EP 245 | Russell’s viper among dehusked coconuts; Trinket snake rescue nearly turns nasty for Vava

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Namaskar, welcome to this episode of Snake Master.

[00:00:04]>> [music] [music] >> For the past few days, I have been to several locations where I had to break walls and dig soil mounds to rescue snakes. But today, I'm happy the snake is right inside this room.

[00:00:40]>> [music] >> When I arrived, I noticed that the yards and premises were neatly maintained.

[00:00:49]This is a business enterprise. I saw workers around as I came here. Right away, we can see a snake guest in this corner. This is a species of our viewers have seen many times, but I shall introduce it again. The snake here is a Russell's viper.

[00:01:05]>> [music] >> Today, I received three calls and two of them were about Russell's viper bites.

[00:01:13]This is not exactly a kitchen, but a work area. You can see the Russell's viper resting among dehusked coconuts.

[00:01:21]Let's take a closer look. Here's the snake.

[00:01:44]>> [music] >> At first glance, I thought it was a male, but no, it is a female. It appears to be a mother Russell's viper. Let us move outside. Many people are eagerly waiting to see this guest. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Let me introduce the snake to the people outside. Over the past few weeks, we have been getting reports of snake bites in Kerala, mostly caused by baby vipers rather than cobras. I cannot say for certain whether this snake is a resident of this compound. It is possible that this Russell's viper has already delivered young recently. After birth, fluids are usually expelled quickly. In snakes, including vipers, birth occurs through the cloaca. Any associated fluids, such as membranes or mucus, are expelled along with the young or cleared soon after. The snakelets, in this case, would have dispersed by now. This is not an old snake. It is likely around 6 years old. It is also known locally as chain thunder water cobra or anally. Now see, even though I am holding it like this, it can turn and strike in any direction. This is one of the venomous snakes that gives birth to live young. It has long curved fangs.

[00:03:15]I have rescued this species from Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Alappuzha. I have observed several color variations in this species. It can lunge in any direction, bite, and retract quickly.

[00:03:35]It has been a while since our viewers saw the fangs of a Russell's viper.

[00:03:39]Today, I shall try to show you its fangs and venom. This is for educational purposes.

[00:03:52]>> [music] >> Look at its long fangs. Also, note the color of the venom.

[00:03:57]>> [music] [music] >> What you see on the pen is venom. It is golden yellow in color.

[00:04:14]I can swallow this venom, but I won't do it now, as I have had a sore throat, fever, and cough for the past week. I have demonstrated this act many times before, but I strongly advise viewers not to imitate it. While brushing, small cracks may develop inside the mouth. In such cases, venom can enter the bloodstream through those cracks. People with ulcer or internal injuries are also at risk.

[00:04:41]So, never attempt this.

[00:04:43]>> [music] [music] [singing] [music] >> These are the fangs. Since they are curved, after a bite, the snake may pull back with a jerk, and at that moment, venom from the glands is injected in maximum quantity. The fangs can be about 1 to 1 and 1/2 inches long. In some regions like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, they may appear longer. Now, let us proceed. I shall place this Russell's viper safely into a sack.

[00:05:20]>> [music] >> It is also known as chain thunder water cobra kannadi viriyan or rakta anally.

[00:05:28]The word rakta means blood. It gets this name because its venom affects the blood circulatory system. Another feature of the Russell's viper is that it can move quickly, especially when striking.

[00:05:40]>> [music] >> This snake is medically significant.

[00:05:48]Components of its venom are used in laboratory medicine to study blood clotting disorders. When a Russell's viper bites, its venom affects the blood coagulation system. Initially, it activates clotting factors, but this leads to rapid consumption of those factors. As a result, the blood later loses its ability to clot properly, causing serious bleeding. To sum up, Russell's viper venom disrupts blood clotting. It first causes clotting, then leads to severe bleeding. This makes it important in medical research. Now, let us secure the snake and move on to the next rescue location.

[00:06:25]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I'm happy to be at this location.

[00:07:12]The people here said a huge snake with a flat hood was on top of that coconut tree, about 8 ft long with a hood as big as a winnowing tray. But this was an exaggeration. The snake on the tree is not a hooded snake. It is a trinket snake. Dear viewers, you can see the snake coiled among the dry coconut leaf stems. If we pull it down, it may jump onto another leaf. I can also see honeybees flying around the top leaves.

[00:07:43]It will be a tiring job to bring it down. Let me try. Could you pass me that pole?

[00:07:52]>> [music] [music] >> We are covering this sickle with plastic, so the snake won't get injured, even though the blade is blunt. Now, I shall try to pull the snake down using this hook.

[00:08:28]>> [music] >> Did it come down? Yes, it is there.

[00:08:37]Don't grab it. I'm coming down.

[00:09:08]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> This is the trinket snake we brought down. This is a non-venomous species locally known as kartupamba. Look at its stomach. It seems to have swallowed a rat. It belongs to the rat snake group.

[00:09:41]Let us not waste time. Our viewers have seen this species many times. You may have noticed me jumping [music] down from a terrace earlier. My foot hit a window frame and slightly damaged it. I slipped, but nothing serious happened.

[00:09:57]You can see it's belly is swollen with a rat. I shall gently help it regurgitate. Otherwise, it may vomit inside the container during transport.

[00:10:07]If confined in a small container, it may remain coiled and even suffocate. Such cases have been reported.

[00:10:19]See, it is slowly regurgitating the rat.

[00:10:22]This shows how snakes help humans by controlling rodent populations.

[00:10:29]>> [music] [music] >> Could you bring me a container?

[00:10:42]This is a female trinket snake.

[00:10:45]With that, we conclude this rescue. Now, we shall take leave from here as more calls are waiting.

[00:10:54]>> [music]