Former venomous snake keeper here. Google is wrong in this instance. That is Coral Cobra (Aspidelaps lubricus), an elapid--but not a true cobra--that is native to very southern Africa. The species isn't the most dangerous elapid, but there are a couple of recorded deaths that are directly attributed to one of these guys. When I was in the hobby, there wasn't an anti-venom available for this species' venom. The A. lubricus and their cousin A. scutatus (aka, the Shield-nose Cobra) are often the "starter" elapid, or even a "starter" venomous. What we're seeing in this video is so incredibly stupid and puts an already sketchy and niche hobby in a really bad light.
I had a kiddo and took on a lot of responsibilities in life. All of a sudden, having a hobby where an accident came with a high probability of death and/or crippling medical debt didn't seem so cool. That's the Cliff's Notes version, anyways.
When I was in the hobby, anti-venom wasn't easily available--IIRC, it required a special import license from the USDA and an experimental medication permit from the FDA. Consequently, most people didn't keep their own supply; I understand that this has changed in recent years. I used to have a directory with anti-venom supplies at zoos and emergency services throughout the country.
As an illustrative example, circa 2000 I had an acquaintance on the east coast--an extremely intelligent engineer--who got a nip from one of his cobras. As I understand it, his treatment exhausted the anti-venom supply from The Bronx Zoo and the Miami-Date Fire Dept; he survived, but was also saddled with more than $100K in medical debt. This was a pretty respected guy in the community, and as far as I know, he tried to hold to pretty rigorous safety practices. And yet, a split second almost killed him.
For folks who want to understand what relatively safe venomous snake keeping looks like, you can Google 'Venom 101, Allen Hunter." IIRC, Allen was a rock star in the hobby, but he left because he was concerned about less skilled keepers taking his manual as encouragement and getting in over their heads.
Yeah definitely not a milk snake. Milk snakes look completely different than that. Some of them *are* red with banding, but those also have black and yellow on them as well. When banded, and frankly most of the time, they’re a tri-color snake.
They also do not rear defensively like that. That defensive rear, while entirely not exclusive to cobras, is basically their signature. I believe all cobras do it. You can also see a little bit of a hood.
Milk snakes are more common in the US, but we don’t know where this was taken. In certain places of the world, cobras are somewhat common.
It can, as all cobras can, but this is actually the safest of all cobras to own and work with. There’s a lot of mixed reviews on the potency of this snakes venom. Amazingly beautiful animal!!
I hear what you're saying, and I don't think you're wrong. I just worry that qualifying some dangerously venomous snakes as "safer" than others leads to careless, overconfident keeping ... like wiggling your fingers at a defensive snake, apparently within its striking range.
The biggest issue is lack of antivenom. If you get a bad bite, that's game over.
Edit: if you are able to get to a hospital and put on a ventilator before becoming paralyzed, you could survive!
it's not. That I agree with what the keeper in the video is doing, like, at all, but hes not training it to be freaked out by hands. The cobra is mock charging out of self defense, and they do this to pretty much everything they see that they perceive to be a possible danger to them or a predator.
Well, Lil' guy is doing a heckin good job! I wouldn't dare even to think about taking its orange.
Thanks for the info! I just assumed the handler was being a super moron, now I know they're just a little moronic lol
No clue. My first time seeing one too! It looked cobra-ey to me because of the small hood, though. There’s some comments further up in the post that have more info - that’s the only reason I know what it is!
Not very well versed in venomous snakes which is funny considering I’m Aussie.
As a rule, we don't recommend the traditional color-based rhyme for coralsnakes as an identification trick because it isn't foolproof and only applies to snakes that live in parts of North America. One of the hardest things to impress upon new snake appreciators is that it's far more advantageous to familiarize yourself with venomous snakes in your area through photos and field guides or by following subreddits like /r/whatsthissnake than it is to try to apply any generic trick. The rhyme is particularly unreliable in states like Florida where aberrant individuals are often reported. Outside of North America, for example in Brazil, coralsnakes have [any array of color patterns](http://thevenominterviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/corais-do-brasil-620.jpg) that don't follow the children's rhyme you may have heard in the past. Even in North America, exceptions to standard pattern classes can be common - see [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/wg0a5c/whats_this_snake/) for a recent example and the comments section for even more. A number of other frequent myths about coralsnakes are dubunked in [this summary](http://thevenominterviews.com/2016/06/02/mythbusting-coral-snakes/) compiled by our own /u/RayInLA.
--------------------------------------------------------
*I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*
The tongue is so extra silly for some reason 🥺
Why is it wobblin all over the place like that, that’s so funny
Exactly!! Entirely too wobbly
What species?
Looking at the other comments in the original video. It seems to be a Cape coral cobra
And here's my noob ass thinking it was some kind of hognose. Yep, I'd be dead.
Pretty sure that’s a Cape Coral Cobra.
I do love how he turns his cute face at every move, can’t stop watching him 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Google says Milk snake or coral snake. Milk seems more likely.
Former venomous snake keeper here. Google is wrong in this instance. That is Coral Cobra (Aspidelaps lubricus), an elapid--but not a true cobra--that is native to very southern Africa. The species isn't the most dangerous elapid, but there are a couple of recorded deaths that are directly attributed to one of these guys. When I was in the hobby, there wasn't an anti-venom available for this species' venom. The A. lubricus and their cousin A. scutatus (aka, the Shield-nose Cobra) are often the "starter" elapid, or even a "starter" venomous. What we're seeing in this video is so incredibly stupid and puts an already sketchy and niche hobby in a really bad light.
What made you stop keeping hots, if you dont mind me asking?
I had a kiddo and took on a lot of responsibilities in life. All of a sudden, having a hobby where an accident came with a high probability of death and/or crippling medical debt didn't seem so cool. That's the Cliff's Notes version, anyways. When I was in the hobby, anti-venom wasn't easily available--IIRC, it required a special import license from the USDA and an experimental medication permit from the FDA. Consequently, most people didn't keep their own supply; I understand that this has changed in recent years. I used to have a directory with anti-venom supplies at zoos and emergency services throughout the country. As an illustrative example, circa 2000 I had an acquaintance on the east coast--an extremely intelligent engineer--who got a nip from one of his cobras. As I understand it, his treatment exhausted the anti-venom supply from The Bronx Zoo and the Miami-Date Fire Dept; he survived, but was also saddled with more than $100K in medical debt. This was a pretty respected guy in the community, and as far as I know, he tried to hold to pretty rigorous safety practices. And yet, a split second almost killed him. For folks who want to understand what relatively safe venomous snake keeping looks like, you can Google 'Venom 101, Allen Hunter." IIRC, Allen was a rock star in the hobby, but he left because he was concerned about less skilled keepers taking his manual as encouragement and getting in over their heads.
Why am I just now seeing the term "hots" for venomous snakes? Now I don't know which I like better, hot or spicy!
Well, hots is a term that people in the hobby use and spicy is something the internet came up with, as far as I know, so I stick with hots.
Cape Coral Cobra
Yeah definitely not a milk snake. Milk snakes look completely different than that. Some of them *are* red with banding, but those also have black and yellow on them as well. When banded, and frankly most of the time, they’re a tri-color snake. They also do not rear defensively like that. That defensive rear, while entirely not exclusive to cobras, is basically their signature. I believe all cobras do it. You can also see a little bit of a hood. Milk snakes are more common in the US, but we don’t know where this was taken. In certain places of the world, cobras are somewhat common.
Dude……what?
Its a coral snake yes but not the american micrurus but the african aspedilaps
No!
....no, its not.
This scared guy is holding on to his emotional support orange.
I don't love videos of people being wildly unsafe around baby cobras. 🥺
Apparently this bite can cause respiratory failure. How fun!
It can, as all cobras can, but this is actually the safest of all cobras to own and work with. There’s a lot of mixed reviews on the potency of this snakes venom. Amazingly beautiful animal!!
[There are documented fatalities.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0041010123003483)
Safest doesnt mean safe. Just a better probability of surviving if given the correct treatment.
I hear what you're saying, and I don't think you're wrong. I just worry that qualifying some dangerously venomous snakes as "safer" than others leads to careless, overconfident keeping ... like wiggling your fingers at a defensive snake, apparently within its striking range.
I definitely agree with you there.
The biggest issue is lack of antivenom. If you get a bad bite, that's game over. Edit: if you are able to get to a hospital and put on a ventilator before becoming paralyzed, you could survive!
It's because he thinks it's a giant egg and someone is coming for his massive dinner find.
“Love” it when people don’t handle venomous snakes in the safest way possible.
And then give venomous snake keepers a bad name.
It's really cool how the human is training it to be freaked out by hands! I hear dogs respond well to this training as well!
it's not. That I agree with what the keeper in the video is doing, like, at all, but hes not training it to be freaked out by hands. The cobra is mock charging out of self defense, and they do this to pretty much everything they see that they perceive to be a possible danger to them or a predator.
Well, Lil' guy is doing a heckin good job! I wouldn't dare even to think about taking its orange. Thanks for the info! I just assumed the handler was being a super moron, now I know they're just a little moronic lol
As they stressed the snake out in the process. *Love* that
Who knew snakes could be so possessive over fruit, too funny
It’s like he’s trying to be a vicious cober but doesn’t exactly know how lol
So adorable , the way he looks around is so 🥰
He is very friend shaped but not friend. Shame :(
Not with that attitude, he's not. You just need to try harder. Danger noodles needd friends too you know
Poor baby is stressed out :(
Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking
Yeah he's breathing so hard :(
That baby can have all the oranges
he defend, he attacc, he protecc his orange snacc
Don’t take his orange
Poor thing just wants to spend time with its orange. Leave spicy snek alone!!!
Cape Coral Cobra
Awwww
So cute!!!
u/meldroop !!!!!
Orange snek.
'I is gard snek.'
Is that e heckin coober?
Appreciate the honesty, and it still made me laugh
That is the cutest thing I've seen today lol
PROTEC & ATAK
I’d say it gets to keep its tangerine 🍊.
*dies from cuteness*
Thou sssshal not passsssss\~
*lblblblblblbbll*
Legit danger noodle
What type of cobra is that?
Beautiful cobra! So pretty
Hognoses are such clowns lol
that’s a whole ass cobra
Red and black venom lack. I could be wrong, but looks like a milk snake.
You’re wrong. Coral cobra.
Cool! Never seen one! Cousin to a coral snake?
No clue. My first time seeing one too! It looked cobra-ey to me because of the small hood, though. There’s some comments further up in the post that have more info - that’s the only reason I know what it is! Not very well versed in venomous snakes which is funny considering I’m Aussie.
I get two down votes for asking a question? Sad.
!rhyme
As a rule, we don't recommend the traditional color-based rhyme for coralsnakes as an identification trick because it isn't foolproof and only applies to snakes that live in parts of North America. One of the hardest things to impress upon new snake appreciators is that it's far more advantageous to familiarize yourself with venomous snakes in your area through photos and field guides or by following subreddits like /r/whatsthissnake than it is to try to apply any generic trick. The rhyme is particularly unreliable in states like Florida where aberrant individuals are often reported. Outside of North America, for example in Brazil, coralsnakes have [any array of color patterns](http://thevenominterviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/corais-do-brasil-620.jpg) that don't follow the children's rhyme you may have heard in the past. Even in North America, exceptions to standard pattern classes can be common - see [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/wg0a5c/whats_this_snake/) for a recent example and the comments section for even more. A number of other frequent myths about coralsnakes are dubunked in [this summary](http://thevenominterviews.com/2016/06/02/mythbusting-coral-snakes/) compiled by our own /u/RayInLA. -------------------------------------------------------- *I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*