Encounters

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

If your estimation of the length (1m) is correct then it would be a female, the males of the species are usually about two thirds the size (I have a friend who breeds them).

Yes, I read that at Wiki, too, males 50-75, females 100-120, some even up to 150 cm. For breeding and little baby snakes, it is too early, so those first two snakes probbaly were males, the third, friendly one a female.

Or the snake queen from fairy tales!

[Rockstar]

Snakes are the Devil!

[Skybird]

^ Some say so am I!

[Skybird]

Nice private video of a ring snake hunting in the garden pool - very fast, and under water. Which means it must be able to see very well. The prey are one or two newts.

[vienna]

From what I have read and what I have seen on nature shows on TV, snakes depend mainly on using their tongues to assess their surroundings and ferret out prey. When they extend their tongues, they sample the air, tasting and 'smelling' (snakes don't have a sense of smell through their 'noses') and also use the tongues to detect vibrations nearby, sort of like a motion detector, so a snake doesn't really need to 'see' its prey, in the usual sense, and given some snakes are nocturnal by nature, they can hunt even in darkness...



<O>

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by vienna

From what I have read and what I have seen on nature shows on TV, snakes depend mainly on using their tongues to assess their surroundings and ferret out prey. When they extend their tongues, they sample the air, tasting and 'smelling' (snakes don't have a sense of smell through their 'noses') and also use the tongues to detect vibrations nearby, sort of like a motion detector, so a snake doesn't really need to 'see' its prey, in the usual sense, and given some snakes are nocturnal by nature, they can hunt even in darkness...



<O>

Smell is important. So is infrared signature, yes. But under water? Just watch in that video how fast and agile it moves when chasing that newt under water. And some snakes certainly see better than others, except when they change their skin, which must blind their eyes as well, I would assume.

Also, that ring snake that I saw first, it reacted to my quite fast approach on bicycle, it had no opportunity to smell me - the wind was blowing in my face. I should have smelled it.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Smell is important. So is infrared signature, yes. But under water? Just watch in that video how fast and agile it moves when chasing that newt under water. And some snakes certainly see better than others, except when they change their skin, which must blind their eyes as well, I would assume.

Also, that ring snake that I saw first, it reacted to my quite fast approach on bicycle, it had no opportunity to smell me - the wind was blowing in my face. I should have smelled it.

I only knows what I reads in the papers and sees on TV.

Did a bit of a lookup and found this:

http://www.livescience.com/32114-can...-see-well.html

http://animalworld.tumblr.com/post/2...by-mrclean1982

Just be glad you didn't encounter a pit viper; they seem like a nasty bit of trouble...



<O>

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Yes, I read that at Wiki, too, males 50-75, females 100-120, some even up to 150 cm. For breeding and little baby snakes, it is too early, so those first two snakes probbaly were males, the third, friendly one a female.

Or the snake queen from fairy tales!

That wouldn't make you Prince Charming but more like a Snake Charmer

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

That wouldn't make you Prince Charming but more like a Snake Charmer

Lord of the snake pit.