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Project Noah Nature School
Macropisthodon plumbicolor palabariya
A relatively plump, green snake that sometimes mimics a cobra, by raising its head and flaring its neck. subspecies (palabariya) is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Spotted on Jun 29, 2013
Submitted on Jul 2, 2013
8 Comments
that is very interesting Dave, thanks for the info..
Thank you Jared & bherath for the compliments
really beautiful
i wish i had a chance to touch it
Very nice NuwanChathuranga.
What I read about the red necked keelback was, being a colubridae, it does not have the two large injector fangs. The poison is released into the saliva and seeps into the bite wound via grooved teeth. It therefore takes several seconds for the poison to enter.
Those people that ended up sick or dead, allowed the snake to bite them for long periods of time, certainly more than a few seconds.
On further reading, it seems only a few colubrids are thought to be harmful to humans, but this just shows how the authorities can get it wrong. Just to be safe, if it bites, don't let it hang on :)
Dave
Thank you all
@Debbie, it's about 2 ft long when fully grown.
@Dave, it's on the non-venomous list however I'll be more careful not to get bitten, thanks!
Very nice spotting!
Beautiful reptile.
My local keelback (Rhabdophis subminiatus - red necked keelback) was thought to be harmless and was a common pet. But, then a few people ended up extremely ill after being bitten. So do take care :)
Dave
Nice find Nuwan, how much bigger does it grow?