Marty’s photo of the day #4439: The following short excerpt takes place in Costa Rica and is from my second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico:
With flashlights in hand and rubber boots on our feet (to protect against snakebites), we started down a trail that led from the lodge. Jose was in front; I was in the middle; and Deb brought up the rear. A few minutes into our hike, I started thinking, “He’s walking way too fast.” I slowed my pace, forcing Jose to slow his when he realized we were lagging behind.
Soon Deb and I started finding little creatures of the night, including lizards, katydids, and colorful moths. Although animal counts aren’t a competitive sport, I was surprised how many more animals the two of us were finding than our guide was. Deb whispered to me, “I don’t think Jose is used to hiking with people who are into finding the little things.”
My best find on the hike was a brown blunt-headed vine snake. Such a long name for such a tiny snake! Perhaps sixteen inches in length, she was skinnier than a pencil and her relatively large, blunt head was true to her name. I tried photographing the delicate creature on the small fern she was occupying, but I couldn’t get my camera to focus as accurately as necessary in the dark. The best chance for a crisp photo would be to give Deb my camera, capture the snake, and have her photograph it in my hand.
Other than eyes familiar with the surroundings, the other advantage of local guides is that they usually know the basic natural history of the indigenous wildlife. Seeking their advice before touching any animal is always a good idea.
“That is a brown blunt-headed vine snake,” said Jose.
“Is it venomous?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. It might be rear-fanged.”
I gently captured the snake, and Deb took some photographs. Although the snake was incredibly docile, my later research uncovered that brown blunt-headed vine snakes are indeed rear-fanged venomous. Their venom, however, is just potent enough to immobilize the small lizards and frogs they eat. A bite to a human would likely be harmless.