FieldHerpForum

Two male Many-banded kraits (Bungarus multicinctus multicinctus) fighting. Observed and photographed by my buddy Ah-Jie (汪仁傑/Wang Ren-jie) a while ago, and presented here with his kind permission. What a sight!!

quite a sight indeed. thanks for sharing.

Words fail me, so here's an inarticulate vocalisation: WOW!!!!!!

Speechless. I never really respond but always enjoy your posts so much, Twoton. To be able to just drive locally and see stuff like that...

Very Cool....

They look like Giant kingsnakes from here in the states...

Very nice photos
Fundad

I was going to say the same thing!

Thanks for sharing, beautiful serpents indeed.

Totally richter dude! Coolest sequence ever!

Fundad beat me to the remark. That's really cool.

Thanks for sharing.

There's a fight you don't want to get in the middle of! Very very cool! THanks twoton

WOW!!!!!!!!!

Thank you and your friend very much for a much appreciated glimpse at an awesome behaviour I have never seen before!!!!!!!!!

To see that is amazing enough. To see that and get decent photos of it is barely plausible

Fantastic stuff!

Bill, those are city kraits in urban combat

cool shots!

-Mike

Yeah, urban combat, that's it - takin' the town hovel by goddamn hovel! HOO-AH!

Ahem. Sorry....

Actually, those were taken by a country road that runs through Yangmingshan National Park, ca. 20 klicks outside Taipei City. The sidewalks along the roads serve as elements of the trail network.

Thanks for all the nice comments! I'm sure A-Jie will be stoked....in particular about WW's input, as he's a herpetology student at National Taiwan University, specializing in something venomous, if I remember correctly.

SO COOL. I'm struggling to think of a comment describing the large size of the animals that doesnt sound like a blatant sexual innuendo, but i'm failing miserably.


-Marisa

Marisa,

It's the snakes being in the gutter that have your mind in one, right?

That was an amazing spectacle! Thank you friend for allowing you to post his photos (and subtly hint that he ought to join the forum and do the same!).

Regards,
David

hahaha sure. Why not.

My experience is limited to pictures in kingsnake classified ads, typically an emaciated, quite triangular thin lifeless looking dull snake! These robust, thick iridescent active snakes are very un-krait like in comparison! I think that is what is so amazing, to see them in all their glory. Are you sure those aren’t some banded sunbeam snakes?

COOL!

I looked so hard for these snakes in northern Vietnam to no avail. To see two in one place is a treat indeed. Is this the same kind of male aggression before mating that is seen in rattlesnakes and cobras (right, Ophiophagus does this?)? It's a pretty cool convergence if it is...

-Alex

Thank you for a very cool image!!
Because I am very interested in Bungarus recently, it is the very interesting one.The male fights mutually as for the cobra such as Sinomicrurus of Japan like this.
I schedule to go to Taiwan again around next summer,I will report you !!

That is so cool, Twoton! I witnessed two male Crotalus oreganus helleri ( Southern Pacific rattlesnakes) doing the same thing in the Spring several years ago while hiking in the mountains. I wonder where the girl was? She probably wasn't far away..

Good question.....what's everyone's experience? I've seen Dinodon rufozonatum fight, but no girl around there either. Do the ladies stay hidden until a winner is pronounced?

Certainly, it is natural to hit on the queation.
In the case of Dinodon semicarinatum, it is thought that the purpose of male's combat is to obtain female in many cases and sometimes for the food (for example hatchling of sea turtle) . The male at the breeding season fights even if the female is not in the presence and defeated male doesn't participate in breeding at a while. The purpose of a male combat might be likely to lose other male's motivation.

Thanks very much, Tahara-san!

I can see it now, Taiwanese charged on three counts of Krait Fighting.