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Oriental Ratsnake interrupted while dining Since people seemed to like stories . . . I was in our cabin during the day at Chitwan NP, probably trying to figure out some bird ID. Suddenly there was a commotion out in the garden and I ran out to calls of "snake, snake" grabbing my camera. Sure enough, they had found a snake, which as I looked at him and got off a few photos, I noticed that it was in the middle of eating a frog it had killed. As several of us stood there, the snake stopped in the middle of swallowing the frog and looked up at us. The expression of its face (as seen here) seemed to be showing that it was thinking over whether to be safe (i.e., spit out the frog and flee from these big dangerous humans) or satisfied (finish swallowing the frog and get its dinner, but risk that the humans would harm it which it would find harder to avoid being full of fresh frog). It made the nomally wise choice and went fror safety - spit out the frog and disappeared beneath the roots of a tree. I felt horrible that we may have cost it its dinner, so I was very relieved that when we cam back an hour later, the frog was gone. Hopefully the snake had returned an finally gotten its well deserved meal! Chitwan National Park,Fall,Geotagged,Nepal,Oriental Ratsnake,Oriental ratsnake,Ptyas mucosa,Ptyas mucosus Click/tap to enlarge PromotedCountry intro

Oriental Ratsnake interrupted while dining

Since people seemed to like stories . . . I was in our cabin during the day at Chitwan NP, probably trying to figure out some bird ID. Suddenly there was a commotion out in the garden and I ran out to calls of "snake, snake" grabbing my camera. Sure enough, they had found a snake, which as I looked at him and got off a few photos, I noticed that it was in the middle of eating a frog it had killed. As several of us stood there, the snake stopped in the middle of swallowing the frog and looked up at us. The expression of its face (as seen here) seemed to be showing that it was thinking over whether to be safe (i.e., spit out the frog and flee from these big dangerous humans) or satisfied (finish swallowing the frog and get its dinner, but risk that the humans would harm it which it would find harder to avoid being full of fresh frog). It made the nomally wise choice and went fror safety - spit out the frog and disappeared beneath the roots of a tree. I felt horrible that we may have cost it its dinner, so I was very relieved that when we cam back an hour later, the frog was gone. Hopefully the snake had returned an finally gotten its well deserved meal!

    comments (7)

  1. Awesome story, I was already wondering what the hell it was eating. Posted 8 years ago
    1. I really hope that it ate the frog in the end - it had earned it! Posted 8 years ago
  2. Sorry, Barry, have to take away this species intro from you. This one was identified as Ptyas mucosus, which is an incorrect name as it should be Ptyas mucosa. However, Wikipedia redirects the wrong entry into the correct Ptyas mucosa page, and this tricked the system into thinking it's a separate species. The species was already there, so it's not a species intro.

    Still a wonderful find though, great photo, and a country intro.
    Posted 7 years ago
    1. No worries, as a trained scientist, I appreciate getting it right. Now if you could only identify my Sri Lanken Whip Scorpion! Posted 7 years ago
      1. Thanks! Can you link me to it? Posted 7 years ago
        1. Tailless Whip Scorpion - Sri Lanka version - Phrynichus ceylonicus Since my first Tailless Whip scorpion was such a hit, here is another, this time from Sri Lanka. My best guess is that it is Phrynichus ceylonicus, but it could also be pusillus. Anyone care to make a decision? This fellow was in a toilet at a rest stop in Wasgamuwa NP in Sri Lanka. Fall,Geotagged,Sri Lanka,Wasgamuwa,whip scorpion
          Posted 7 years ago
          1. What are you looking for? The ID? Or are you now sure about the species ID and you want me to create the record?

            The second part is easy, first part...not so much :)
            Posted 7 years ago

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''Ptyas mucosa'', commonly known as the oriental ratsnake, Indian rat snake, 'darash' or ''dhaman'', is a common species of colubrid snake found in parts of South and Southeast Asia. Dhamans are large snakes, growing to 2 m and occasionally even to 3 m . Their colour varies from pale browns in dry regions to nearly black in moist forest areas. Dhamans are diurnal, semi-arboreal, non-venomous, and fast-moving. Dhamans eat a variety of prey and are frequently found in urban areas where rodents thrive.

Similar species: Snakes And Lizards
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Barry's profile

By Barry

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Uploaded Jun 7, 2017. Captured Nov 26, 2016 10:50 in Unnamed Road, 44200, Nepal.
  • Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
  • f/5.0
  • 1/50s
  • ISO400
  • 83.901mm