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Lucky to be alive after snake bite

MORE ON THE MAPEPIRE

We call it labaria n Guyana, very common on the coast. Am happy the guy will be ok.

In reply to Runs

In reply to Runs I was wondering about the treeknee name! Thanks. Labaria is a deadly flicking snake.

In reply to BeatDball

Kills a lot of people, very common.

Saw this,that genus Bothrops (Athrox and Asper)/Lancehead/Fer de lance is actually the deadliest snake in SA and CA simply due to the amount of encounters with humans ,it's aggression venom and distribution,just like the common krait in India/Asia there are deadlier snakes but less encounters and different temperament .

However it's not the 'Bush Master' (Lanchesis Muta) as the article stated,I tried to comment in the comment section in the newspaper to correct them but couldn't last night..The Bushmaster is actually the largest venomous snake in the Americas and second in size only to the King Cobra among venomous snakes in the world and are more shy and less distributed,in T&T they live deeper in the forests and in the mountains,having said that they are sometimes run over on rural mountainous roads here.

This particular snake in the article is 'Bothrops' They come in slightly different shades depending on locale,the Bushmaster is 'Lanchesis'

I've had several encounters with Bothrops on different rural sites here and all have been dramatic,those snakes are on to you in a flash,they not silly at all,I killed 2 simply because I couldn't leave them around to possibly bite one of my men or even me,some parts of the site you would literally crawl up and hold on to vegetation because of the slope of the land and for a quick shortcut to the top rather than the winding unsettled dirt roads we recently cut.

If you abide by basic rules you would never get bite though,look before you step over anything or before it comes into any kind of contact with any part of your body,be it brush branches etc,don't put your hand blindly anywhere,I always warned the guys.

There were also incidents with them moving into idle equipment in the bush,my mechanic had a couple close calls but after the first close call he abides by the basic hand rules,rural work men so in tuned to these snakes they know when they around,you can smell them..a kinda musty slightly offensive floral smell.

Life's exciting here,wouldn't have it any other way...T&T not like other islands in more ways than one,that's why we and Guyanese do so well...


T&T is the only island in the world with the Lance Head,Bushmaster and Anaconda to name a few legends..the corals,big boas,big aggressive racers etc and viper eating Massuranas here too..

In reply to bravos Less than a decade ago, one was among the produce at a West Indian grocery store on Liberty Ave here in Richmond Hill, Queens...the young housewife shopping, was selecting her produce when suddenly she was nicked...she soon fell & died! When the cops were summoned, one of them recognized the symptoms & were smart enough to gently parcel thru the veggies & found a labaria! Not sue exactly the story, but this is what my wife had told me....

In reply to BeatDball

Wow well that's a real urban legend classic for sure if it happened...they're deadly from birth and more so when young because they don't tether their venom,they just inject all,bigger more experienced ones sometimes 'dry bite' in an effort to conserve their venom.

In reply to bravos I always say, have dogs/cats as pets. They sense it when vermins are around...

In reply to bravos

Nice to see someone who has knowledge, very refreshing. The Fer de Lances aka Labarias are abundant in Guyana’s canefields. Bushmaster’s are abundant in rainforests.

One time we went to check out a quarry to do a joint venture with some people who had their permits but no equipment etc. We ran into 3 in no time,a damn big one just slithering his way on the gravel,one close to a small house where the watchman and his family lives,I asked him if he wasnt concerned with his kids playing outside unsupervised,he said "dey always in de house" (de Snakes)!! I told him they will kill his kids,he didn't seem too concerned,he kinda waved it off and say he does just chase dem out all de time ffs!!

I didnt know if it was ignorance or expertise..but I was concerned for the kids,but that area is Viper central,so every little health facility and hospital always prepared and ready I'm certain there are many many more incidents that we don't hear about.

Then when we left the quarry there was one in some vegetation right at the side of the road,we came out and went on top the pickup tray to observe him,from the time he saw us the man dive and seemingly disappeared in thin air,they move like f@ck..he probably had a hole there...

Can you imagine how many we didn't see!?

In reply to Runs

Knowledge is power and the lack of real knowledge here and everywhere on many topics is depressing and even embarrassing.

But everyone seems to be geniuses these days because they can copy and paste..

In reply to BeatDball

I agree but I don't want my beloved pets anywhere around those snakes lol..

Our long standing dog died over a year ago and we took some time to replace her and all kind of animals were literally taking over our yard and house..

But once you have the knowledge about snakes around you can use them to your benefit,snakes control the real vermin..

In reply to bravos
Great knowledge, Bravos!
Can you explain the bolded statement, please.
Any Doctah or Doctah Know it All welcome in quest for genuine knowledge.
He was bitten just above the right ankle.
Mohammed’s brother, Sharaz, a hunter, said when he realised his brother had been bitten he went immediately to look for the snake.
“The snake was in the same spot. It did not move because it had probably just eaten a rat and was lying there. We had to kill it to carry it with us to the hospital with my brother so the doctors could see what type of snake it is in order to give him the correct anti-venom. They confirmed it to be a mapepire,” he said.
“If that mapepire had strike from the front the poison would have travelled much faster in his bloodstream but because it was a bite he was poisoned but at a slower rate, thank God.”
Mohammed said: “This was a near deadly experience for me and I don’t want anyone to experience this because they may not be lucky like I am. People be careful out there, especially in bushy areas.”

In reply to goofballs
Lots of gyaan and luck here to find the snake, to think about it and taking it to the morgue for identification!
Only true way to properly diagnose and treat.

In reply to bravos

Dude, this weekend I have learnt Earth is flat and stationary, the moon creates the seasons, the sun revolves around the earth.
Lotsa internet and youtube Phd’s.

In reply to goofballs

Lol still trying to figure it out,maybe a good doctor can weigh in,maybe the layman believes where there's more flesh there will be more 'effect' or chance for the venom to travel through the blood stream?,maybe even from a superficial trauma perspective because there is significant localized damage if the bite area isn't immediately washed with soap or detergent...so the more muscle and tissue the more risk perhaps?

In reply to Runs

lol...

'Watch yuh step,use de handrail'..



'RUN'!!

Allyuh ain ready for Trini...Guyanese maybe but not allyuh macho fellow islanders..lol.

Lemme see allyuh big man randomly do dis nah..

In reply to sgtdjones

You didn't have to 'cut' yuh copy and paste yinno.....I wasn't really on you..

In reply to Runs

In reply to bravos

I didn't cut anything, some moderator did.

Snake jaws, especially the lower one is extremely sensitive for an animal that slides on the ground.

The upper jaw has a small, long and thin bone called the columella . It is attached to ligaments and cartilages to the back end of the upper jaw and that connects with the lower jaw.

Columella bone is completely surrounded by tissues, so aerial, terrestrial and aquatic vibrations, are transmitted to these bones.

What snakes do best is to detect vibrations coming from the ground or the water? Most snakes can detect with great precision vibrations generated by the steps of a prey by keeping their lower jaw in contact with the ground.

Some snakes are able to receive vibrational stimuli with any body part, often it can be an irritant, a reason to attack.

When in Cedros and Moruga, snakes coming from the Orinoco River on small floating trees or masses of trees that come to shore make homes in these forested areas.

I have been taught by my grandparents to use a soft mocassin shoes to explore such forest. I came close on a few occasions but did not get bitten. It was wise to walk in a clear path and not where leaves are in abundance, snakes love such areas.

I do not kill them, I sat an watched numerous snakes
in their natural habitat and often wondered
when seeing me what were their thoughts?.

In reply to sgtdjones

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

In reply to sgtdjones

In reply to sgtdjones

delete

delete

delete

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

Look what the moderators did here?

Cut out about 25 lines.

Link Text

Another one

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Here is another one

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Another one

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It seems they will decide what members will post and read.

In reply to sgtdjones

Pal you cut it when you realized the part about the Bushmaster after Runs replied to me, geez man stop trying to stir up crap here,how come no one ever edit my posts here,why you?

Man behave yuhself and let people like yuh yuh hear.

In reply to bravos


The worst are the ones who copy and paste fake news and conspiracy theories, not knowing how to separate fact from fiction but end goal being an attempt at looking scholarly.

In reply to bravos

Fi real - well I know you know all di critters & snakes in T&T

In reply to bravos

I did not change any post. I reposted half of what I originally did before a moderator changed it.

If its generic it is what I was taught in secondary school and a grandfather who came from Peru, Cacataibo tribe, rainforest people.

I post facts refute them instead of making allegations

I posted a few threads that moderators deleted the gist of them as they did with this one.

I always post the first paragraph of an article I get from Newspapers that I read.If one were to check the threads out one would see some moderator is deleting
as parts are missing.

I do not have time to read many threads on this site.

Did you notice when I posted about views, I noted it was for royalties with laughter?

I post stuff that I find interesting if no one reads it, my taste may not be everyone.

Please, your comments seem to be a stalker, you somehow know whatever I do on this site? Why is that?

In reply to Runs

I haven't seen anyone here giving a scholarly impression.

It could be coz I don't read them all.

I am confident in my ability, I fail to see why anyone
would come on a website to impress anyone.

My motives are simple if I find that I am not seeing the other side of a discussion or enriching my knowledge, I would leave.

The largest amount of time I spend is on Narper's wagon during games.

In reply to sgtdjones

My comment was not meant at you
It was a general statement.

In reply to Runs

Lol very familiar..

In reply to Chrissy

Yeah I know dem ole snake well..

Three of my posts were delete above!

I did it!!

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

In reply to Walco

A simple answer