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.

A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:06 am

It was 2006 when I was for my first time in Agumbe, and the ARRS (Agumbe Rainforest Research Station) was not yet ready: only a hut in the forest was there to prove the existence of this station! :D
Then I went there in two other different occasions, in 2007 and 2008 if I remember well, and I experienced in 2008 something very interesting where (probably) somewhat like a five star Hotel was still, at that time, only a building site.
The first time I was in Agumbe with a dear friend of mine, Nazzareno Miele, who gives me now the permission to publish here some of his beautiful pictures: unfortunately, for laziness, I had no camera during my first (and maybe also my second) trip there.
Some of the pictures I'll show here are already known, some others of mine are new because they were considered by myself not worth a publishing... :lol:
Anyway, time is flown, and now in Agumbe even two stations for the research of the king cobra are present: so I hope this will be a good souvenir for me and for this forum... :( :D

way to.jpg
The well known road to Agumbe

view.jpg
The view from the top of the road

hospital.jpg
The Agumbe Hospital
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:14 am

I will begin now with a picture which I consider a masterpiece of my friend Nazzareno.
This picture (in situ!) is so beautiful that even Rom Whitaker wanted to create a poster from this picture, and put it on display at the Agumbe Station.

The story is very easy: a telephone call from a house (actually a beautiful villa) where a not better described "yellow snake" was found by the owners under a piece of furniture.

Here is what we found
king in casa1.jpg
Picture taken by Nazzareno Miele
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:18 am

Obviously, if you disturb an adult king cobra male which is peacefully resting, it wants to know what's happening around... :lol:

king in casa2.jpg
Picture of Nazzareno Miele
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:28 am

Another interesting fact happened with Nazzareno during one night: a phone call informed us that a big snake was "trapped" inside a pipe.
Honestly I never understood wheter the snake went voluntarily into the pipe or if the local people used this well known method to trap the snake.
Anyway: here are the pictures of this case...

king in the night.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

king in the night2.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

And everybody is happy now to have a big king cobra male among his feet... :shock: :lol:
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:32 am

I think this was the "pipe snake"... (not in situ clearly)

king.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

king2.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

king3.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:37 am

Unfortunately, not every snake phone call was a king cobra one.

One day we had to drive to a school and dig for a snake...
scuola1.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele
scuola1.jpg (403.25 KiB) Viewed 5085 times


...and the snake revealed itself to be a sand boa!
scuola2.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:41 am

On another occasion we must save a common cobra from a well.

cobra pozzo.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

cobra pozzo2.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

Not very happy for being saved...
cobra.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:47 am

Other snakes we found were, for instance, these ones:

boiga.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

xenoc.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

worm.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

Ptyas.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele


In particular, the Ptyas mucosa is a very common and rather big snake, which could be on occasions taken for a king cobra by too enthusiastic european herpers... But king cobras are normally bigger, as you can see in the pictures which will soon follow...
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 11:53 am

These pictures are worth a look: Trimeresurus malabaricus (a very common species there) with... a mosquito full of blood inside its mouth! :o :D


Trime con zanza2.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

Trime con zanza.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele

Trime con zanza detail.jpg
Picture Nazzareno Miele
Ruggero M.
 
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Re: A souvenir from Agumbe (India)

Postby Ruggero M. » Tue May 30, 2017 12:01 pm

A snake was sighted on the roof of a small house.

Two in situ pictures.
king on roof1.jpg

king on roof2.jpg
The same with slime
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