Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this genus is not known to be all that toxic, but yesterday, I watched my adult female A. Cowlesi bite a rather large live mouse on the end of it's tail and the mouse was dead in about two minuts. The snake didn't even hold on, rather it was more of a bite and release. Thats pretty impressive killing power. I think this genus deserves a little more respect than it receives. I have recently seen a lot of photos and videos on the internet of people free handling them like ball pythons. I don't know, but to me, it just seems like an accident waiting to happen. Let me know what you all think. Thanks for reading.

This snake DEFINITELY deserve ALOT more respect than it has been getting. I've seen what kind of damage the venom on a juvenile Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus can do on a frozen pinkie mouse. It actually produces small lesions at the bite site. The puncture wounds from the fangs are also fairly good sized for a snake so small.

Forgot to mention...

I was told that there was an article that hints at the fact that Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus has a venom composition that may be similar (not the exact same) as that of Naja kaouthia if I'm not mistaken.