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**capngeo** · 28-08-2013, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptForce

That's a common and and absolutely harmless red tailed boa,- common Boa Constrictor.- not a python and not poisonous. Sometimes, under best conditions, they can reach 8 to 9 feet, but they remain harmless. There's no reason for them to be harmed. I hope he was treated well and released unharmed.

+1.... Harmless (unless you're a rodent)

montenido · 28-08-2013, 19:41

Hi Zee.

I agree that it is probably a harmless boa. (not if it bites you). Where I live, Gopher snakes pretend to be Rattlesnakes, quite convincingly.

Glad it all ended well.

BTW, I am headed down to Mexico with the Baja-Haha soon, and would love to cross paths with you before you leave for points south, if it works out. Always enjoy your posts.

Cheers, Bill

saw77 · 28-08-2013, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptForce

That's a common and and absolutely harmless red tailed boa,- common Boa Constrictor.- not a python and not poisonous. Sometimes, under best conditions, they can reach 8 to 9 feet, but they remain harmless. There's no reason for them to be harmed. I hope he was treated well and released unharmed.

This is absolutely correct.

downunder · 28-08-2013, 20:05

Boat cat not doing its job.

OutOfControl · 28-08-2013, 20:29

After further review it appears to be a juvenile South American boa as CaptForce alluded too.

pbiJim · 28-08-2013, 21:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeehag

he has round cheeks making it triangular in shape.

That sounds a little like a pit viper, especially since he snapped at you rather than the rope. Pit vipers have a little indentation in the top front of their head that acts as a heat sensor. That is how they locate prey. They strike by heat sense, because they tend to have very poor eyesight.

Rattlers are in the pit viper family, as are a number of other highly venomous snakes. The coloring on that snake looks similar to some types of rattlers that I've seen in the Sonoran desert. I'm no snake expert though. Also, the pictures aren't really clear & close up enough for me to see the head all that well.

One interesting thing about pit vipers: If you have a rifle barrel that has been out in the hot sun for a while, & you point it in their general direction, they will line up on it for you. You just watch their head bob right to left in progressively smaller increments. When the weaving distance is smaller than the width of their head, they are nearly ready to strike & they are also lined up with the barrel. At that point, you just pull the trigger. He aimed for you. I've done it that way a couple of times when out hiking in the desert. It's worked every time that I've tried it.

As a general rule, venomous snakes are more likely to strike at critters, while constrictors usually try to sneak up & wrap themselves around things. Small non-venomous snakes like racers, king snakes, etc. usually flee when people are around. At least that's been my experience. It's not a hard & fast rule, but it is a rule of thumb.

Bashleys · 28-08-2013, 21:57

Boa...100%. Constrictor, harmless (to humans). No poison, but likely to bite. No prob until they put on a few pounds. This is a youngster.

**Coops** · 29-08-2013, 00:21

Guess that you are quite sad, Zee, that it is not what the Aussies call a "trouser snake" in your bed?

Coops.

**atoll** · 29-08-2013, 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeehag

i have been sailing in tropics now for a couple of years and in mexico for 3 years now. i have had pleasant uninvited guests on my boat-- gekkos rock--wonderful guests-one doesnt even mind the poop...skeeter eatr swallows on my bow ...
coatimundis are interesting--quiet, stinky , want garbage without bug spray in it......make a thump when landing on your deck.....
even a young iguana one evening ....

last night we had a freshening breeze which kinda caught one of my tarps to flapping and one line slapping--not normal=-so i went out to investigate.... readjusted tarps for higher winds, tied lower on the stanchions, closer to deck so as to catch no air, went all around my boat to chek everything.
this morning i went on same rounds and decided to readjust one of my port midship lines--was hanging in water, and that isnt necessarily a good thing in tropical waters. so i start to ready lines for readjustment when i hear a loud hiss and see a ok, imagonnagetyooo face coming at my paws fangs first....ok......you can have this rope..i have more.....so i went around the loong way and got my camera and took some pix--he wasnt gonna go anywhere--he was happy in my lines,prolly tired from swimming in a storm last night......
then i used my radio and called marina management for extrication of critter from my deck please...
6 grown men arrived. we couldnt find snakee..omg...searched well--didnt find the bastid.... men leave, we all happy .... i bring bubba outdoors fro a bit, tie his leash and go to finish what i started before that mayhem began.....ok handling the 7/8 3 strand on the horns of my midships horned hawse---HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSholyshiteok, i am not ready for this yet......went to get my gaffs with as long handles as possible----push the bastid some...hoh .he mad now....put the rope in his face to get him to bite so i can lift his snakeass up over the bulwarks and overboard. uncooperative bastid wouldnt hold on.....lol..he seems to be a hit and run kinda killer..ok..and nyaah ye misssed me 'nakey--here is this-----more rope--nope not a chance... total 7 strikes at me not the rope, and i decided this snake was ready for the seguridades again--so i went to find them --didnt find em but i found some he men from the fishing cooperativa...we went to check the deal out.....lol..when i got back the visitor had gotten hidden under my solar panel out of the sun.

(yes i have pix...rodlmao...but only of the snake...snakee was kinda cute.)
so we searched yet again for nakee--found him so they could see him, and discuss it an d laugh and snerk----
they called the seguridad yet again as they were askeereded of the damnable thing--i was just pissed off at it and didnt want it to die--so....they--now is 2 cooperativa dudes and 2 seguridades, called in the maintenance man--he had a stick with forked end and got the lil guy and let the snakee wind itself around the forked end and held it way far away from his bod as he walked to the oficina de seguridades......

h0w many big strong mans does it take to rid a formosa 41 of a tiny poison snake..

btw--dont forget to look at your lines before you find stuf f hiding in there---surprises are not always good

aint he cute????? tiny lil hellaguy

i love it here----this is first snake in over 3 years...not too bad.

glad that bastid is out of my hair.......

boa! they make great pets.......though bubba might not agree

**Coops** · 29-08-2013, 02:28

We have a carpet snake in the ceiling of our house, which is a python, and therefore a constrictor. It was big when we bought the house, and that was 16 years ago, and it is still there. We can hear it moving around and making the ceiling creak sometimes.

Some people that I used to know had one and it used to come out at beer o clock and amble around and we measured it at 25 feet.

Coops.

rossad · 29-08-2013, 02:42

I hate snakes ... give me the willy's. How the heck did it get on your boat.

kcmarcet · 29-08-2013, 03:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coops

We have a carpet snake in the ceiling of our house, which is a python, and therefore a constrictor. It was big when we bought the house, and that was 16 years ago, and it is still there. We can hear it moving around and making the ceiling creak sometimes.

Some people that I used to know had one and it used to come out at beer o clock and amble around and we measured it at 25 feet.

Coops.

All I can say is wow! The next question I have is what is it eating up there? I assume it's feeding on rodents of some kind? I wouldn't worry about the snake so much but the thought of rodents in my attic make me a little nervous.

**s/v Jedi** · 29-08-2013, 03:16

Boa Constrictor. Good snake

Zeehag needs a little more encounters and ID'ing before coming to Panama because there are a bit more of 'm here... it is easier to list what is not here: no Mamba and no Cobra. All the other families are present, but most are good snakes like the Boa.

**s/v Jedi** · 29-08-2013, 03:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coops

We have a carpet snake in the ceiling of our house, which is a python, and therefore a constrictor. It was big when we bought the house, and that was 16 years ago, and it is still there. We can hear it moving around and making the ceiling creak sometimes.

Some people that I used to know had one and it used to come out at beer o clock and amble around and we measured it at 25 feet.

Coops.

Dude! No way!