Hi All,

Anybody interested enough to want to discuss the potency of venom in opistoglyphous snakes?

In the UK we have the "Dangerous Wild Animals Act", which controls the keeping of animals which pose a threat to humans. As far as snakes are concerned it covers all the proteroglyphs, all the solenoglyphs and certain named opistoglyphs...this is where it falls down....the list of controlled opistoglyphs seems (to me) to be random or at best based on rumour, outdated research or simply on snake size.

Let me explain what I mean. Obviously, the Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) and the Twig Snake (Thelotornis capensis) are listed, and rightly so. But also listed are the Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) and the Mangrove Snake (Boiga dendrophila). I have kept Mangrove Snakes in the past, I have been bitten (and indeed chewed) by this species and suffered no ill effects. I have also kept the Cat-Eyed Snake (Boiga cyanea), which is not considered dangerous. (Incidentally, I also had the first UK captive breeding of this species!) Mangrove Snakes, being arboreal, strike and seize their prey from above, this strike is normally followed by immediate constriction (in the case of rodent prey). So the prey is killed/subdued by a combination of envenomation and constriction. However, in the Cat-Eyed Snake the same capture method is employed, but constriction rarely follows, as envenomation appears to be sufficient. I have timed the feeding from strike to death of prey and seen a grown mouse die in as little as seven seconds! Which is rapid by any standards!

So the point is, because the Cat-Eyed Snake is placcid and easy to handle, and smaller than it's aggressive Mangrove cousin, it is pressumed to be harmless. Personally I believe this species to be venomous in the extreme. However, no serious research appears to have been done.

So guys, any of you had dealings or experience with opistoglyphous snake species?