Ptyas korros - Rat Snake

A member of a photographic website who lived in Jakarta, came to visit, to do a bug safari with me. I was praying to the lord of the bugs, to grant me a ton of great stuff to present to her. The session actually went very well, and she went away with about a dozen different bugs in the can.

BUT, on the walk back to the bike, these two mating rat snakes, about 4’ – 5’ in length, slithered onto the path right in front of us. As I kneeled in for the shot, I was waiting for the high pitched squeal and the rapid patter of feet, but no, she was right on my shoulder. I told her to get the camera out, but she said that this was my patch and I should have the shots. An accomplished photographer with a truly professional attitude. I managed a dozen or so shots before the show was over.

At that time, although I had photographed the snake quite a few times, I had not identified the beasty. My research kept coming up eastern brown, although an Australian snake, is known to be present in Java. With its reputation as one of the most poisonous snakes in the world, you can imagine what my heart rate was doing, with a pair of them a mere 4’ in front of me, plus the responsibility of not killing off the darling of the website!

Location is Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Alongside a stream and paddy fields.