Colubrids - Tumblr Posts
Day 23 of posting cute creatures we found on our field trip:
Hey, I’m back! And today’s creature is beyond special:
This is Balkan whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius). This is a fully grown adult. These colubrids are big, some grow over 2 meters in length. They have that wonderful copper colored head, shiny grey body and bright yellow belly. But they also have Black Air Force energy.
I’ve worked with these snakes a lot during my herpetology courses and oh my god, they are mean! They are called “whipsnakes” because they can actually hit you with their tail and because their scales are so tough, it hurts like a bitch. They love to bite. And they don’t have the “bite pose”. Most snakes coil up to prepare themselves to strike, but these do not. They are incredibly unpredictable and they can fucking jump. And on top of that, they have so much energy. Most snakes tire out in a very short period of time, but these do not. I don’t know how do they do it, but they can keep striking, swiggling and jumping for over an hour. And they do it while in the bag where we put snakes to calm down as well. They are unreal. A true menace to society.
But they eat rodents and venomous snakes so you want to have them around. And they are cute. Even though they bit me, I still love them. Here’s a cute juvenile as a bonus:
Juveniles have small black spots all over their body and are equally as crazy as the adults. That’s why we’re holding this one by her head. She bit three people.
Day 28 of posting cute creatures we found on our field trip:
Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) is my favorite native snake. Called some variation of smok or smuk in every Slavic language, this snake was believed to be able to become a dragon. It was also believed that this snake protects people, especially children and that if it bites you, then you’ll be cured of all of your ailments. That’s the snake you see twisting around the Aesculap’s staff used as a symbol in medicine. There are countless rituals and myths all over Europe dedicated to this particular animal. And such insanely rich mythology originates from just one fact about this snake:
It’s so damn friendly!
This girl that we caught literally wanted to take pics with everyone. She let every single person in the class of 30 to play with her. No bites, no stress poses, she was constantly so calm and curious. And that’s true for all of them.
When I was doing my herpetology education, our teacher told us that these snakes probably perceive humans as warm trees. They always freak out when you catch them, but when they realize that they’ve been caught by human they immediately relax. It’s really weird, but wonderful to hold such a friendly little snake. Some wild caught ones were friendlier than pet snakes I interacted with.
But, we can’t have these as pets! They are protected by every law imaginable. One of the greatest herpetology experts in my country who is also a snake breeder, told me that aesculapian snake would be as popular as ball pythons or corn snakes if it ever reached the market, but unfortunately, it is a forbidden pet.
These snakes are very common and very useful to people as they feed on mice and other rodents. The one we caught has wonderful "eyeliner" marking on her face, but some don't have it. But they all have those nice bluish-white speckles on their body. This is a 10/10 snake, I definitely recommend interacting with one.
Day 32 of posting cute creatures we found on our field trip:
Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) is a small colubrid snake that lives all around continental Europe. Its name “Coronella” means “little crown” and refers to a crown-like marking on its head:
This snake is a viper mimic: its coloration matches that of European adder very closely and its defense mechanism is hissing, puffing up its cheeks to look more viper-like and bluff striking. This is a great defense against most predators, but people often kill these snakes because they think that they are dangerous. But they are most certainly not.
Overall, they are very chill and friendly once they calm down. Their tiny teeth can do no damage even if you get bitten. They feed on small mammals, lizards and insects. And juveniles are this tiny:
Day 47 of posting cute creatures we found on our field trip:
Balkan whip snake or Balkan rat snake (Hierophis gemonensis) is probably the cutest colubrid in Europe. These snakes have a very busy pattern, small heads and adorable big eyes:
This little sweetie is still a juvenile. These snakes are very friendly, but they bite in self defense. They are also very food motivated so they may try to eat your fingers. These are called “Balkan whip snakes”, but they can also be found in Italy.
This is their maximum size. This adult female absolutely fell in love with one of my colleagues. She climbed into his hair and she didn’t want to leave. Look at them:
