Many Banded Krait's Herald Spring! - 2021 Vlog 03

The Many Banded Kraits are out, Spring is here!
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[@jorgeabadv]

Once again a great video Adam! The many banded krait looks very beautiful!

[@equestanton1017]

The many banded Krates in my garden are very sluggish, never seen one move as fast as this. What do they actually eat? We've had a few hatchlings before, pencil thin. A larger one sort of curled up right in front of my big dogs nose in slow mo, he didn't even wake up. It then vanished in a pile of leaves. In fact they seem to like deep leaf litter because thats where they come out of mostly. I did see one hunting sort of poking it's nose around the leaf litter but also not in much of a hurry so I guess what ever it's eating is also not very speedy either. All my sightings have been during the day. I have made a habit of using a torch now when I go out in the garden at night as there is a very large by Chinese cobra standards Chinese cobra that has been hanging around. I almost ran right into it carrying a bougainvillea last week during the day time. This is why I have now also seen quite a few Krates, with the torch these have been a little more animated. Something strange about these Chinese cobras once I see one I see more and often they also look like the same snakes. Snakes aren't territorial I believe but one of these in the 1 70m - 1 80m is not easily forgotten, fat and shiny black as the night. Could they be leaving some kind of scent trail for others to follow. Breeding? This big snake is playing hide and seek with me. It vanished under the dog kennel and lay there with its head just sticking out watching me gardening, this is where it fled when I almost ran straight into it. Toads came shooting out from under there in all directions. We both got a big fright naturally. It fled and I almost dropped the pot plant. I can't stand Chinese cobras the only snake I'm not fond of here, my heart jumps straight into my mouth. Eventually it came half out then went along the drainage in a slow measured way half flashing its hood as it went, so I followed it. It then made a few clumsy backward lunges my way flopping back onto the terrace with some weight flashing it's hood then vanished down the water outlet in the wall. I assume quite an old snake as it didn't make a song and a dance like they usually do standing their ground and going nuts. Last year I also saw it lying over some branches on the ground getting some sun in early Spring, then again in March this year I saw it climb up over the wall through the thick Epipremnum creeper onto the terrace wall. It saw me watching it through the glass door and immediately flashed it's hood, doing a few slithery oily circles up there still flashing it's hood then poured back down again from where it had come. That's three sightings of what has got to be the same snake. I also saw a smaller couple of them on the terrace last year and this year already. It's like Chinese cobra highway. My dog Lilly killed two that were mating behind the house two years ago both were pretty big snakes but nothing like this one. This one could almost be mistaken for a very large rat snake its so robust. If it wasn't for the distinctive hood markings and head and tail it could be one size wise. One thing i do like about them is the use of the hood, they instantly let you know they've seen you. Half hood, full hood, flashes of hood all seem rather communicative. I wonder if there is a way to get rid of the scent trail if there is one, we disinfect the terrace with bleach once a year but it doesn't seem to stop them coming up here. Im happy for them to stay in the forest of course but around the house it's tricky as we have small JRT's and they aren't in the least bit scared of anything.... not a very pleasant snake anyway by any means.

[@douglasstemke2444]

As abundant as the Bamboo Pit Viper seems to be in your videos, and the relative commonness of the Banded Krait, are there a lot of envenomations with these two species?

[@SnakeIDTV]

Almost all envenomations in Hk are from the Bamboo Viper, and despite the millions of hikes that take place each year there are only between 30 and 60 of those. The hospitals are fantastic at treating them as well so very little serious permanent damage ever occurs and no fatalities from any wild snake bite in recent history. Many Banded Kraits are extremely reluctant to bite and move away when people come around so outside of people handling them there are pretty much never any bites. Bamboos sit still and try to use their camouflage for protection which is why they cause pretty much all of the bites.

[@equestanton1017]

My dog got bitten on the nose by one of these bamboo vipers, her nose and head blew up twice the size. She had to go to the vet for assistance as breathing became tricky. I wouldn't like to be bitten at all after seeing her like that. It's after highwinds and typhoons you see quite a few on the ground as they get blown out of bushes and trees. I always do a proper search around the garden and house area after such events. They take quite a long time to orientate themselves and get back up into where they came from, often they lie still entwined in the branches on the floor of our road and drive after a storm and for quite some time. I once had one entwined in our garden gate, right where you open the thing. Very attractive snakes but I prefer the green "grass snake" for green, if I had the choice.