Nothing "spicy" about dying due to coagulopathy, haemorrhaging and secondary renal failure, mate...Prof. Karl Schmidt would probably agree.
American Herping: A Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in US Zoos
- Thread starter Coelacanth18
- Start date
I have never heard of anyone referring them as such, but it is a name i'll start to use more now
Because it is a name someone on the internet made up for comedy purposes, probably on Reddit as that is where most references link back to. It is the same as if someone decided to write "hey, elephants are also called nosehose cows" and people started repeating "an alternative common name for elephants is nosehose cow".I have never heard of anyone referring them as such, but it is a name i'll start to use more now
Exotic Colubrids Part II
Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) – Rare
A long mint-green and black snake from sub-Saharan Africa. As I’ve said, many colubrids are technically venomous but not dangerous to humans. Boomslangs are a notable exception to that rule; their venom is highly potent, and a few human fatalities have occurred. Like many highly venomous snakes, they are not actually aggressive and rarely strike unless cornered.
America loves its venomous snakes, but for some reason boomslangs are almost absent from public collections everywhere. The only holders in North America I’ve found are Reptile Gardens in South Dakota and Reptilia in Ontario; Europe currently has them at only one facility. The below is a photo from Reptilia; unfortunately the gallery doesn’t have any photos showing the more striking coloration that exists on these snakes.
Taken at Reptila (Canada) by @StellarChaser
Beauty Rat Snake (Elaphe taeniura) – Prevalent
Indeed beautiful snakes, though unfortunately threatened due to overcollection for the pet trade. There are several different subspecies, of which the following 4 were noted in the survey: Ridley’s (also called Cave Racer since they are commonly found deep inside caves), Taiwan, Sumatran and Vietnamese blue. These were once in the genus Orthriophis and may still be signed that way.
Cave Racer (E. taeniura ridleyi)
Taken at the now-closed Dusit Zoo (Thailand) by @Chlidonias
Taiwan Beauty Snake (E. taeniura friesei)
Taken at the Melbourne Zoo (Australia) by @WhistlingKite24
False Water Cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas) – Prevalent
A very large (up to 10 ft) South American colubrid – yes, despite its name it is not actually a cobra. Like cobras it does have a hood, but it doesn’t rear up like cobras do and its venom (though present) is not nearly as dangerous as for true cobras. As its name also suggests, it likes marshy habitats and feeds mainly on aquatic species like frogs and fish in the wild.
Taken at the Chattanooga Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Other species of exotic colubrids:
Prevalent
Tiger Ratsnake (Spilotes pullatus) - also called Chicken Snake or Caninana
Uncommon
Mandarin Ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)
Rhinoceros Ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri)
Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
Thai Bamboo Ratsnake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)
Baron’s Green Racer (Philodryas baroni)
Rare
Mussurana (Clelia clelia) – reported once in 2022, gone within months
Flower Snake (or Moellendorf’s Rat Snake) (Elaphe moellendorffi)
Green Trinket Snake (Gonyosoma prasinum)
Tricolor Hognose Snake (Lystrophis pulcher)
Kukri Snake (Oligodon spp.)
Green Vine Snake (Oxybelis fulgidus)*
Neotropical Bird Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus)
Yellow-red Ratsnake (Pseudelaphe flavirufa)
Yellow-bellied Puffing Snake (Pseustes sulphureus)
Cape Twig Snake (Thelotornis capensis)
*@Neil chace this genus was split up because O. aeneus is native to the US while O. fulgidus is not
)
Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) – Rare
A long mint-green and black snake from sub-Saharan Africa. As I’ve said, many colubrids are technically venomous but not dangerous to humans. Boomslangs are a notable exception to that rule; their venom is highly potent, and a few human fatalities have occurred. Like many highly venomous snakes, they are not actually aggressive and rarely strike unless cornered.
America loves its venomous snakes, but for some reason boomslangs are almost absent from public collections everywhere. The only holders in North America I’ve found are Reptile Gardens in South Dakota and Reptilia in Ontario; Europe currently has them at only one facility. The below is a photo from Reptilia; unfortunately the gallery doesn’t have any photos showing the more striking coloration that exists on these snakes.
Taken at Reptila (Canada) by @StellarChaser
Beauty Rat Snake (Elaphe taeniura) – Prevalent
Indeed beautiful snakes, though unfortunately threatened due to overcollection for the pet trade. There are several different subspecies, of which the following 4 were noted in the survey: Ridley’s (also called Cave Racer since they are commonly found deep inside caves), Taiwan, Sumatran and Vietnamese blue. These were once in the genus Orthriophis and may still be signed that way.
Cave Racer (E. taeniura ridleyi)
Taken at the now-closed Dusit Zoo (Thailand) by @Chlidonias
Taiwan Beauty Snake (E. taeniura friesei)
Taken at the Melbourne Zoo (Australia) by @WhistlingKite24
False Water Cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas) – Prevalent
A very large (up to 10 ft) South American colubrid – yes, despite its name it is not actually a cobra. Like cobras it does have a hood, but it doesn’t rear up like cobras do and its venom (though present) is not nearly as dangerous as for true cobras. As its name also suggests, it likes marshy habitats and feeds mainly on aquatic species like frogs and fish in the wild.
Taken at the Chattanooga Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Other species of exotic colubrids:
Prevalent
Tiger Ratsnake (Spilotes pullatus) - also called Chicken Snake or Caninana
Uncommon
Mandarin Ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)
Rhinoceros Ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri)
Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
Thai Bamboo Ratsnake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)
Baron’s Green Racer (Philodryas baroni)
Rare
Mussurana (Clelia clelia) – reported once in 2022, gone within months
Flower Snake (or Moellendorf’s Rat Snake) (Elaphe moellendorffi)
Green Trinket Snake (Gonyosoma prasinum)
Tricolor Hognose Snake (Lystrophis pulcher)
Kukri Snake (Oligodon spp.)
Green Vine Snake (Oxybelis fulgidus)*
Neotropical Bird Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus)
Yellow-red Ratsnake (Pseudelaphe flavirufa)
Yellow-bellied Puffing Snake (Pseustes sulphureus)
Cape Twig Snake (Thelotornis capensis)
*@Neil chace this genus was split up because O. aeneus is native to the US while O. fulgidus is not
)
Supplemental Post
While I won’t do descriptive blurbs on the list of exotic colubrids above, I thought it would be helpful to include a supplementary photo guide for the remaining Prevalent and Uncommon species.
Chicken Snake (Spilotes pullatus)
Taken at the Moscow Zoo (Russia) by @Fishapod
Mandarin Ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)
Taken at Moody Gardens (Texas) by @geomorph
Rhinoceros Ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri)
Taken at the Northumberland Country Zoo (UK) by @Mr.Weasel
Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
Taken at the Columbus Zoo by @Moebelle
Thai Red Bamboo Racer (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)
Taken at Hamerton Zoo Park (UK) by @ro6ca66
Baron's Green Racer (Philodryas baroni)
Taken at the Denver Zoo by @Ituri
And with that I'll be taking a break for the rest of the week. Next Monday I'll move on to America's reptilian creme de la creme - the venomous snakes.
While I won’t do descriptive blurbs on the list of exotic colubrids above, I thought it would be helpful to include a supplementary photo guide for the remaining Prevalent and Uncommon species.
Chicken Snake (Spilotes pullatus)
Taken at the Moscow Zoo (Russia) by @Fishapod
Mandarin Ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)
Taken at Moody Gardens (Texas) by @geomorph
Rhinoceros Ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri)
Taken at the Northumberland Country Zoo (UK) by @Mr.Weasel
Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
Taken at the Columbus Zoo by @Moebelle
Thai Red Bamboo Racer (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)
Taken at Hamerton Zoo Park (UK) by @ro6ca66
Baron's Green Racer (Philodryas baroni)
Taken at the Denver Zoo by @Ituri
And with that I'll be taking a break for the rest of the week. Next Monday I'll move on to America's reptilian creme de la creme - the venomous snakes.
I have been contemplating whether to get one; but I'll rather go for the Dendroaspis option, also due to antivenom availability in Europe.
As for different variants: the males are in general the more colourful ones.
Wait a second - so WdG is the Maison de la Crème?
Exotic Colubrids Part II
Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) – Rare
A long mint-green and black snake from sub-Saharan Africa. As I’ve said, many colubrids are technically venomous but not dangerous to humans. Boomslangs are a notable exception to that rule; their venom is highly potent, and a few human fatalities have occurred. Like many highly venomous snakes, they are not actually aggressive and rarely strike unless cornered.
America loves its venomous snakes, but for some reason boomslangs are almost absent from public collections everywhere. The only holders in North America I’ve found are Reptile Gardens in South Dakota and Reptilia in Ontario; Europe currently has them at only one facility. The below is a photo from Reptilia; unfortunately the gallery doesn’t have any photos showing the more striking coloration that exists on these snakes.
Taken at Reptila (Canada) by @StellarChaser
Beauty Rat Snake (Elaphe taeniura) – Prevalent
Indeed beautiful snakes, though unfortunately threatened due to overcollection for the pet trade. There are several different subspecies, of which the following 4 were noted in the survey: Ridley’s (also called Cave Racer since they are commonly found deep inside caves), Taiwan, Sumatran and Vietnamese blue. These were once in the genus Orthriophis and may still be signed that way.
Cave Racer (E. taeniura ridleyi)
Taken at the now-closed Dusit Zoo (Thailand) by @Chlidonias
Taiwan Beauty Snake (E. taeniura friesei)
Taken at the Melbourne Zoo (Australia) by @WhistlingKite24
False Water Cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas) – Prevalent
A very large (up to 10 ft) South American colubrid – yes, despite its name it is not actually a cobra. Like cobras it does have a hood, but it doesn’t rear up like cobras do and its venom (though present) is not nearly as dangerous as for true cobras. As its name also suggests, it likes marshy habitats and feeds mainly on aquatic species like frogs and fish in the wild.
Taken at the Chattanooga Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Other species of exotic colubrids:
Prevalent
Tiger Ratsnake (Spilotes pullatus) - also called Chicken Snake or Caninana
Uncommon
Mandarin Ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)
Rhinoceros Ratsnake (Gonyosoma boulengeri)
Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)
Thai Bamboo Ratsnake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus)
Baron’s Green Racer (Philodryas baroni)
Rare
Mussurana (Clelia clelia) – reported once in 2022, gone within months
Flower Snake (or Moellendorf’s Rat Snake) (Elaphe moellendorffi)
Green Trinket Snake (Gonyosoma prasinum)
Tricolor Hognose Snake (Lystrophis pulcher)
Kukri Snake (Oligodon spp.)
Green Vine Snake (Oxybelis fulgidus)*
Neotropical Bird Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus)
Yellow-red Ratsnake (Pseudelaphe flavirufa)
Yellow-bellied Puffing Snake (Pseustes sulphureus)
Cape Twig Snake (Thelotornis capensis)
*@Neil chace this genus was split up because O. aeneus is native to the US while O. fulgidus is not
I was reading an old news clip the other day about the first boomslang in the USA. A dealer had managed to secure over a dozen live mambas for the Bronx - at the time there had never been a live one exported, yet alone so many. They arrived at the zoo in their baskets, placed in a sealed room with several high profile herp people trying to move them each from basket to cage. They got a big surprise when a boomslang hitchhiker came out of one! The entire process took them 4 hours.
Boomslangs and mambas seem to get along quite well in situ - I've seen some pics of them peacefully cohabiting lairs together. However, I don't think that a mixed Boomslang x Mamba exhibit would be a good idea.
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Tigeanderson
Well-Known Member
I can’t wait to see the rattlesnakes and also the cream de la crème of Asia the venomous snakes like cobras, sea snakes and Vipers.
I should probably root out my photographs of the ones at Dvur Kralove, as I seem to recall they have a particularly brightly-marked individual.
If you do get around to finding and uploading a photo, feel free to link it in this thread
Note: Today's post felt too long, but not long enough for two separate posts; as a result I ended up splitting it a bit awkwardly. For clarity, here is an itinerary for this week:
Monday (today): Cobras Overview
Tuesday: King Cobra and Mambas
Wednesday: Australian Elapids
Thursday: Other Elapids
Cobras, Mambas, Kraits and Kings: Family Elapidae
The Elapidae family is mainly famous for their cobras, the hooded hots featured in every Western tale of India and the Middle East. While the majority of species are cobras, there’s a plethora of other elapids around as well. These are rarer in American collections than vipers: for the most part, you will see elapids in either major zoos or in these reptile specialist facilities.
Genus Naja & Co. – Cobras
While “true” cobras are in the genus Naja, there are a handful of other species commonly called “cobras” such as king cobras and rinkhals. The distinctive feature, of course, is the hood around its neck that gets raised when threatened or territorial. Cobras are from Africa and Asia, and pretty much every species can deliver a fatal bite – mostly using neurotoxic venoms (which targets the nervous system and causes paralysis). Several species have evolved to spit their venom rather than biting, which can cause permanent blindness if it nails you in the eyes.
The survey found 23 species of cobra, but few are widely held with only one in 20+ facilities. There are a handful of major zoos with multiple cobra species, but the real hotspots are snake specialist facilities like public venom labs and snake zoos. The full list is below; I’ve based the abundances on AZA holdings, as I think including reptile zoos inflates the numbers more than is realistic for the average ZooChatter.
Abundant
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah spp.) - will be discussed in detail tomorrow
Prevalent
Red Spitting Cobra (Naja pallida)
Uncommon
Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
Egyptian Cobra (Naja haje)
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)
Rare; survey found in at least 1 AZA zoo:
Cape Coral Cobra (Aspidelaps lubricus)
Rinkhals Spitting Cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus)
Banded Water Cobra (Naja annulata)
Black Forest Cobra (Naja guineensis)
Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia)
Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca)
Indian Cobra (Naja naja)
Zebra Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricincta)
Black-necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis)
Caspian Cobra (Naja oxiana)
Samar Cobra (Naja samarensis)
Indochinese Spitting Cobra (Naja siamensis)
Sinai Desert Cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptia)
Rare; survey only found in reptile specialist zoos:
Shield-nosed Cobra (Aspidelaps scutatus)
Chinese Cobra (Naja atra)
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambicus)
Javan Spitting Cobra (Naja sputatrix)
Brown Forest Cobra (Naja subfulva)
Sumatran Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana)
And now here are some photos taken all over the world, highlighting some more frequently seen species as well as different angles and positions.
Red Spitting Cobra (Naja pallida) / Taken at the Meserani Snake Park (Tanzania) by @Hix
Red Spitting Cobra with hood raised / Taken at Hai Park (Israel) by @alexkant
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea) / Taken at the Los Angeles Zoo by @Coelacanth18
Snouted Cobra (N. annulifera) / Taken at Zoo Antwerpen (Belgium) by @KevinB
Snouted Cobras / Taken at Welt der Gifte Salzburg (Austria) by @Batto
Black-necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis) with hood raised
Taken at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm (UK) by @ThylacineAlive
Monday (today): Cobras Overview
Tuesday: King Cobra and Mambas
Wednesday: Australian Elapids
Thursday: Other Elapids
Cobras, Mambas, Kraits and Kings: Family Elapidae
The Elapidae family is mainly famous for their cobras, the hooded hots featured in every Western tale of India and the Middle East. While the majority of species are cobras, there’s a plethora of other elapids around as well. These are rarer in American collections than vipers: for the most part, you will see elapids in either major zoos or in these reptile specialist facilities.
Genus Naja & Co. – Cobras
While “true” cobras are in the genus Naja, there are a handful of other species commonly called “cobras” such as king cobras and rinkhals. The distinctive feature, of course, is the hood around its neck that gets raised when threatened or territorial. Cobras are from Africa and Asia, and pretty much every species can deliver a fatal bite – mostly using neurotoxic venoms (which targets the nervous system and causes paralysis). Several species have evolved to spit their venom rather than biting, which can cause permanent blindness if it nails you in the eyes.
The survey found 23 species of cobra, but few are widely held with only one in 20+ facilities. There are a handful of major zoos with multiple cobra species, but the real hotspots are snake specialist facilities like public venom labs and snake zoos. The full list is below; I’ve based the abundances on AZA holdings, as I think including reptile zoos inflates the numbers more than is realistic for the average ZooChatter.
Abundant
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah spp.) - will be discussed in detail tomorrow
Prevalent
Red Spitting Cobra (Naja pallida)
Uncommon
Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
Egyptian Cobra (Naja haje)
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)
Rare; survey found in at least 1 AZA zoo:
Cape Coral Cobra (Aspidelaps lubricus)
Rinkhals Spitting Cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus)
Banded Water Cobra (Naja annulata)
Black Forest Cobra (Naja guineensis)
Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia)
Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca)
Indian Cobra (Naja naja)
Zebra Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricincta)
Black-necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis)
Caspian Cobra (Naja oxiana)
Samar Cobra (Naja samarensis)
Indochinese Spitting Cobra (Naja siamensis)
Sinai Desert Cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptia)
Rare; survey only found in reptile specialist zoos:
Shield-nosed Cobra (Aspidelaps scutatus)
Chinese Cobra (Naja atra)
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambicus)
Javan Spitting Cobra (Naja sputatrix)
Brown Forest Cobra (Naja subfulva)
Sumatran Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana)
And now here are some photos taken all over the world, highlighting some more frequently seen species as well as different angles and positions.
Red Spitting Cobra (Naja pallida) / Taken at the Meserani Snake Park (Tanzania) by @Hix
Red Spitting Cobra with hood raised / Taken at Hai Park (Israel) by @alexkant
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea) / Taken at the Los Angeles Zoo by @Coelacanth18
Snouted Cobra (N. annulifera) / Taken at Zoo Antwerpen (Belgium) by @KevinB
Snouted Cobras / Taken at Welt der Gifte Salzburg (Austria) by @Batto
Black-necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis) with hood raised
Taken at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm (UK) by @ThylacineAlive
MToxins/Jack Facente keeps Nubian Spitting Cobra (Naja nubiae), although to my knowledge it's never been on exhibit (I did see one during a venom extraction though).
King of Komodo Dragons
Well-Known Member
It was either Reptilania or Reptile Gardens,but I heard that one of them had Giant Spitting Cobra (Naja ashei) whether that animal is still around I do not know
Dvorec Zoo has the only official husbandry in an EU Zoo - and every cobra fan is jealous...
Thanks, that's one I either missed or assigned to a different species. Of course with MToxins closing to the public that one may be an asterisk soon enough!
Interesting, I hadn't come across anything about that. That being said, it's certainly possible; Reptilandia is a very new and still expanding facility while Reptile Gardens might be the largest public snake collection in the country.
As promised, a blurb on America's most common cobra before we move on to other elapids:
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah spp.) – Abundant
With ~40 holders, king cobras are indeed king when it comes to elapids; they are about twice as common as the next species. An AZA managed species found in many major zoos, it is the world’s longest venomous snake averaging 10 to 13 ft – longer than many boas and pythons. Similar to many kingsnakes, king cobras (coincidence?) eat other snakes in the wild. They are found throughout South and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Recent genetic research indicates that the King Cobra is likely multiple species rather than just one. I’m not sure exactly which ones are present in US collections and at what frequency, but we do have multiple present. Below are photos of two types – a (Philippine?) golden specimen and a Chinese Banded specimen respectively.
Taken at the Oklahoma City Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Taken at the San Diego Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Now that we’ve covered our hooded friends, we’ll move on to a group that you're all certainly familiar with.
Genus Dendroaspis – Mambas
A famous group of venomous African snakes. There are four species in the genus, all of which are held in US collections: three green arboreal species and one darker terrestrial type.
Western Green Mamba (D. viridis) – Common
Eastern Green Mamba (D. angusticeps) – Prevalent
Jameson’s Mamba (D. jamesoni) – Rare
These arboreal species are collectively the most common type of elapid in American zoos behind the king cobra. Hailing from different jungles of the African continent, Eastern and Western are fairly common in major zoos; the Jameson’s is much rarer and more restricted to snake specialist zoos and venom labs, although two mid-sized Texas zoos (Abilene and Cameron Park) hold the species as well. Eastern and Western appear to be different in coloration, with Eastern being a more uniform bright green while Westerns have more noticeable black scale margins and dark shading.
Eastern Green Mamba (D. angusticeps) / Taken at the San Antonio Zoo by @Ding Lingwei
Western Green Mamba (D. viridis) / Taken at the Dallas Zoo by @jayjds2
Black Mamba (D. polylepis)
Status in US Zoos: Uncommon in AZA; Prevalent when including reptile zoos
One of the most feared and renowned snakes in the world, with a venom that kills most people who don’t receive treatment. Their color is actually more of a brown-gray, but I guess “Browngray Mamba” takes longer to shout if someone is about to step on one (in actuality, the common name comes from their ink-toned mouth). It is also one of the fastest snakes in the world, capable of slithering at up to 12 mph. Despite its famous reputation, it is notably less common in zoos than green mambas.
Taken at Reptile Lagoon (South Carolina) by @TinoPup
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah spp.) – Abundant
With ~40 holders, king cobras are indeed king when it comes to elapids; they are about twice as common as the next species. An AZA managed species found in many major zoos, it is the world’s longest venomous snake averaging 10 to 13 ft – longer than many boas and pythons. Similar to many kingsnakes, king cobras (coincidence?) eat other snakes in the wild. They are found throughout South and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Recent genetic research indicates that the King Cobra is likely multiple species rather than just one. I’m not sure exactly which ones are present in US collections and at what frequency, but we do have multiple present. Below are photos of two types – a (Philippine?) golden specimen and a Chinese Banded specimen respectively.
Taken at the Oklahoma City Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Taken at the San Diego Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Now that we’ve covered our hooded friends, we’ll move on to a group that you're all certainly familiar with.
Genus Dendroaspis – Mambas
A famous group of venomous African snakes. There are four species in the genus, all of which are held in US collections: three green arboreal species and one darker terrestrial type.
Western Green Mamba (D. viridis) – Common
Eastern Green Mamba (D. angusticeps) – Prevalent
Jameson’s Mamba (D. jamesoni) – Rare
These arboreal species are collectively the most common type of elapid in American zoos behind the king cobra. Hailing from different jungles of the African continent, Eastern and Western are fairly common in major zoos; the Jameson’s is much rarer and more restricted to snake specialist zoos and venom labs, although two mid-sized Texas zoos (Abilene and Cameron Park) hold the species as well. Eastern and Western appear to be different in coloration, with Eastern being a more uniform bright green while Westerns have more noticeable black scale margins and dark shading.
Eastern Green Mamba (D. angusticeps) / Taken at the San Antonio Zoo by @Ding Lingwei
Western Green Mamba (D. viridis) / Taken at the Dallas Zoo by @jayjds2
Black Mamba (D. polylepis)
Status in US Zoos: Uncommon in AZA; Prevalent when including reptile zoos
One of the most feared and renowned snakes in the world, with a venom that kills most people who don’t receive treatment. Their color is actually more of a brown-gray, but I guess “Browngray Mamba” takes longer to shout if someone is about to step on one (in actuality, the common name comes from their ink-toned mouth). It is also one of the fastest snakes in the world, capable of slithering at up to 12 mph. Despite its famous reputation, it is notably less common in zoos than green mambas.
Taken at Reptile Lagoon (South Carolina) by @TinoPup
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I always heard that the name "Black Mamba" referred to the color inside their mouth - if that's the case it's a wonder that the person who named it lived long enough to do so.As promised, a blurb on America's most common cobra before we move on to other elapids:
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah spp.) – Abundant
With ~40 holders, king cobras are indeed king when it comes to elapids; they are about twice as common as the next species. An AZA managed species found in many major zoos, it is the world’s longest venomous snake averaging 10 to 13 ft – longer than many boas and pythons. Similar to many kingsnakes, king cobras (coincidence?) eat other snakes in the wild. They are found throughout South and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Recent genetic research indicates that the King Cobra is likely multiple species rather than just one. I’m not sure exactly which ones are present in US collections and at what frequency, but we do have multiple present. Below are photos of two types – a (Philippine?) golden specimen and a Chinese Banded specimen respectively.
Taken at the Oklahoma City Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Taken at the San Diego Zoo by @ThylacineAlive
Now that we’ve covered our hooded friends, we’ll move on to a group that you're all certainly familiar with.
Genus Dendroaspis – Mambas
A famous group of venomous African snakes. There are four species in the genus, all of which are held in US collections: three green arboreal species and one darker terrestrial type.
Western Green Mamba (D. viridis) – Common
Eastern Green Mamba (D. angusticeps) – Prevalent
Jameson’s Mamba (D. jamesoni) – Rare
These arboreal species are collectively the most common type of elapid in American zoos behind the king cobra. Hailing from different jungles of the African continent, Eastern and Western are fairly common in major zoos; the Jameson’s is much rarer and more restricted to snake specialist zoos and venom labs, although the Abilene Zoo in Texas holds the species as well. Eastern and Western appear to be different in coloration, with Eastern being a more uniform bright green while Westerns have more noticeable black scale margins and dark shading.
Eastern Green Mamba (D. angusticeps) / Taken at the San Antonio Zoo by @Ding Lingwei
Western Green Mamba (D. viridis) / Taken at the Dallas Zoo by @jayjds2
Black Mamba (D. polylepis)
Status in US Zoos: Uncommon in AZA; Prevalent when including reptile zoos
One of the most feared and renowned snakes in the world, with a venom that kills most people who don’t receive treatment. Not to be pedantic, but the color is actually more of a brown-gray… but I guess “Browngray Mamba” takes longer to shout if someone is about to step on one. It is also one of the fastest snakes in the world, capable of slithering at up to 12 mph. Despite its famous reputation, it is notably less common in zoos than green mambas.
Taken at Reptile Lagoon (South Carolina) by @TinoPup
Indeed, thanks for mentioning it; I've edited my original post. It's amazing what key details I overlook when I'm trying to write about hundreds of species at once!
I was about to suggest everyone look up "black mamba mouth" on a search engine because we couldn't possibly have photos of that in the gallery - and yet
Taken at Reptilia (Canada) by @TheGerenuk
Taken at the London Zoo (UK) by @Orycteropus
In regard to nervousness and temper, D. angusticeps specimens often appear to be the most "mellow" of mambas (which is no licence to play around with them), while D. jamesoni are often on the other side of the spectrum. Which might explain the different distribution of mamba species in American zoos. WC specimens are a completely different game altogether in comparison to CB animals...
My wife brought up a good argument why we should add D. angusticeps to WdG: "If zoo visitors hear the term "Green Mamba", they want to see a truly GREEN mamba". Can't argue with that
In European and American zoos, Malayan and the Chinese Banded King cobras seem to prevail at the moment.
My wife brought up a good argument why we should add D. angusticeps to WdG: "If zoo visitors hear the term "Green Mamba", they want to see a truly GREEN mamba". Can't argue with that
In European and American zoos, Malayan and the Chinese Banded King cobras seem to prevail at the moment.