s Sea Snake) Boulenger, 1912 2, 3
Hydrophis fasciatus (Barred Sea Snake) (Schneider, 1799) 2, 3
Hydrophis melanosoma (Black-banded Sea Snake) Günther, 1864 2, 3
Hydrophis caerulescens (Blue Sea Snake) (Shaw, 1802) 2, 3
Hydrophis brookii (Brooke’s Sea Snake) Günther, 1872 2, 3
Hydrophis ornatus (Ornate Sea Snake) (Gray, 1842) 2, 3
Hydrophis torquatus (Grey Sea Snake) Günther, 1864 2, 3
Lapemis curtus (Short Sea Snake) Shaw, 1802 2, 3
Astrotia stokesii (Stoke’s Sea Snake) (Gray, 1846) 2, 3
Microcephalophis gracilis (Small-headed Sea Snake) (Shaw, 1802) 2, 3
Pelamis platyurus (Yellow-bellied Sea Snake) (Linnaeus, 1766) 2, 3

Viperidae (Vipers)
Trimeresurus wagleri (Wangler’s Pit Viper) (H. Boie, 1827) 1, 2, 3
Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus (Shore or Mangrove Pit Viper) (Gray, 1830) 1, 2, 3
Trimeresurus sumatranus (Sumatran Pit Viper) (Raffles, 1822) (1), 2, 3
Trimeresurus popeiorum (Pope’s Pit Viper) Smith 1937 (2), 3
Trimeresurus monticola (Mountain Pit Viper) Günther, 1864 (2), 3

References:

1. Lim, F. L. K. & Lee, M. T. M., 1989. Fascinating Snakes of Southeast Asia – an Introduction. Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur, p. 115-117.

2. Lim, K. K. P. & Chou, L. M., 1990. The herpetofauna of Singapore. In: Chou, L. M. & Ng, P. K. L. (Ed.), Essays in Zoology. Papers commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Department of Zoology, National University of Singapore, p. 53-55.

3. Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 144-149.

4. Ng., P. K. L. & Wee, Y. C., 1994. The Singapore Red Data Book – Threatened Plants & Animals Of Singapore. The Nature Society (Singapore), p. 331.

SLOG: The birth of a long journey of hard work + fun

2006-04-27T09:38:00.000+08:00

WHAT'S SLOG?
SLOG is the online documentation of snake sightings in Singapore.

WHY SLOG?
Most snakes sit at the top of food chains, and thus are good indicators of the health of a habitat. Unfortunately, snakes are shy creatures, and are rarely encountered. As a result, we do not know much about the natural history of our snakes in Singapore. Every bit of information (e.g. distribution, habitat utilisation, food habits, reproduction, population ecology) helps to save the snakes and their habitat.

"We only save what we love, and only love what we know"

All snakes received bad publicity, even if they are totally harmless. SLOG hopes to encourage the appreciation of these animals and dismiss the myth that they are all mindless beasts with long fangs chasing after people and eat them.

HOW TO SLOG?
1. Shoot (with a camera)
2. Record observations
3. Send photographs, observations, and location to chimck@yahoo.com