Mark O’Shea Answers
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Q&A with Mark O'Shea
by pegasus on November 15, 2002
Hello
Is there any chance that Mark O'Shea might be able to answer this at all if the Q & A session is
not over.
It's really a question on behalf of my 14 year old brother.
I come from the UK and my brother is very interested in
herpetology and has been for years, ever since he could walk I would say.
I work in a library my-self and am always getting him books out and he likes
nothing better than to go out looking for reptiles and amphibians. I’ve just
joined him up for the young herpetologists club for his birthday as well.
He's expressed an interest in doing work with reptiles/amphibians when he's older.Any advice please?
Amanda
Amanda,
My advice is that the best tool you can obtain in youth for a future of your own making is a good education.
Competition for exciting jobs is usually considerable and usually the person
with the best qualifications gets the position. if your brother wants to be a
professional herpetologist who does fieldwork a university degree
would be very useful and the experience and understanding gathered along the
way will enable him to understand the species he is interested in as part of
the ecological jigsaw rather than a species in isolation.
Mark
Q&A with Mark O'Shea Reply
by Jurliki on September 4, 2002 Mail this to a friend!
It's a nice idea to give us the oportunity to send
questions to great herpetologist!!!!!
I hope this will be continuated, it sounds great!!!
Jurliki
I am happy to answer batches of questions
forwarded to me from time to time when I am not tied up with research for the
films (which I will be shortly with the NEW 4th series)
Mark
Q&A with Mark O'Shea Reply
by notsnakebityet on October 17, 2002 Mail this to a friend!
Dear Mark,
I am a magazine writer and photographer and I was wondering if you have any
advice or tips on how to photograph venomous snakes. I do not keep snakes
myself and my experience is limited to garter and grass snakes that I used to
catch when I was a boy. I am quite competent on the technical side of
photography, so what I want to know is how to photograph these snakes safely
and yet still have realistic photographs that show the snake in a natural
habitat (or as close to it as possible) without the tongs, hands, etc.
intruding into the photograph or stressing the snake. Thanks in advance for any
tips you might care to pass along.
Sincerely,
Archy E. Wiseman
P.S. I'd like to
keep my nickname...
Archy,
I am ashamed to say I have been bitten
taking photographs of venomous snakes so maybe I am not the one to ask. i took a bite in the right thumb
(I think) from a juvenile Crotalus durissus when photographing it on a reserve deep inside
northern Amazonian Brazil,
at 18:30
in the evening. Our sit-rep with our base, 5 hours away by road, ended at 18:10
and they would not be back on until 06:00
the following morning. It was a rough night.
Advise, okay. I use macro lenses and
flashguns. I set the focus etc before I move in towards the snake so my hands
do not need to go in front of the camera body and fire the shutter when happy.
When photographing venomous snakes (or other flighty reptiles) in the field
there is a problem. You put them on the little set you gave built, pick up your
expensive camera and then the little critter decides to flee. Do you a) forget
the camera, allowing it to clutter to the ground and dive after the reptile to
prevent its escape (and risk a bite) or b) put the camera down slowly and
carefully and then hope to recapture the reptile which has now probably escaped.) is better but the loss of several small and rare
skinks into the undergrowth set me thinking and now I build my set
in a fully enclosed mosquito dome, an Aussie piece of kit with the ground
dimensions of a one-man tent and a height you can sit in. It is made of mossie net so light can come in. I build my set, take in my
bags of herps, cameras, lenses, flashguns, spare
film, spare batteries, notebook etc and a small snake hook to manipulate the
subject. When i am ready I gently place the
snake/lizard on the set and settle it down. When all is quiet I slowly pick up
the camera, set my controls and gently rock forwards to take my photos.
Obviously being in a zipped up mossie dome with a venomous
snake could be hazardous but it is quite possible to do safely. If the snake
flees I gently put the camera down and recapture and resettle the snake again
with minimum fuss. On Chappell Island
of Tasmania
(Feast of the Snakes) the Australian herpers who paid
us a visit were very interested in my technique. So much so they found me a
very, very large black tigersnake. They gave the sack
to me to see if I would take a snake as long as my mossie
dome into the dome with me, zip myself in and let the snake out. When it looked
like that was what was going to happen they gathered to watch. I slowly settled
the tigersnake and rocking gently, in and out I shot
1.5 films of the big fellow before he submitted to being quietly bagged again,
taken out and released. It works but try it with
something less dangerous first.
The smallest snake hook (like Midwest's
mini hooks) can be useful to gently lift a snake's head, turn the head or
stroke under a cobra's chin to make the hood expand slightly.
Mark
Q&A with Mark O'Shea
by Jeni on November 3, 2002
Hello!! I love watching your show on television. I am a nursing major in
college right now and I find it fascinating that you have been bitten so many
times that you cannot ride horses! When was your first allergic reaction to
them and has it hindered you any when you go on 'Adventures'? Thank you so much
for taking the time to answer this!! -Jen
Dear Jen, Not
quite the facts. I have received antivenom for
snakebites a few times going back to 1987 (see above) in the past and since it
is equine-raised I do seen to have developed a bit of a problem with our four
legged friends. The antivenom 'late reaction' serum
sickness I experienced on at least two occasions was very unpleasant and rather
un-nerving. I helped move some ponies for the staff at the Safari Park on time
since and simply brushing my arm on the pony seemed to start off a rash. I have
an allergy possibly but the story has tended to run away a bit and get
elaborated upon. These allergies tend to disappear with time so I am sure I
could ride a horse if I only took the time to learn but I have to say I prefer
my horse made of iron with an H-D eagle on the tank.
Mark
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RE: Q&A with Mark O'Shea Reply
Anonymous post on November 20, 2002
Mail this to a friend!
I'd buy the DVD's
So would I !
At this point in time there have been no
videos or DVDs produced of any of the my films (Giant Snake; Black Mamba; OBA
series 1: OBA series 2; OBA series 3 - a total of 32 films) I hope this will
change in the future but it all depends if there
is a market for them.
Mark
RE: Q&A with Mark O'Shea Reply
by blade2108 on December 7, 2002
Mail this to a friend!
Nice artice - re southernemma , and John Foden, I have
met you Mark at the safari park and spoken to you on quite a few occasions,
keep up the good work and like John I have found you always willing to help, I too had spent many an
hour with John who i found to be an inspiration which
you carry on in his tradition.
All the best
Gez
John
was a sad loss to the UK herpetological community, a true venomous snake man.
Mark
RE: Q&A with Mark O'Shea Reply
by cec on December 8, 2002 Mail this to a friend!
What is the most venomous snake in the world as defined by the least amount of
venom to produce the fastest death in an average size adult human in good
health?
To answer that we would need volunteers.
What is an average size human ?
The most venomous snake may not
necessarily be the most dangerous snake. the Inland taipan (or fierce snake if you insist) is the most venomous
land snake but only four people have been bitten and none have died.
Sri Lankan Russell's viper is a main
player in the deaths of 600-1,000 people a year.
Nigerian ocellated
carpet viper is a similarly dangerous snake
The only method we have to compare
venoms, which is much like comparing apples and bananas, is the LD50, lethal
dose 50, that amount of venom which will kill 50% of a test group of 10-15gm
mice. Human lethal doses are extrapolated from that to an 'average' human
weight. This is bucket science but until we can volunteers or find a new method
that is how it is done. Also different venoms work in different ways in
different organisms so extrapolation is again in danger of providing misleading
results.
Gila monsters seem to use very little
venom to produce lethal consequences in comparison to even the most deadly
snake. What do you think?
There has not been an 'authenticated'
human fatality which can be proved to have been caused by either heloderm lizard. If their venom is defensive it should
ideally cause a painful and memorable bite with the result than the bitten
creature avoids the lizard in future and hopefully passes on its hard won
knowledge to its offspring. A fatal bite does not teach the bitten a lesson it
will never forget, it kills it. There is no direct link between heloderms and venomous snakes because in heloderms the venom glands and grooved venom inducting
teeth are situated in the lower jaws. This is more likely convergent or
parallel evolution.
Mark
RE: Q&A with Mark O'Shea
by pegasus on December 9, 2002
Since I posted the above message (more than once by accident,sorry)i've found out quite a bit for my brother and I have to
admit it's been interesting doing so.
I have always been interested in the natural world my-self,especially those animals others dislike,but
never considered a job along those lines.People think
I'm odd as it is being interested in snakes,lizards
etc.
When my brother expressed an interest in becoming a herpetologist I was very
pleased for him and have helped find out more.
We are at present making a wildlife area in the garden,the reptiles (and other wildlife)in Britain need a helping hand.
This has also made me consider a job with animals my-self,particularly those that are not so cute.
Mark'O Shea is a great
inspiration to people like my brother and in a way myself too.
Keep up the good work.
Amanda
Thank you
