Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The Western Diamondback can strike at a speed of 8' per second. That doesnt sound too fast, but a snake only strikes usually around a foot in distance. So that equates to a strike within a distance of 1' to be 1/8th of a second!!!! Now thats pretty fast!!!
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1.0 Corn snake (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Yellow rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

I've seen several reports and film study over the years using puff adders. On film their strike takes 1 frame. That's 1/24th of a second if it takes 24 frames of film to make (equal) 1 second as I think it does.
:Mark

What I have noticed here is only venomous species have been mentioned. I in no way claim to be an expert but as a kiddo my friends thought I was nuts for my antics with blackracers. Those animals are fast real fast. Of course childhood memories are often magnified over reality but I got bit enough to know they are very fast.

In fact my advice to any Steve Irwin wannbes is go play with some ticked off wild racers in the 4-5 foot range. When they can no longer bite you then and only then go playing with the dangerous stuff.

Can anyone think of any other nonvenomous snake that is fast on the draw. House Snakes come to mind.

Perhaps racers are not as fast as I think may be it just seems that way when they are trying to bite YOU,

Jack

>>What I have noticed here is only venomous species have been mentioned. I in no way claim to be an expert but as a kiddo my friends thought I was nuts for my antics with blackracers. Those animals are fast real fast. Of course childhood memories are often magnified over reality but I got bit enough to know they are very fast.
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>>In fact my advice to any Steve Irwin wannbes is go play with some ticked off wild racers in the 4-5 foot range. When they can no longer bite you then and only then go playing with the dangerous stuff.
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>>Can anyone think of any other nonvenomous snake that is fast on the draw. House Snakes come to mind.
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>>Perhaps racers are not as fast as I think may be it just seems that way when they are trying to bite YOU,
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>>Jack

Steve Irwin wannabes? Who in the heck would want to be Steve Irwin? I mean, I wouldn't mind having his money, but if I had to revert to his snake handling skills and techniques I'd just go find another hobby. I guess it works for him, but I absolutely positively disagree with the way he handles venomous snakes on TV and the message it sends. I know he always says something like "You don't wanna try this at home by cracky...this is snake is fair dinkum venomous, dangerous animal he is, what a little beauty...you're alright, you're alright, sweetheart...I'm not gonna hurt you..", meanwhile he's trying to balance a Mojave Rattlesnake on drinking straw or a twig he picked up off the ground, or he's scooping a Pygmy Rattlesnake into the palm of his hand and saying, "Now if I get bit doing this it will be my fault, and no one else's.' Duh...meanwhile kids are at home watching and thing "How cool! I wish I could handle venomous snakes like that."

I suppose you could let a racer chew on you for a while if you thought you needed to practice getting bitten. I though the object was NOT to get bitten, though. I'm not sure why you would want to do that, or what purpose it would serve as related to handling the "dangerous stuff", but to each his own, I suppose. In the real world, there is little parallel between handling venomous snakes and non-venomous snakes as far as technique, tools, etc. Nobody really wants to get bitten by any snake, venomous or not, but let's face it...the vast majority of us approach venomous snakes and non-venomous ones in two entirely different fashions.

Almost all snakes are pretty quick on the draw. But there is a major difference in strike speed between an Asian Cobra (comparatively slow and predictable) and a Gaboon Viper or Puff Adder or Russell's Viper (all deceptively quick and unpredictable). As far as non-venomous snakes go, the quickest strikers I know of are the racers and coachwhips.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I agree with Oldherper, why would you want to be like Steve Irwin? He hangs his kids over a 12 foot crocodile. He has a complete disregard for common sense, though he does handle the animals without being bitten. Sometimes I wonder if the animals have their mouths sewed shut...

Virtually all vipers make anything seem slow compared to other snake species... to my knowlege, russels vipers and gaboon vipers are the fastest. Death adders and WDB rattlesnakes are also deceptively fast.

Elapids are more predictable, but mambas are still pretty quick strikers and their speed is rather incredible.
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta - Black Rat Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta Linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilotac cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqau scincoide - Blue Tongue Skink

Steve Irwin is an entertainer. I don't want to be him either but as said it would be nice to have his money and go where he has been.

Also Old Herper I think he was trying to say that getting a fast striking non-venemous will help you avoid the strikes by an even faster striking venemous.

As for strike speed, Bitis spp. are regarded as the fastest, but all vipers, and other snakes, relying on cryptic behavior tend to be extraordinarily fast. This is a common reason many keepers of such are bitten, as such specimens appear to be quite lazy and docile.
The sheer number of individuals bitten within their natural range gives testimony to their cryptic abilities and speed, as there is absolutely no forgiveness, for the unlucky soul who should inadvertently step on one, while it is waiting motionless on a path among leaf litter for its meal.
As OH mentioned, cobras tend to be quite slow and predictable, though this should not serve as notice that such are good choices for the novice venomous keeper, far from it!
Cobras tend to “hunt” their prey, thus relying more on agility and speed of movement, rather then relying on a fast strike.
As for Steve Erwin, I respect the man, but I would never even consider handling animals in the same manner he does, there is simply no reason for such. Also, you may like to know, most of the venomous specimens he handles in such a manner, were captured, cooled and then released, for Steve O’ to “find” prior to filming.
Also, capturing a wild specimen and allowing such to bite you on purpose poses a risk to the animal, as every time a snake bites, there is the risk of injury, to the snake, and along with such, the inherent risk if systematic infections, such as Stomatitis.
I for one, certainly would not "brag" of such practices.

Regards,

Jeff

Well all the points. My point was it seems no one respects or pays attention to speed unless venom is involved.

And that Black Racers have a lot of speed.

The Irwin wannabe was JOKE and meant to be one. Dude you must really hate that guy. I never meant to let a racer bite you but what I did mean is if you want to tangle with a wild herp that will test you a bit and not have to visit the hospital or morge racers will be happy to oblige. No snake in the wild that I have dealt with comes across as mean and nasty as a big black racer.

Also I never intended to be bit but there were tons of those blacks in Florida where I grew up and by antics I meant that I would catch them and take a bite if it came. They did get me quite often. My friends were terrified of those snakes I just liked snakes ALL SNAKES even those means SOBs

When you are 11 a 5 foot racer is almost as tall as you when the display and his and stand up. They scared the heck out of my friends. Now as I watch this croc dude I think I wonder if he would get away with the stuff with a race thats all,

Nah, I don't hate Steve-O...not at all. I just think that the message that his show delivers is inappropriate. I think it is nothing but sensationalism thinly disguised as "educational". I suppose it has some entertainment value, but certainly no value as a source of learning, unless what you want to learn is how NOT to handle venomous snakes.

I have also been chewed unmercifully by Black Racers. They probably have one of the nastiest dispositions of any snake in North America. They will chew on you from the second you pick them up until the second you put them down. I've also nearly broken bones trying to run down Coachwhips and make that flying leap to grab it by it's tail before it disappears into the brush...only to be chewed up as badly as a Black Racer would do. Then I learned the "trick" to catching them without being eaten alive. However, I would never catch a venomous species the same way. I'll tell you what, though...one time I was hunting for Scarlet Kingsnakes, ripping apart dead trees and rotten logs and stuff in the springtime. I ripped a rotting log apart, saw that little flash of red and grabbed it. What I came up with was a 2 foot very wriggly Eastern Coral Snake. Imagine my surprise. I dropped it on the ground and got my hook off my belt and managed to get it safely under control and bagged. After that, I missed a Scarlet King or two because I was hesitant to grab that red flash again without positively verifying what it was (and they can disappear quickly). Of course, then experience taught me that (99 times out of 100) the Scarlet Kingsnakes will be in the standing trees and the Coral Snakes will be in the rotting logs on the ground.
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We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Ralph Waldo Emerson

instead of just biting once or twice, they usually continue to bite until you release them!!!! Mean little buggers, especially when you catch one that has been sunning and is nice and warmed up!!! That is a feat in itself!! LOL
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1.0 Corn snake (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Yellow rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

AH HA someone gets it! That was my point how fast they move not just strike. That was what made catching em a challange. First they bolt with a lot of speed then if you get close they go from coward to attack mode is a flash and yep that is the other part.

Not one bite but a bunch real quick like. Again folks I never had them bite me on purpose I just wasn't afraid to catch em with out a hook or tongs and from time to time they got me.

On the whole Steve Irwin thing what I meant is if anyone has any ideas about acting like that with something dangerous attempting to catch a few black racers may change their mind before a couple hundred CCs of antivenom is wasted on them.

For US snakes anyway I rate the black racer at the top of the speed chart both for striking and overall speed as well.

So again back to my original post with out the fricken lectures about something I did as a kid over 20 years ago anyone know any other super quick non venomous snakes?

Jack

To this regard, I have to agree with you. However, all members of the Coluber and Masticophis families are FAST and tend to react in the same manner when captured in the wild. Striking quickly, repetitiously and accurately! Though, I do not believe their striking speed is as fast as that of the Bitis spp.
You see, Coluber and Masticophis are sight hunters, and thereby rely on speed of motion and agility to capture prey, not strike speed.
As for moving the entire body of X amount of distance, I would have to say Coluber are there at the top, but drop a few tiers on the list, in regards to striking speed.

Jeff

and you would never know what hit ya!!!!
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1.0 Corn snake (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Yellow rat snake (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian