Thamnodynastes can certainly cause pain and swelling - there are some old papers showing this. I have been bitten twice, and suffered mild burning pain for ~ one hour in one case and 15 mins in another (the only times I have ever had symptoms from a colubrid bite, despite having been bitten by others with worse reputations). However, a Venezuelan colleague reported mild neurotoxicity (a feeling of drunkenness and fatigue, difficulty keeping the eyes open) after being bitten. There are a number of species of Thamnodynastes, so there may well be differences between them.

As BGF noted, they are closely related to Tomodon and Tachymenis, and the latter is certainly a seriously dangerous snake that can put an adult human in hospital without difficulty. Like with all colubrids, it is a good idea to avoid being that one in a thousand case that takes a full hit and shows the world what that species can do under the right circumstances.

Cheers,

Wolfgang
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