[DoctorBeaver]

quote:You can tell black mambas anything you like. If you tell them up-close, it will scare them, and they will strike. If you leave it alone, it will not. There is not a single species of snake, or any healthy animal, for that matter, that will attack just for fun. There is always fear or food invloved. (Humans somehow missed this rule)

That's not strictly true. A female black mamba that has just laid eggs will attack anyone who gets too close & often chases them. Don't tell me this doesn't happen because I've actually seen it.
I've seen quite a few blacks mambas in the wild. I even had 1 cruise across my lawn. I wouldn't like to estimate its length, but it was holding its head a good 3' off the ground at 1 point.

AlphBravo - as for green mambas being more deadly... no. You can climb trees full of greens, even putting your hands on them as you climb, & they won't bite. They are among the most passive snakes in Africa.
Are you, maybe, confusing green mambas with the green tree snake? That is a totally different species - very aggressive and highly venomous.

Finally, I can tell you that being bitten by a rhinoceros viper damned well hurts! That was my own fault, though, & I in no way blame the snake. I still have the fang marks on my arm.

[DoctorBeaver]

I really hate to quibble, but domestic cats kill for fun & my Jack Russell often attacks my toes just for a lark! []

[AlphBravo]

" They are among the most passive snakes in Africa.
Are you, maybe, confusing green mambas with the green tree snake? That is a totally different species - very aggressive and highly venomous."

The Boomslang you mean quite quick a back fang model?
I remember a green Mamba in the living room once in my early youth it was up on the curtain pelmet and there were these little china figurines on it anyway it only knocked one off, but everybody was very excited by it being in the house, don't know about passive though.


Finally, I can tell you that being bitten by a rhinoceros viper damned well hurts! That was my own fault, though, & I in no way blame the snake. I still have the fang marks on my arm."

Nasty looking snakes, those vipers and adders very primordial, their fangs are something to behold, (never been bit though, touch wood)and they can strike quickly, for all that bulk.
I recently encountered for the first time recently near Sydney the diamond python, there were 3 of them, apparently some odd mating ritual thing, but one was about half the size of the other two!
never seen that before.

[DoctorBeaver]

Alpha - yes, the boomslang. Funny looking little buggers. I have known them to be confused with green mambas.

Certainly the green mambas in Uganda are passive. Kids handle them with no trouble.

[MoreliaMan]

hi everyone,   firstly im guessing alot of you have none or maybe only i little knowledge about reptiles, because there seems to be alot of B/S flying around here !   60foot snakes etc !!    the large snake found in indonesia was first measured with a piece of string by a group of villagers that are not exactly numerate!  plus when you consider snakes can constrict & expand their muscles, so a captured snake (in fear of its life) is going to struggle a bit ! no wonder it wasnt accurate !  i have certainly found with alot of snakes (not just the large ones) if they want to warm up they expand their muscles, thus making a larger area to trap the sun, also a snakes length can vary from day to day, i presume according to temp/humidity etc,     with regards to someone saying that a snake wouldnt attack without a reason, could be true, unless you can speak fluent snake i spose, it must be attacking you for some reason,   black mambas will turn around and chase you for what appears to be no good reason !  or for what you may think is no good reason, but im sure the mamba has one !  even if it is just for fun.  you cant really include mammals in this  because they are totally different to reptiles  when behavour is concerned.  Alot of people seem to be confusing the HEAVEST (reputed to be the anaconda) snake in the world to the LARGEST (or longest reputed to be the reticulated) snake in the world,  its like saying the goliath tarantula is the biggest spider on record, when infact it isnt, its the biggest in bulk size & weight !  some of the australian huntsman spiders grow larger than the goliath! but only weigh a fraction of the goliaths weight !
It is a true fact that snakes kept in captivity will usually grow larger that their wild relatives, also the size can be regulated in captivity, if you had a corn snake & only ever fed it baby mice, i doubt the snake would grow larger than 24" (this is being proved with reticulated pythons like   jampea dwarf retics)  a snake which has been isolated on an island for thousands of years with only a certain size prey available to eat ! resulting in an undersized snake, if you take one of thease so called dwarf varaties and start feeding them larger prey....the result ...they grow bigger that their cosins in the wild !   also.....snakes, if being fed the correct size food, WILL NOT grow according to their surroundings, they can and will outgrow them, this is a reptile, not a fish which emits chemicals when urinating to control population levels.  
And im sorry Alph but just because youve lived in a certian contry for a certian time, doesnt mean your an expert on the wildlife there !  
As for simeonie, you are very wrong and need to refresh your knowledge on reptiles, i just hope you dont keep any now !  i know i love to shove you in a kitchen cupboard to to just see if you shrink !      take care peps xx  marc[xx(]

[AlphBravo]

I never claimed expert status just "observation", ever notice folk who live in an area are mostly only cognizant with the local varities?

[ukmicky]

I love snakes, i was going to get one as a pet, but wifey said no.

Michael

[gecko]

just get one anyway.

[ukmicky]

gecko

I thankyou for your support.

However i take it from your advice that your not married otherwise you wouldnt be advising me to chose the route to my demise.

Michael

[moonfire]

quote:Originally posted by ukmicky

gecko

I thankyou for your support.

However i take it from your advice that your not married otherwise you wouldnt be advising me to chose the route to my demise.

Michael

Which is more deadly then any venomous snake on earth!  You are very smart and I would call you a wife expert...[]

"Lo" Loretta

[herp18]

hey im new i just was searching about giant snakes and saw the article. i don't claim to know more than anyone else i own a beautiful male Burmese python. was just interested in knowing more about snakes

[neilep]

hey im new i just was searching about giant snakes and saw the article. i don't claim to know more than anyone else i own a beautiful male Burmese python. was just interested in knowing more about snakes

Hi herp18.....welcome to the site...

...can you post a piccy of your snake...?..can ya..?...will ya ?...

[that mad man]

Hi herp18.

Welcome from another herpetologist.

Glad you posted as this is the first time I have seen this thread! 

Yes, please post some pictures if possible and also some more information about your wonderful snake.

[Zeo]

Ok, so I don't claim to be an expert on anything. I do claim however to have grown up around snakes and do have some knowledge about them and their growth habits. First off, a snakes environment has everything to do with how big it gets. Does this mean that if you keep a snake in a small cage it will stay small? No. It will get sick and most likely die. What if you put it in a huge open cage you say? Well, then the snake will become agitated (depressed almost) and quit eating. Once the snake quits eating because it has no place to hide it will die if you don't release it, or put it into a tank with proper hiding accommodations. So what is needed for growth of the snake? That's simple, and the main reason I say that environment has everything to do with how big a snake gets. The size of the cage/ environment (I'm including wild along with domestic) determines how much the snake will move and how much it'll want to eat. The amount of heat determines how fast to food will digest. Warmer temps means faster digestion, which means more food, which means longer body. However if it is too hot the snake will receive skin damage and again may stop eating all together. The type of foods available can determine how fast it will grow as well, seeing as different animals provide different types of nutrition. Yes snakes can have bad eating habits just like people. And the predators in the area will determine the life expectancy of the snake thus determining the size it grows to. How big can they get. Well in all honesty, we really don't know. Lots of people think they know, but they just know the norms, of mostly domestic snakes. Please consider the vast amount of stories of giant serpents dating back thousands of years. I strongly support that if there are that many stories some from other sides of the world thousands of years back when there was no communication amongst the different tribes at that time. How could they tell stories so similar about giant snakes if they didn't communicate with each other. Also, I've been to many different places where there evidences and stories of snakes that far exceed that of what the records hold. For example I have a friend from Papua New Guinea who sent me this picture.
  newbielink:http://www.picable.com/Abstract/Giant-Snake.3037803 [nonactive]         (Compare the snake to the 6' man beside it.)
This particular snake is indeed very large, but there are stories of snakes even larger than this that have been killed. There are snake skulls there that measure almost 2feet in diameter. Anyways, I just wanted to clarify, that though we haven't caught a living ancient snake that measures 60'+ we can't say that this type of snake doesn't exist. I'd like to offer one last evidence to this. Consider the tombs we have found of 9 to 12 foot people in recent years. There are sometimes people who far exceed the norm. I present to you that this principle is true no matter what the species might be.

[CliffordK]

http://www.picable.com/Abstract/Giant-Snake.3037803         (Compare the snake to the 6' man beside it.)

Zeo,
Welcome to the forum.

Whew, that is a BIG snake!!!
I don't think I'd want it in my garden.

Apparently the Burmese Python doesn't have to eat very frequently (perhaps as infrequently as once a year), but when it does, it is often a big meal.

[widereader]

I think anacondas.  Are anacondas real by the way?

[CliffordK]

As far as extinct snakes,

Gigantophis

Egypt, and the Woodlands of northern Africa
Historical Epoch:
Late Eocene (40-35 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 33 feet long and half a ton

Titanoboa
Also here

From Columbia, South America, and the Amazon.
60–58 million years ago.
About 50 feet long, and weighing about a ton.
Believed to be able to eat a prehistoric 15 foot crocodile whole weighing a half a ton or so.