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Snakes.


Maple Leaf

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Do people in general have an innate fear of snakes, or is it just me (and Indiana Jones)?

 

I've never been exposed to snakes. Never really thought much about them, until ....

 

I was in Cancun on holiday a couple of years ago. The wife and I were sitting on our wee outdoor patio having an afternoon aperitif. Suddenly the wife sat bolt upright in her chair and pointed to a bush about three feet from where I was sitting.  

 

"My god," she shrieked, "a huge snake!"

 

I looked to where she was pointing and saw this massive reptilian head, it's beady eyes looking right at me. Without exaggeration, the hairs on the back of my neck and on my arms stood up, and my heart started to thump. I was all set to make a run for it, even willing to spill my drink, when I realised that it wasn't a snake but a large turtle.  My body immediately settled down again and, thankfully, my drink was unspilled.

 

The mere thought that a large snake was so close scared the **** out of me.  Why would that be? 

 

Please ignore the obvious possibility that I'm a chickenshit loser.

 

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Not so keen on the idea of venomous ones but they are fascinating creatures to handle. Pure muscle that you can feel as they move around, feel very nice as well, smooth to the touch and warm. 

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Samuel Camazzola

The Attenbourgh programme with the newly cached iguanas looking to evade the snakes still gives me the creeps! I've seen it that many times but still feel anxious for the wee guys! 

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It's an entirely normal and rational fear.    To be confronted at close proximity by an animal that may be among the number of snakes that will kill you.    It would be abnormal to have the same fear when not in a situation of any imminent danger of being bitten.

 

The fact it turned out to be a turtle is a matter to bring to the attention of an optician.

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When I lived in Osoyoos which  is officially desert country there were lots of snakes, primarily rattlers. Very common to see on the golf course sunning on a rock, but if you put a ball into some of the deeper rough it was well worth taking care.  The dog and I ran into one on our mountain trail, the dog heard something and went off trail I followed we ended up face to face with a rattler which was up ready to strike, we. the snake, the dog and I were all frozen in position waiting for one of the others to make a move, the dog was keen to have a sniff but just wasn't sure. I called his name and got hold of him and we slowly backed away, I m sure we the three of us were all satisfied that we parted with no injuries to anyone.

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54 minutes ago, Victorian said:

It's an entirely normal and rational fear.    To be confronted at close proximity by an animal that may be among the number of snakes that will kill you.    It would be abnormal to have the same fear when not in a situation of any imminent danger of being bitten.

 

The fact it turned out to be a turtle is a matter to bring to the attention of an optician.

 

:biggrin:

 

In my defence, it was under a bush with only its head clearly visible.

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Wouldn’t say i have a fear of them but that’s not to say if I spotted one I wouldn’t bolt from it. Same way as if a crocodile or a tiger came towards me I wouldn’t exactly sit there and just hope for the best. 
 

Never understand people that catch and handle these these creatures.
 

doubt snakes have much interest in attacking humans if they are left to their own. Same with most creatures tbh

Edited by AlimOzturk
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Had never had any contact with snakes until my laddie got a Royal Python and over the next weeks/months I gradually became used to handling it, until it never bothered me having a snake drapped over the back of my neck/shoulders.

 

On holiday in Egypt and the hotel had an Arab night with a snake charmer, he brought out this green snake can't remember what kind it was, anyway nobody seemed keen on going up on stage to handle the thing, so I went and done it, no problems, drew the line though when he got the Cobra out of the basket.  :laugh: 

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I mind at primary school, one of the teachers brought in an adder in a cardboard box. He let it out on the grass, while us kids gathered around to see it. You certainly wouldn't get that happening these days.

 

I'm scared of them, but love watching documentaries about them, and also that TV show, Snake City, where they catch snakes that have gone into people's gaffs in South Africa.

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1 hour ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

:biggrin:

 

In my defence, it was under a bush with only its head clearly visible.

 

I would probably run like **** from a turtle headed snake tbf.

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I've seen the odd adder here, and various snakes in rural Spain - including European Asps which look like adders but are more venomous and therefore potentially dangerous - and I can't say I was disturbed or frightened by any of the encounters. In each case I gave them a reasonably wide berth and didn't do anything to bother them*. None of them were aggressive and all either just stayed put or slithered away.

 

I think my reaction would be much more wary if it was an aggressive or really dangerous species, like a rattler or a cobra (or worse), however.

 

Picked-up a slow-worm recently, to move it off the road it was on: it didn't seem to appreciate the good turn I was trying to do it and wriggled around a lot trying to free itself. Not a snake though, so doesn't count!

 

(*Apart from the one unfortunate individual that I stepped on by mistake near Ronda, and left thrashing around in its death agonies. It did appear to be bothered quite a bit...   :ermm:   )

Edited by Auld Reekin'
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2 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

Do people in general have an innate fear of snakes, or is it just me (and Indiana Jones)?

 

I've never been exposed to snakes. Never really thought much about them, until ....

 

I was in Cancun on holiday a couple of years ago. The wife and I were sitting on our wee outdoor patio having an afternoon aperitif. Suddenly the wife sat bolt upright in her chair and pointed to a bush about three feet from where I was sitting.  

 

"My god," she shrieked, "a huge snake!"

 

I looked to where she was pointing and saw this massive reptilian head, it's beady eyes looking right at me. Without exaggeration, the hairs on the back of my neck and on my arms stood up, and my heart started to thump. I was all set to make a run for it, even willing to spill my drink, when I realised that it wasn't a snake but a large turtle.  My body immediately settled down again and, thankfully, my drink was unspilled.

 

The mere thought that a large snake was so close scared the **** out of me.  Why would that be? 

 

Please ignore the obvious possibility that I'm a chickenshit loser.

 

Depending on their whereabouts, I am sure many people across the world have been in a state of panic when 'the turtle's heid' comes poking out!!   

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I get a wee frisson if I come across an adder here, which is a very rare occurrence for me. Scary and fascinating at the same time.

 

Mind you, I’m not very good with an animals generally. The other week I managed the singular achievement of being bitten by a mouse halfway up a mountain.

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Closest I’ve came to one was in London Zoo.  We were allowed to smooth our hands on its body. 

 

It was a funny feeling and we both approached it with trepidation.

 

In summary, I’d say that I am scared of snakes.

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26 minutes ago, leginten said:

I get a wee frisson if I come across an adder here, which is a very rare occurrence for me. Scary and fascinating at the same time.

 

Mind you, I’m not very good with an animals generally. The other week I managed the singular achievement of being bitten by a mouse halfway up a mountain.

 

:levein_interesting:

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Years ago on a family holiday we visited Poole Sea Life Centre. They had a reptile and bug exhibition and you could get your photo with theismassive python.

I sit down and put on this safari hat and the guy places the pythons head in my hand.....say cheese.....but the films run out. He says stay still a moment while he reloads and the python slithers forward and it turned and looked right at me slowly opening and closing its mouth.

At that point he dashed over almost knocking his camera tripod and slapped it hard on the head and repositioned it whilst saying " It wouldn't have bitten you".

I remember looking at my mum and thinking why did he just say that. The photo he took has me with a face like I'm about to soil myself.....or possibly I just had.

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12 minutes ago, Victorian said:

 

:levein_interesting:


Don’t worry, I regretted it the moment I typed it.

 

Much like the guy on the Terrace who wrote “Hamilton should play with kids” today.

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Never had any dealings with snakes, apart from handling a 'grass snake' many years ago.

But spiders, that's different ! Terrified of them, big or small, can't stand them.😝

Was stupid enough to advertise this fact on here years back, and some of 'Kickbacks finest flooded the thread with loads of videos of them....swines !😖

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Not a fan of them either, only ever seen one and it was sat in the middle of a fairway at a course I used to be a member at, walked quite close to it and it was a decent sized adder. 

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Carl Fredrickson

When I was wee our family went on holiday to Portpatrick. One day we went to St Ninians Cave and on the walk down to it something slithered in front of us. I was 7 and bent down to look at what was a snake. My dad, doing his best to protect me hit it with a stick! It slithered away which with hindsight was fortunate for us. The snake was an adder and is the only one I have seen in the wild. 

 

In the early 2000s I parked in the Grassmarket as I was given my mum and her pals a lift home from the Tattoo. The car in front of me was a small hatchback and this nice looking lass in a two piece bikini walked in front of my car and opened the hatch. As she bent over, I had to distract myself from her neat rear, I noticed what looked like an albino snake on her neck/shoulders. She was opening a box in the boot to put it in and the snake started to tighten itself around her neck. She screamed and myself and others went to help her. I was trying to hold its tale whilst others grappled at other parts of its body (the snakes). One guy punched it on its face and it loosened its grip. I found that quite an upsetting experience. 

 

Along with my kids we have handled snakes in controlled environments but I doubt I would like to come across one in the wild. I do find them fascinating. 

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1 hour ago, Jamstomorrow said:

Depending on their whereabouts, I am sure many people across the world have been in a state of panic when 'the turtle's heid' comes poking out!!   

But surely not out of a bush! 

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9 minutes ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

In the early 2000s I parked in the Grassmarket as I was given my mum and her pals a lift home from the Tattoo. The car in front of me was a small hatchback and this nice looking lass in a two piece bikini walked in front of my car and opened the hatch. As she bent over, I had to distract myself from her neat rear, I noticed what looked like an albino snake on her neck/shoulders. She was opening a box in the boot to put it in and the snake started to tighten itself around her neck. She screamed and myself and others went to help her. I was trying to hold its tale whilst others grappled at other parts of its body (the snakes). One guy punched it on its face and it loosened its grip. I found that quite an upsetting experience.

 

:rofl:Sorry, Carl, but what an incredibly bizarre experience to have.

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Carl Fredrickson
Just now, redjambo said:

 

:rofl:Sorry, Carl, but what an incredibly bizarre experience to have.

 

It is my "go to" story of the Edinburgh Festival. If it happened now I think most folk would just stand by with their phones filming it, encouraging the snake. 

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5 minutes ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

 

 

Looks like it has just ate something 

I remember visiting Steve Irwin’s zoo and not long before we got there the massive python had been given a young goat to eat.  You could see the shape of the animal Inside it as it hadn’t started the digestion process yet. Strangely fascinating, but I kind of wish I’d got there earlier to see the whole thing happening. 

Edited by Tazio
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Carl Fredrickson
7 minutes ago, Tazio said:

I remember visiting Steve Irwin’s zoo and not long before we got there the massive python had been given a young goat to eat.  You could see the shape of the animal Inside it as it hadn’t started the digestion process yet. Strangely fascinating, but I kind of wish I’d got there earlier to see the whole thing happening. 

 

You are sick. I would have liked to have seen it too.....

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Ive seen one adder in my 33 yrs on earth in Scotland, which was slithering across a path from one side of brush to another. That was down Yellow Craig's direction when I was a kid. I've never ever come across one since. How common are they here? 😐

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willie wallace

I used to have a copper bracelet covered in puff adder skin.Gutted when I lost it.

Have seen a green mamba,cape Cobra and a boomslang close up.

Fortunately not too close up😊

 

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Dagger Is Back
5 hours ago, Victorian said:

It's an entirely normal and rational fear.    To be confronted at close proximity by an animal that may be among the number of snakes that will kill you.    It would be abnormal to have the same fear when not in a situation of any imminent danger of being bitten.

 

The fact it turned out to be a turtle is a matter to bring to the attention of an optician.

 

Ha ha

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2 hours ago, Dawnrazor said:

I've seen Bear Grylls eat a couple, I wonder what cold snake on a roll would be like?!

I've seen him drinking his piss from a snake skin, if you're looking for something to wash it down.

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4 minutes ago, Lemongrab said:

I've seen him drinking his piss from a snake skin, if you're looking for something to wash it down.

Nah!!

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54 minutes ago, AlphonseCapone said:

 

Why does the Daily MAIL feel the need to CAPITALISE random words throughout EVERY single thing THAT is ever written for their DESPERATE rag of a news/media OUTLET?

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highlandjambo3

Back in the day when I were a sojur, my unit were due to go on a 6 month tour of belize in Central America, to prepare us for the tour about 25 of us were sent out to Brunei in south east Asia to complete a jungle warfare instructors course.  The idea was the 25 of us would be trained up in all things jungley and then deliver this training to our unit.  Of course we were all a bit apprehensive, the closest thing to a jungle we had seen was the woods in Germany.  Anyway, quite a tough course to complete but, our exposure to anything that wanted to bite or eat us was literally non existent, with the exception of stirring up a hornets nest when all 80 of us looking rough and tough, then we descended into a gang of screaming schoolboys crashing through the jungle in an attempt to flee......these things were literally the size of your thumb......very funny afterwards but not at the time.

 

So, for myself in the space of 4 years, I spent 12 months in Belize followed by 12 month is in Sierra Leone (West Africa) and, during that spell, I spent a lot of time in the jungle and seen about 4 snakes, all heading away from me.  It got to a point where I was fairly “meh” about being bitten by anything.  Don’t get me wrong there are plenty out there but we’re a bad lot and they want nothing to do with us.  We make enough noise and smell to deter all kinds of wildlife so, the chances are you may be quite close to something but it’s likely just out of sight.  Of course don’t go sticking your hands down holes or under rocks.

 

I think our presumption that everything wants to bite or eat us is driven by a fear we have, bit like bats after watching Dracula films, we just have this self induced fear.  

Edited by highlandjambo3
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Couple of guys I work with live out in the sticks, they frequently come in to the office with pictures of snakes they've killed 'on the back porch'.

 

Snakes in question are Texas Rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Both things you don't want to be on the receiving end of. They've all taught their kids in no uncertain terms to leave them the **** alone. 

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Many years ago now, me and my mate did a fly/drive holiday in California, Arizona and Nevada. On one of the long drives through a desert, we stopped in the middle of nowhere to pee at the side of the road. Having a nice, relaxed pee, with a wee break from driving as a bonus, we then catch sight of a wee sign sticking in the ground saying "beware of rattlesnakes". Back in the car swiftly and on our way.

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highlandjambo3
44 minutes ago, SectionDJambo said:

Many years ago now, me and my mate did a fly/drive holiday in California, Arizona and Nevada. On one of the long drives through a desert, we stopped in the middle of nowhere to pee at the side of the road. Having a nice, relaxed pee, with a wee break from driving as a bonus, we then catch sight of a wee sign sticking in the ground saying "beware of rattlesnakes". Back in the car swiftly and on our way.

I remember doing numerous river crossing tasks and, there was always a safety boat close by incase someone got into difficulties, also in the safety boat is a guy with a rifle and live rounds incase of crocs.......nothing like motivation to get you going, we were all fairly fast at river crossing...😳

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