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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by Mark_OShea on November 16, 2006
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Yes Brandy, there are four mamba species but space precluded me including them all:
Black mamba Dendroaspis polylepis
Eastern green mamba Dendroaspis angusticeps
Western green mamba Dendroaspis viridis
Jameson's mamba Dendroaspis jamsoni
Hope that answers your question.
Regards
Mark
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by snakeguy101 on November 22, 2006
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Hello Mark, big fan,
This might help settle a dispute that has been going on in this site for quite a while. When do you consider someone mature enough to start handling venomous reptiles?
Thanks for your time
ps. i love your midwest hook, works like a dream ;-)
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by Mark_OShea on November 23, 2006
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Hi Chris
You used the right word in your question - 'mature'.
On the way back from Papua New Guinea I dropped in at a workshop on exotic snakes at Melbourne Zoo and it was interesting to hear the Aussie zoo people discussing training keepers in their departments. The thing that came over strongly was staff selection and a phrase that cropped up was "no dick heads". Taking on someone who wants to work with venomous snakes because it is cool, or dangerous, or because it makes them feel big, is dangerous in itself since they may get themselves or someone else killed. The zoo curators try to filter out people who are a danger to themselves and others and take on people with a genuine interest in reptiles and not egocentric. It is all about maturity and attitude, and that does not necessarily mean mature in years, one curator said he had mature 20year olds working for him, it means mature in outlook, sensible, forward-thinking etc.
It is quite possible that someone who is a mature 20year old would make a better venomous snake worker than an ego-centric 30year old out to impress.
Does that answer your question ?
I note you are 15 so I must add that I do think that is too young, but another few years of maturity can only help.
Mark
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Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by KingCobraFan on November 23, 2006
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Mark,
I've always thoroughly enjoyed your tv shows; a shame they're no longer on here in the US. Speaking of which, do you have any stateside appearances scheduled in the near future? Thanks and good luck with whatever projects you undertake.
Sincerely,
Bill Huseth
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by bothrops03 on November 27, 2006
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Hi Mark! How are you?
I wanted to know if you know something about Clelia bicolor. I found one when I went to Chaco (Argentina), and I'll buy two CB babies in a few days. I know how to care them, that's not the problem, I wanted to know if you know something general of the species.
Besides, I would like to know what do you think about venomoids.
Cheers!
Martin
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by Mark_OShea on November 28, 2006
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Hi Bill, I recently filmed a short item about British snakes for the BBC but I think it is unlikely that will be transmitted in the US. Other than that, nothing happening on the TV front now or in the immediate future. I have some ideas out with various production companies but nothing has been picked up and commissioned and in any case I am busy with several fieldwork projects. I am also looking for new challenges within the herp world, especially as the word over here is that reptiles, especially snakes, are not fashionable in television and documentaries about them are not being commissioned. Fashion is a cyclic thing so they will come around again.
No plans for any trips to the US either. I had thought of a US lecture tour taking my powerpoint presentations around the various herp societies but have not had time to take the idea any further.
Sorry I can't offer anything more positive than that.
All the best,
Mark
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by Mark_OShea on November 28, 2006
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Hi Martin, no I don't know Clelia bicolor although I have caught Clelia clelia in northern S.America and C.rustica in Patagonia. The best sources for natural history and distribution data fo Argenine reptiles are the twin volumes by J.M.Cei 1986 Reptiles del centro, centro-oeste y sur de la Argentina: herpetofauna de las zonas aridas y semiaridas, and 1993 Reptiles del noroeste, nordeste y este de la Argentina: herpetofuan de las selvas, subtropicales Puna y Pampas, both from Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali Torino, vols. IV and XIV.
As for venomoids -well check out my comments on the Speak-out section of this site and my Herptile article posted on http://www.aussiereptileclassifieds.com/
phpPETITION/
I do not agree with venomoids and can see no valid reason for creating or owning them.
All the best, Mark
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by snakeguy101 on December 10, 2006
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hey mark,
yes you did answer my question and i would have to agree with you on everything you said.
thank you
~Chris~
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RE: Mark O'Shea Answers Questions
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by vietherp on December 22, 2006
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Thank you very much for your reply and your reference to Wolfgang at bancor uni. It helped very much,I now believe the vast majority of my encounters have been with naja siamensis,although they tend to be much more earth tone in color here than i suspected.
I will investigate this further,
Kraits inhabit this area and Their bites are almost always fatal.I only know of one gentleman to survive one he got a dry bite.(he's convinced some herbal tea saved him.)
My questions regard two very odd herping encounters
Is the malayan banded krait the only krait in seasia?
is their a False viper found here?
I encountered a very small Dark brown snake that exhibited all the traits of a venomous snake(coiling and striking ) I was convinced it was a cobra but it never "hooded" and it possesed elapid length fangs.was stout so it seemed mature it coudn't have been larger than i guess 30cm and as large around as a mans thumb, i have photos, not great quality, Is their a common krait found here? i don;t handle poisonous snakes under any circumstances.Love em will move them if i have too, but barge pole distance and a hazmat suit when i do. But i did take some photos, it acted just like a viper of some sort.
also One rainy afternoon actually reading your book. they presented me with a dark dark purple almost brown snake with a thick vanilla band along the back of its head it looke exactly like your photo of a fijian coral snake. I can't for the life of me figure out what this species was, any ideas
Thank you so much for taking the time.
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Venomous snakes on West New Britain, PNG?
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by natrix on December 31, 2006
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Dear sir-
From available literature (your book of course is number 1 on the list) I find no reference to venomous snakes on West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. I recently returned from a month caving in the Nakani Mountains and heard recurring tales of people getting sick from snake bites. Is this just urban legend?
I'll be returning next year to perform a natural resource inventory in the Hargy Caldera west of Bialla and would much appreciate being pointed toward the most up to date herp species list.
Thanks for your time and everything you've done,
Ralph Cutter
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