Sunday, April 22, 2007




snakes in forested areas


snakes are common in our nature reserves. encountered two recently, one slithering across the track at khatib bongsu when i was walking with victor and one gliding across the track this morning at dairy farm when i was walking alone. in both cases, the snakes were slightly more than one metre long.

this snake at dairy farm was in no hurry to get away. it was taking its time gliding into the shrubs but by the time i thought of taking a shot of it with my digital camera, it had disappeared into the undergrowth.

it was not a python because i would have been able to recognise the distinctive snake. could be a kukri or some brown snake.

when people encounter a snake, they often corner it. then the snake will hiss loudly, open its mouth in a threatening manner, coil up and strike at the individual- or bluff by advancing towards the intruder. these behaviours, designed to scare off the intruder, lead to a common misconception that snakes charge or attack people.

in most cases, a snake reacts only if it feels threatened. usually it crawls away if it can reach cover safely. of course, there are exceptions, which may chase after larger animals, including humans, when they are defending their breeding territory.

when i am at the dairy farm quarry area, i particularly like this setting which seems to convey the expression: light at the end of the tunnel. the quarry has been filled up, so you do not see any pool of water. not many people attempt rock climbing here nowadays because of the two fatal accidents.

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