UKC

I was halfway up a route at Eros on telendos yesterday and there was a snake guarding one of the bolts. It wasn't particulary worrying, just climbed around it. Shame I didnt have a camera.

It was about 60cm long, maybe more and black. Quite thin.

Anyone know what type it was and if was poiseness? Good climber like, looked like it had just soloed a 7b

Si

In reply to snoop6060:

no real information on the species ... but over at kaly people told us that short thin blacke ones were poisonous, while larger ones were not .

In reply to tjekel:

Haha, I perhaps should have been a little more cautious then!

In reply to snoop6060:

I've been to,Kalymnos several times and not seen a snake, or for,that matter a dolphin either

In reply to snoop6060:

Large (or Black) Whip Snake

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/157294/0

I know the locals say they are poisonous but the literature suggests not,


Chris

In reply to snoop6060:
Lucky escape, haven't you ever played snakes and ladders?

In reply to kipper12:

I'd defo be a bit more shocked if I saw a dolphin half way up a route!

Anyway, looks like Chris was correct, black whip snake. It was reasonably friendly To be fair.

In reply to snoop6060:

The Anatolian/Ottoman viper is the one to be aware of - a big chunky fellow with pronounced stripes: "very aggressive, will strike without provoking, and most bites will inject venom"


Chris

There's not lot of information about snakes on Kalymnos; however this was most probably the black Whip Snake which is pretty common in Kalymnos. Allegedly sometimes grumpy but not venomous. The Ottoman Viper is in a different league but fortunately, it's nocturnal and therefore not often seen (unless you stumble onto the pile of stones in which it is sleeping). To the inexpert eye, there is little to tell the difference between the Coin-marked snake (common in Kalymnos) and the Ottoman Viper so treat them both with caution.

In reply to Chris Craggs:


That's what i'd reckoned, going by the OP's description. Non-venomous but generally highly strung and will bite if picked up.. In my youth a kept a pair of American black racers, which are very similar. Totally unsuited to captivity, cleaning out/changing water etc was invariably a bloody affair.

In reply to Chris Craggs:
thanks Chris for getting the information right. have seen this a few times.

In reply to tjekel:

Poisonous ? Were you planning on eating it ?

In reply to Wsdconst:
I think the OP was worried it might be the other way round....