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So there we were again last night, trolling Yangmingshan National Park. The weather was seriously turning (two tropical storms approaching the island in a pincer maneuver), and the entire creation seemed on the move. Among the animals we saw was a Taiwan Ferret Badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) scavenging some road kill, three very long Boiga kraepelini, two large habus (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus - one of which we caught to give it to other, less lucky herpers we might meet later on the mountain), a nice, big Greater Green Snake (Cyclophiops major) sleeping on a branch, plus a few more snakes other herpers pulled out of their backpacks, offering "You guys wanna photograph a Slug Snake/Blackhead/baby habu?" (We're a big family up here ).

But the jackpot was this massive, 230 cm (>7.5') Taiwan Beauty Snake (Orthriopis/Elaphe taeniura friesi) some friends of ours (incidentally, the same ones we'd eventually given the captured habu to) found curled up under a large rock by a roadside creek. I've only ever seen one live TBS before, but that was a tiny, foot-long baby sleeping in a hole from which I couldn't extract it, so that didn't count. I know that some rat snakes get pretty big over here, and I also know that the TBS is one of the largest on the planet, reaching 250 cm (8.2'), but like all large rat snarfers, they're very fast and constantly on the move, so spotting them is a privilege, and catching them a miracle.

Which is why I wasn't prepared for the unreal sight that suddenly came up in my headlights: the most humongous snake I've ever seen in the wild, a black & yellow, leopard-patterned behemoth whose very presence there on the road boggled the synapses, and it was coiled up right there in front of me on the tarmac. It took me a while to really understand that I wasn't looking at some overgrown, escaped pet python, but a member of the local fauna, a real wild animal that actually lives in my backyard!

There was a reason why the snake was sitting there so calmly, despite the excited bunch of primates doing their (camera) flash dance around it: it was clearly injured and/or sick. Despite the analytical efforts of the four herpetology postgrads in the group, it was unclear what was causing the snake's lethargy. It was slightly bleeding from the mouth, but that was all we could detect. Maybe they'll find out in the lab: after the photo op, one of the guys stuffed the snake into his motorcycle saddle bag (no other container was big enough) and left the mountain to take care of the animal in the herp lab at Taiwan University. On weekends , dozens of anti-drag racing road blocks adorn the main road leading downtown from the mountain, so I'm sure there's another story in there somewhere ("Uh, sir, I believe there's a seven-foot snake peeking out from your saddlebag." "You don't SAY, officer! Darn those pesky reptiles.....always snuggling up in the weirdest places! It's just not safe anymore to visit this mountain!")





















Bonus pic #1:
Here's my buddy Ah-Jie, punching air holes into a bottle of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus. The Taipei Zoo is doing a large-scale DNA survey on these pitvipers, and he wanted to bring them this fine specimen (which we had caught and given him - our first contribution to science!) for a blood test. Unfortunately, he'd run out of snake bags, but Taiwanese are nothing if not masters of improvisation
Ah-Jie's girlfriend, by the way (the lady with the flashlight a few photos above), is also a herp major, and like him, doesn't see anything scary in catching and handling hots with her bare hands. In fact, she was the one who put the snake in the bottle.....Hooray for Real Women!


Bonus pic #2:
Here's my son Karl, trying to decide whether to find the Flagon O' Death supercool or superscary.


Bonus pics #3 & #4:
Here's the grill of my van which I had parked in the forest for two hours yesterday afternoon - long enough for this Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata, an Orb Weaver) to become interested in this nice piece of breezy (un)real estate.....

Awesome snake, the first shot reminds me of the first scrub python i ever saw on the road. Its always a downer when you jump out and realise the animal in the head lights has already been clipped by someone else, even then its still an impressive animal. With any luck the next one you get to play with is healthy

Jordan

Wow...cool pics! Gorgeous snake but I have to say I was way more impressed by that spider! Damn...does it eat children and small adults? That is one impressive arachnid. T

Thanks for sharing.

Ed

It looks to me like your beauty has a case of nose rub, which reminds me of the first specimens of this species I saw. An airline pilot from Joliet, IL, named Bob Rubens used to bring herps back from flights he made to the Orient. This was in the mid-60's.

Hi Don,

what exactly is nose rub? Isn't that a terrarium/cage affliction?

As to the spider, the woods are full of them here. Every third tree seems to harbor at least one, seriously. And in Autumn they get really big. Here are some pics I took last year (click pics to enlarge). The girls can reach a body length of 2.5 inches, and their webs can span ten feet and are so strong you can use them to catch (little) fish. If you run face-first into one of those nets (which happens all the time when herping), you won't be able to get the silk off your mug without a strong brush. I have a love/hate relationship with those spiders....

I love seeing Nephila...we have a few species here in the US, that pic in your link of the male just above her in the web was FANTASTIC!!

Yes, nose rubs are generally caused by the animal's efforts to escape from an enclosure or a bag. All the beauties Bob brought back (as well as the Ptyas) had raw snouts. He often acquired his specimens from traditional medicine vendors, and the housing they provided was not optimal. I was thinking that perhaps your big guy may have escaped from such a person.

Thanks for the beauty snake pics, its good to see a wild specimen. I have a male here in a viv that's 8' 7.

NICE!!! Large colubrids are the best!

Nice snake even thought it wasn't well. I really enjoy reading all of your posts for the great stories and exotic (to me) herps. Maybe the snake was just clipped by a vehicle causing the injury.

That is one awesome find! Your storytelling really took me there.

Are the large taiwan beauty adults fast to flee like my cb 09s? Do they ever calm down with age?

Thanks again, everyone!

I don't think the snake was clipped by a vehicle, the area is just too un-traveled for that. Of course, sh*t happens, but it's unlikely.

murder serpent, what's a cb09? (Sorry, uneducated foreigner here ) Some kind of easy-to-use ham radio? An American sports car designed for the working class? Or a corn snake, as my googling results are hinting at? If the latter, I can't say whether they mellow with age - so far I've seen a baby and this old adult only I do know, though, that they're very fast to flee - it's the rat snake way.

PS: Why is it called cb'09?

captive bred in '09?

Awesome post! Those big spiders freak me out. When you catch a web in the face at night do you ever have the spider crawling on you somewhere? Have you been bitten by one or had any close calls? I know they're not dangerous and I don't mind them if I can pin them and pick them up, but I like to be in control.

That's an awesome animal! A friend of mine keeps a young one, and it's a fascinating snake. I had no idea they got so big, though. Too bad about the injury, but hopefully it won't turn out to be too serious.

Never been bitten by a Nephila so far, and I don't think it'll happen. They're actually quite easily scared - you can approach and photograph them from an inch away, but as soon as you touch the net, they skedaddle. Their bite is painful, but so far I've been lucky. In fact, I picked one up and put her on my sleeve once, from where she walked onto my hand, looking puzzled.

very cool - Beauty Snakes have always been among my favorites (I work with the mainland O.t.mocquardi) and I'd love to see a wild one someday. I got a face-full of female Nephila in Florida a couple years ago, and it's an odd sensation having a big spider scamper up your face

Murder, they're a lot less whippy at six-seven feet, but they can still try to bite your face off on occasion

-Mike

Alright! What do you do with them?

Breed them and generally just enjoy having them - they're aptly named.
-Mike

Cool post as always, that snake is a monster! Hopeully you can turn many more up. Interesting choice of container for the viper, shoving one of those into a small bottle has to be a somewhat interesting experience, your friends should invest in something a little more practical.

It is practical. Once the head's in the bottle, the rest will follow. Of course, all that requires fearlessness and trust in your own freehandling abilities. For everyone else, bags are probably more practical indeed

As always, very interesting post... Looks like a lot of fun! Those spiders are FREAK'N NUTS, lol!!!

Hello Hans,

The snake was another good one.

I realize that you don't have much of an off-season, but when things slow a little, it would be fantastic if you would put together a summary post that includes all of the species that you have encountered this year. You find so much and it would be useful to see these all in a single (maybe very large) post as well as in the various field posts that you make.

Regards,
David

Nice idea, Dave, and I'll be happy to oblige in Jan. and Feb. It will be a welcome relief from the planned massive overhaul of my snake site (a single page, videos, multiple pix, links and better descriptions for each species).

more hot-stove herping, oh yeah.

Eh?

Hans,

Mike prepares his famous "hot-stove" herping reports during the bitterly cold northern winter. They are highlights of his herping trips of the previous season when the weather was nice and the reptiles were active. From your description, it sounds like you never encounter those climatic extremes. Maybe during the slight lull, you could prepare some "Stinky Tofu" or "Steamed Pork Blood Cake" reports instead?

Regards,
David

Thanks for the explanation, David! Never encounter climatic extremes? Ha! I wish! Up here in the North, our temps can drop to an atrocious 39 (!) F in February. Since our houses are built for summer, sleeping in socks and watchcap is mandatory, not to mention the little mobile electric heater in the office. (Some snakes and most frogs are still around in these conditions, though) I probably won't have any recaps to write, since I tell 'em as they come, but I'm sure I'll think of something. I'll be signing up as a member of the Taiwan Herpetology Association next week at their annual convention, and I'm sure there'll be a few stories coming from that direction. Did I ever tell y'all about the Taipei snack stand owner who still lives with his parents and keeps 120 (one hundred and twenty) venomous snakes from all over the world in his bedroom, most of them smuggled into the country on his body? Or the guy who managed to get nailed by almost every hot species in Taiwan at the ripe old age of 23, and still freehandles them? Or how they ship Russell's Vipers by FedEx over here, declared as garden supplies? There's a start, I guess

i take it the little red spider in the pic is the male

It is. To quote myself (one of my favorite pastimes!): That tiny orange putz is her husband. In fact, there are usually multiple male putzes hanging around the Queen.

UPDATE: The snake has slowly regained its health at the university lab and is now eating regularly. Hooray for motorcycle saddlebags!