Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gdimension]

The thread on here asking about poisonous spiders reminded me about this guy (one of many I saw just yesterday):


That groove between its eye and nose is an infrared receptor .

I'm tentatively identifying this as a juvenile Glodius blomhoffii brevicaudus, or Short-Tailed Mamushi (if anyone knows better, let me know). According to Rapier's great work on the Identifying Poisonous Snakes in Korea FAQ, this one is a bit dangerous.

If anyone is interested, there will be more photos on my site over the next few days. Also, be sure to check out the FAQ.

[VanIslander]

what timing!

captain kirk just PM'd me yesterday about his recent run-in with a poisonous snake in Korea.

i've only seen a couple of harmless looking snakes

[captain kirk]

I've asked a local about Korean snakes and he said to beware of clearings (usually for tombs), stone walls, and wild strawberry bushes (?). I walked into a clearing for a tomb (on the forested mountainside) and plunked down cross-legged, opened a canned coffee, idly looking around and a couple of meters to the right was a coiled viper. Which is 'good'. Because if I hadn't had this coffee with a viper alongside I would be still careless about snakes here.

It was perfectly still, body coiled up into a cone. Ready to strike. Maybe it heard footsteps and moved to the edge of the clearing and didn't have time to zip entirely away. Maybe that's where it was already. Anyway it stood its ground, figuring it was invisible (not a blink, not a flicker of the tongue). It looked zombiefied, and looking at it, the transfixed, zombiefied, tense snake was a timeless, endless Kodak moment. It looked most like the Mamushi (seen above, top this thread) on Rapier's poisonous snake thread. On that thread Rapier says there are three vipers dangerous to humans in Korea. This had the triangular head. Muscles at each side of the back of the skull which pump venom.

I read up about vipers and they, of all the snakes, are the most evolved. Their fangs can rotate forward to be used like paired lances in stabbing strikes. Presumably lunging up and out from that coiled ready position. Like an organic anti-personnel mine. An hour earlier I'd seen the Korean tiger snake which Rapier says is venemous but back-fanged with a bite being almost impossible.

The vipers here are ground snakes. Luckily they don't hang in trees (that'd be just too much). Their venom is hematoxic. I looked that up and the venom destroys tissue to help predigest the meal. Photos of rattler bites (also hematoxic) showed skin 'rotting' away. On a hand, forearm. The effects of the poison lasting weeks to a month. In one case (as well as administering anti-venom) the hospital had opened up the arm like a living autopsy of the forearm. Skin pulled back, could see the muscles. I guess to better access the tissues and combat the tissue destroying effect of any lingering venom.

For photos go to www.webcrawler.com and search 'snakebite photos'. You'll get a link to venemousreptiles.org and their photo album of snakebite photos (10 pages of photos). This roundabout way will avoid an advertising dead end (you'll see what I mean if you just enter 'venemousreptiles.org') blocking the way.

[bluelake]

We've had many show up here in the Pohang/Heunghae area. I found one website that had quite a few good pics of different types:

http://home.nownuri.net/~ga4575/%B5%B6%BB%E7.htm

[RACETRAITOR]

Just count your lucky stars you didn't see that bad boy on a plane.

[daz1979]

Are snakes everywhere in Korea or more in specific areas?

I don't fancy walking onto a Cobra, Viper on Tiger snake bite!!! In fact if that was me near the viper I can easily say I would have shat my pants!!!

Reminded me of a my cousin who lives in Australia he stood on a Tiger snake near his house, froze up, then legged it home luckily without being bitten, his mum said he was drip white when he ran in!!! He was only 14 but I think I would do the same now!!! He was bitten by a red back spider out there too but it wasn't too dangerous just made him ill for about a few days!!

Makes you think the UK does have some good points............. But then again!!

Looks like the trusty Indiana Jones hat and whip are going in the case as well then!!!


What about sharks?? Any sharks lurking about in those sea's?? Im thinking of going to Jeju Island or on the South Coast but don't want the Jaws theme tune going through my head everytime I think of having a swim

derrrr dun...... derrrrr dun......... drrr dun der dun der dun der dun!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH

Any stories of the female divers on Jeju being eaten? By sharks

[rapier]

Awesome pics there GDimension. You may want to contribute them to the EMBL Reptile image database (just a suggestion) http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/%7Euetz/LivingReptiles.html , they are conservation oriented.

I've just upgraded to a Canon 30D so look forward to getting a few good pics myself now..

[TJ]

Daz1979 said ....

Reminded me of a my cousin who lives in Australia he stood on a Tiger snake near his house, froze up, then legged it home luckily without being bitten, his mum said he was drip white when he ran in!!! He was only 14 but I think I would do the same now!!! He was bitten by a red back spider out there too but it wasn't too dangerous just made him ill for about a few days!!

Sorry, but as a long term resident in rural Australia, I just had to comment. It is highly unlikely that an Australian tiger snake would tolerate being stood upon without retalliating in the worst possible way. To the best of my knowledge the tiger snake is one of a very small number of (Aus) snakes that will go out of its way to attack people. Most snakes will retreat or attempt to hide when people come near but not the tiger. Stories abound of people being chased by tiger snakes. Hasn't happened to me (yet) but I suspect there is an element of truth there.

On the subject of red back spiders, your cousin is an extremely lucky person. Children and people with medical problems ( especially heart conditions ) are very susceptible to red back spider venom. Without urgent medical treatment deaths do occur.

Now, before everyone puts Australia on their "Don't Visit" list I should say that you are far more likely to be hit by a car in Korea than you are to be bitten by a snake or a spider in Australia.

[captain kirk]

A poster asked, 'where are the snakes in Korea, everywhere, or in particular places?'. GDimension is in Cheju and he said he has seen a few Mamushis. Jeju is the most 'tropical' place in Korea and snakes like heat. I saw a juvenile Mamushi and am in Goje-do (island just south of Pusan).

When I asked a local in Goje-do he said Kangwondo has the most critters, generally. We were talking about dangerous animals (snakes, wild pigs). He said there is a lot of 'deep forest' there.

The snake I inadvertantly sat beside looked like this. It was in frozen staring mode, all coiled into an unsprung piston of toxic mayhem (actually it just didn't want to be bothered, the equivalent of crossing its arms and glaring....like a goat-eyed zombie, that is).

[rapier]

[Satori]

There's a very funny Australian music comedy duo called "The Scared Little Weird Guys" who have a great song called "Come To Australia" which is really funny. Here are the lyrics...

Redback, Funnel-Web, Blue-ringed octopus
Taipan, Tigersnake and a Box jellyfish
Stonefish and the poison thing that lives in a shell
That spikes you when you pick it up

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed

Your life's constantly under threat
Have you been bitten yet?
You've only got three minutes left
Before a massive coronary breakdown

Redback, Funnel-Web, Blue-ringed octopus
Tiapan, Tigersnake and a Box jellyfish
Big shark just waiting for you to go swimming
At Bondi Beach

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed
Your blood is bound to be spilled
With fear your pants will be filled
Because you might accidentally get killed

It's much funnier when you listen, I have the mp3 if you want, pm me...

[daz1979]

Yeah I've been reading up since posting and seems there are snakes everywhere in Korea and a boat load on Jeju but most are harmless luckily!

Im not really overly scared by them and suppose i'll get used to seeing them about but being from the UK its obviously something i'm not used to!

RE the redbacks: I know my cuz was lucky the redbacks only are life threatening when your either old or very young, I saw their webs everywhere especially around the guttering of the school which was a concern!!!!

The tiger snake was his story but his mum believed him because of the colour of his face when he ran in, apparently he looked down and was stood on it, but with a young active imagination maybe he did just see it and ran anyway!!!! I don't know but he still tells the story now at 23 so there must be some truth in it!!