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This is a young Taiwan slug snake (Pareas formosensis), an endemic serpent I found cruising a mountain road the other night. It’s still pretty chilly here (mid-sixties), and this species is among the few venturing out in the cold ahead of Spring.

This was my first night out with my new flash, and since I didn’t want to expose my new toy to the rain, I didn’t experiment much with the composition (or the DOF, ahem). Also, I wasn’t sure about the species: I thought it might be a Boiga kraepelini, a tree snake with quite an unpleasant venom and a nasty demeanor to match, so I didn’t move it into a more photogenic position. (As it is, snail-munching, docile P. formosensis is as sweet as a dairy cow, and now I hate myself for not recognizing it at the time....)

I like the raindrops on his eyes, though.











That night was also the first time ever that I got pulled over for driving too slow, on a six-mile stretch of one-lane mountain blacktop unspoiled by any signs of human civilization except the road. Trying to avoid hitting the dozens of large toads (Bufo bankorensis & B. melanostictus) goofing off in the middle of the road, I was zig-zagging my van through the heavy drizzle at about five miles an hour, minding my own funny business, when all of the sudden, literally out of nowhere, a cop cruiser crept up to three feet behind me and then hit the siren, the roof lights and the horn (for good measure). I pulled over, got out, walked over to the cruiser, and in anticipation of their shocked reaction (after all, this is Taiwan, and they were about to face a 6 foot 4, 250-pound, fishbelly-white boy in muddy clothes and a powerful lamp stuck to his forehead), greeted them in my most extra-friendly manner. Still, when they asked me what I was doing out there and received the answer “Looking for snakes”, I could see them mentally hovering their hands right above their gun holsters. After more uneasy body shifting on their part, their next question was “Sooo....catching snakes, are ya? What do you do with them?” I explained that I don’t catch them, but rather just drop into the mud right in front of them, take a few pix, and make sure they get off the road unharmed. “Photograph ‘em, huh? Whatcha do that for?”. It’s a hobby, I said. I like herps and get a kick out of observing them in the wild. No cigar – they still kept eying me with utmost mistrust. But then they asked me whether I lived in the area, and upon hearing that indeed I did, in fact just a few miles downhill, they visibly relaxed, now convinced that I was, after all, not some out-of-town homicidal psychopath looking for a nice spot in their woods to bury a couple sacks full of freshly chopped-up bodies.

Then they bade me good night, and even refrained from telling me “You drive slowly now, sir”…..

Funny, it doesn't look like a slug.

Your last pic is fantastic, Twoton! The dappling on its head is almost caudatal. I think a few herpers might relate to your LE experience too.

I have to say thank you for posting this. It's not often that I see a species that is new to me and this one certainly is. Outstanding pics I love it, once again thanks.

That's a beautiful snake, reminds me of some I saw in Costa Rica.

I would love some mid 60s weather right now. Certainly not what I would qualify as "cold"!!

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone!

Warren: Okay, I looked up "caudatal". But what's an "LE experience"?

Law Enforcement

Those are pretty snakes; they should give you some great photo opportunities in the future. Are there any areas that are hit hard for snakes in Taiwan......e.g. "habu-hunters" flocking to certain areas for collection?

I'm looking forward to seeing all of your finds this upcoming year. I've been wanting to herp Taiwan for a number of years now. Hopefully I'll get a chance within the next few years.

Shane

Thanks, Kevin!

Shane, as far as I know there are no areas being razed for snakes over here - neither for culinary nor medicinal or pet trade reasons. Taiwan is definitely not a third-world country, and most people nowadays are well educated and abhor old-time atrocities like aphrodisiacs made from snake parts; people also just aren't poor enough for this kind of activity. However, I've heard that the Hundred-Pacer (Deinagkistrodon acutus) is now only found in a few inaccessible pockets on the East Coast, because people kill them left and right out of ignorant fear.

I'm also looking forward to this year's season. Since I joined this forum six weeks ago, I've learned so much about herping techniques here that I'm quite sure my herp encounters will be less random experiences than in the past years. (Hey, I already got pulled over for driving too slow - I must be on the right track )