Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Howdy all,
Today I was at a local pet store and saw a snake they had for sale. It was about 4 feet long, very dark brown and charcoal lateral and dorsal scales, bright yellow to cream ventral and chin scales. It had a very long slender tail, reminding me of a coachwhip snake. When either I or the store attendant got near it, it would puff itself up, curl into a raised "S" shape like a rattler, and flattened its head. It even showed some trianulation of the head during this time, making it look like a Viper. The attendant said it was called a "Puffing Snake". I have never heard of this kind of snake and the attendant did not know it's scientific name or where it was from. He did tell me he got tagged by it 3 times while cleaning its cage, and the bites were so fast he had no time to react until after the fact. He also said it had a very nasty disposition. Anyone here have any ideas about what kind it may be? Thanks for any info and I apologize for the lengthy post.
Scott

Sounds like Spilotes pullatus to me. That's the Tropical Chicken Snake from Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana, most of Central America down into northern Argentina.

~~Greg~~

I don't think it is Spilotes as they are distinctively black and yellow over much of their range.

Pseustes are dark gray/green/brown with yellow undersides. They are also called Puffing Snakes sometimes and are aggressive beasts.
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Chris Harrison

that's the only thing I've heard referred to as a "Puffing Snake". It's also called various other things in different parts of it's range, including Brown Tree Snake, Bird Eating Snake, Graceful Brown Snake, etc. It is a widely distributed genus in Central and South America, with several different species. They are quite variable from one locale to another ranging from almost plain brown dorsally with a yellow belly to vividly patterned almost in the fashion of L. m. thayeri or similar spp. with a yellow venter. They are known for being somewhat boisterous and aggressive.

Any chance this could be a hognose? Doubtful, given the long slender tail, but I wonder.

I also wonder how a pet shop could have a snake like this and NOT know what it is??? Especially if it's not a domestic! As far as I know it could be a mamba!

I have to admit, it does sound like a Pseustes (Amazon Puffing Snake). I currently have two Russian Ratsnakes who are both as gentle as any snake could be. I am pondering getting this mean little guy but I do not know anything about his requirements. The little I could find on them is that they seem to like birds and hang around in trees, and being from the Amazon would need warm, humid conditions. Has anyone ever kept Pseustes and can perhaps either tell me about care, or point me to some information on care? He is really cool and I am wondering with time and patience if he might calm down or if he is destined to always have a viperous attitude. I also noticed he had very large eyes, which I would assume means he is nocturnal. Thanks again for your help in identifying this mystery snake for me.
Best regards,
Scott

Funny, I just found out that Pseustes means 'liar' in Greek. I wonder if that's a reference to all the bluffing?
Anyway, has the petstore even gotten it to eat yet? I'm sure this snake is wild caught and that can be an uphill battle. You've got to keep in mind that it could have any number of nasty parasites and will almost certainly require veterinary care. AND there's a decent chance it would never settle down. In my opinion you almost have to really be in love with a species to go through the heartache associated with keeping a fresh import.

Howdy,
You brought up some very good points!! I went back to the pet store and checked this guy out again. They did tell me he was wild caught and they did not know if he had been to a vet or not. I also noticed some funny "battle scars" on him. They did say he has been eating well though. After careful consideration and reading your post, I think I will opt not to get this particular snake. He is really cool looking and its too bad this species is not readily available as CB. Perhaps they are very difficult to get to breed in captivity. The internet sites that had any detailed information were at best sketchy and they pratically all said this species is difficult to catch, or to even find. Thanks for your input!!
Best regards,
Scott