Rhamphiophis

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Love that head shape and those big eyes.

[asplundii]

They were also listed as a pair but I'm not holding my breath.

I have yet to find anyone that can accurately sex these short of actually catching a female in the act of laying eggs. There is one other way that might work but the jury is still out on that (I will hopefully have news on that in a bit).

If the locality info is accurate, then they'd have to be oxyrhynchus, eh?

Rhamphiophis phylogeny is a bit of a mess... Could be oxyrhynchus, could be rostrata.

Regardless, I'm excited to be raising them up and working with a new(to me) genus.

These guys are fun. Crazy smart, hyper-aware and fast as lightening. They are also an epic pain in the but to get pictures of in a light hood LOL

One word of caution; They are rear-fanged venomous and the analysis of the venom would indicate that it is potentially pretty potent. I have heard some people try to play them off as being "mostly harmless, like hognose" but I feel that is a bit disingenuous, especially after watching how fast mice drop after being bitten. So I very strongly advocate handling with care.

[John1982]

I have yet to find anyone that can accurately sex these short of actually catching a female in the act of laying eggs. There is one other way that might work but the jury is still out on that (I will hopefully have news on that in a bit).

Here are some neat visuals I found on sexing snakes with "delicate" penes. I'll definitely be doing some shed studies as I raise these critters.

Rhamphiophis phylogeny is a bit of a mess... Could be oxyrhynchus, could be rostrata.


These guys are fun. Crazy smart, hyper-aware and fast as lightening. They are also an epic pain in the but to get pictures of in a light hood LOL

One word of caution; They are rear-fanged venomous and the analysis of the venom would indicate that it is potentially pretty potent. I have heard some people try to play them off as being "mostly harmless, like hognose" but I feel that is a bit disingenuous, especially after watching how fast mice drop after being bitten. So I very strongly advocate handling with care.

Thanks for the info, Asplundii.

[rottn]

Super cute! And as already mentioned, a number of times, those EYES! Adorable!!! Are they nocturnal? Is that why they have such big eyes? Just curious.

[John1982]

Are they nocturnal? Is that why they have such big eyes? Just curious.

Mine are up with the sun and cruising around, checking stuff out. I would guess they're just a more sight oriented species.

[asplundii]

Thanks for the info, Asplundii.

No worries. Nice to see other people working with them

Are they nocturnal? Is that why they have such big eyes? Just curious.

I would guess they're just a more sight oriented species.

John is correct, they are extremely sight-oriented. Like the N. American coachwhip they cruise around with their heads held up, constantly looking around. As soon as they notice I am in the snake room they come to the front of their tubs and watch everything I do. This trait is also how I get them to sit still in the light tent for pics. While I stand ready with the camera I have my kid put her hands on either side of the tent and twitch a finger every now and then. The snake will freeze for a moment and tongue to figure out what it saw moving and that is when I capture the shot. Works for them now while they are smaller but I have a feeling that when they are 1.5m long it will the trick will not be as effective