A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:04 pm

The difficult part was to convince the guy to leave its den...

From the outside...
king on roof3.jpg


...and from the inside view.
king on roof inside.jpg
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:07 pm

This is one of the 3 most interesting snake places I've ever seen.
The other two being a swamp in Greece and Havelock Island in the Andamans.

In 2008 this was a building site. For a big luxus Hotel? I don't know. But surely this place doesn't exist any longer as it's represented in the picture.

baustelle.jpg
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:27 pm

Why was that place so interesting?

For two or three reasons.
It was breeding season for the king cobras and there were many males around that place. Plus: a radio tracked female had decided to hide exactly near that building site.
The female had so to be removed from there by the researchers... but I could have meanwhile the unique occasion to see many big king cobra males from a certain distance, and to meet one huge animal practically a few meters away from my feet, even if the researchers were not that happy that I "disturbed" their snakes! :lol: (no pictures of this one: really too fast to do anything useful)

To have an idea of what you have to look for in the distance (and also near yourself) when you are in a king cobra territory: something as large as a big branch or a big black/dark water pipe cannot be a snake here in Europe. But in Western Ghats a big branch or a big black pipe in the wood can actually be a king cobra resting or moving around...

Pictures taken from great distance at that building site with a very rudimental camera.

king at distance.jpg
In the middle of the picture you can see a "water pipe" like male king cobra

king at distance2.jpg
In the middle of the picture you can see a "big branch" like brown male king cobra


In the middle of the picture is the resting radio tracked female...
female king.jpg


Which was also seen hunting and then eating a rat snake!
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:30 pm

Female king feeding upon a ratsnake (difficult to see!) at the building site

female feeding.jpg

female feeding detail.jpg
Detail
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:34 pm

Finally the female had to be removed...

female king1.jpg

female king2.jpg


...and accompanied into the wood by the many impatient males!
female king3.jpg
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:40 pm

In another distant place the researchers found a king cobra pair (male and female), but I could photograph and probably see only the male.
A filming troupe was also present.

king head1.jpg
The head of the male at great distance

king head2.jpg
Detail
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:43 pm

Same animal from a better and nearer point of view.

king in situ.jpg

king in situ2.jpg

king in situ3.jpg

king in situ4.jpg
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:48 pm

I've some other pictures, sure, of other herps, but I consider the king cobra so an interesting creature that everything else has little or no importance after that... and now I'm a little tired of posting too... :lol:

So I hope you've enjoyed my short report about Agumbe! :? ;)

stone.jpg
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ilian Velikov » Tue May 30, 2017 1:04 pm

Awesome! Without a doubt one of the (if not THE) most magnificent and charismatic snake in the world. Thanks for posting this.
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 4:22 pm

Ilian Velikov wrote:Awesome! Without a doubt one of the (if not THE) most magnificent and charismatic snake in the world. Thanks for posting this.



Thanks Ilian! I've now the authorization to post some pictures taken by my friends Rica and Achim Kempter of the Exotarium Oberhof: they were with me in Agumbe in late 2006 (it was not 2007!) and 2008. :?: :roll:

viper.jpg
Picture Kempter

trime1.jpg
Picture Kempter

trime2.jpg
Picture Kempter: detail of the same snake

natrix.jpg
Picture Kempter

Ratsnake which crossed the road
rica.jpg
Picture Kempter

Black ratsnake...
black ratsnake.jpg
Picture Kempter

...and black female king
black female.jpg
Picture Kempter


It was rainy season in late 2006, and during that period king cobras in Western Ghats tend to be glossy black (especially females I think...?).

A little Amphiesma...
amphiesma in mano.jpg
A picture of mine...

...and an Ahaetulla photographed in the dark
aethulla1.jpg
Picture Kempter
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