UK Herp Walk

[Bios.]

Went on a walk looking for herps which was really successful. We saw a common lizard, a slow worm, palmate newts and two adders. That's half of the UK reptile species in just a couple of hours!

#1

Palmate Newt by [[BIOSPHERE]], on Flickr

#2

Slow-worm by [[BIOSPHERE]], on Flickr

#3

Thrifts by the sea by [[BIOSPHERE]], on Flickr

#4

Gwithian Towans by [[BIOSPHERE]], on Flickr

#5

Adder by [[BIOSPHERE]], on Flickr

 

[Snakeguy101]

Nice. I think 2 and 5 need a greater DoF and 1 and 3 need a tighter crop but still very nice.

 

[AgentDrex]

#5 is awesome and my favorite shot of the bunch! This could be straight out of a field book or NatGeo!

 

[Jaemie]

All are beautiful. Isn't the adder poisonous? How did you manage that photo?

 

[Snakeguy101]

All are beautiful. Isn't the adder poisonous? How did you manage that photo?

Venomous- and with a strike range of around a foot it is easy to keep your distance and still get good shots.

 

[Jaemie]

All are beautiful. Isn't the adder poisonous? How did you manage that photo?

Venomous- and with a strike range of around a foot it is easy to keep your distance and still get good shots.

I see. I'd still want someone else with a stick keeping watch while I'm on my belly taking pictures! hehe..

 

[Forkie]

All are beautiful. Isn't the adder poisonous? How did you manage that photo?

Venomous- and with a strike range of around a foot it is easy to keep your distance and still get good shots.

I see. I'd still want someone else with a stick keeping watch while I'm on my belly taking pictures! hehe..

They are venomous, but they're bite is not much worse than a nasty bee sting for a human. Certainly no danger to life (unless you're allergic, of course), although it probably hurts a bit!

 

[Bios.]

Venomous- and with a strike range of around a foot it is easy to keep your distance and still get good shots.

I see. I'd still want someone else with a stick keeping watch while I'm on my belly taking pictures! hehe..

They are venomous, but they're bite is not much worse than a nasty bee sting for a human. Certainly no danger to life (unless you're allergic, of course), although it probably hurts a bit!

Not sure that's quite true....

Copied from another guys post on another forum:

"

The effects of being bitten by an Adder can vary greatly. A "dry bite" with little or no venom being injected is often compared in levels of pain to that of a bee sting but if envenomated the victim often requires a stay in hospital.
The severity of an envenomation depends on several factors including:
The amount of venom injected.
How long ago the Adder last ate.
Whether the Adder has just emerged from hibernation.
The size of the Adder.
How soon medical attention is sought and whether the victim is kept calm and still so as to minimise the spread of the venom around the body.
How the victim reacts to the venom.

Although rarely fatal, Adder bites to Humans should be taken very seriously and immediate medical attention should be sought. Adder bites are very painful and are also often accompanied by nausea, loss of vision, dizziness, localised bruising and swelling of the bitten limb and glands. Adder bites should not be underestimated as on rare occasions envenoming can be life threatening, especially in children. Many adults experience prolonged discomfort and disability long after the bite. Although Adder bites to a child can be more serious than to an adult children usually recover faster than adults. Children usually recover completely in 1-3 weeks but most adults take 3 weeks or more to recover. 25% of adults that have been envenomated take between a month and 9 months to fully recover according to the British Medical Journal.
The last Human death in the UK from an Adder bite was a 5 year old child in 1975 although there have been more recent deaths in Europe. In 2004 an 81-year-old woman died following an Adder bite to the middle finger in Breege, Germany. The emergency services arrived 15 minutes later but the 81 year-old had lost consciousness, and died despite resuscitation attempts. "​

 

[Jaemie]

That all sounds much like our rattlesnake, whose bite is rarely fatal but typically serious. Well, please be careful with the adders.

 

[Forkie]

I see. I'd still want someone else with a stick keeping watch while I'm on my belly taking pictures! hehe..

They are venomous, but they're bite is not much worse than a nasty bee sting for a human. Certainly no danger to life (unless you're allergic, of course), although it probably hurts a bit!

Not sure that's quite true....

Copied from another guys post on another forum:

"

The effects of being bitten by an Adder can vary greatly. A "dry bite" with little or no venom being injected is often compared in levels of pain to that of a bee sting but if envenomated the victim often requires a stay in hospital.
The severity of an envenomation depends on several factors including:
The amount of venom injected.
How long ago the Adder last ate.
Whether the Adder has just emerged from hibernation.
The size of the Adder.
How soon medical attention is sought and whether the victim is kept calm and still so as to minimise the spread of the venom around the body.
How the victim reacts to the venom.

Although rarely fatal, Adder bites to Humans should be taken very seriously and immediate medical attention should be sought. Adder bites are very painful and are also often accompanied by nausea, loss of vision, dizziness, localised bruising and swelling of the bitten limb and glands. Adder bites should not be underestimated as on rare occasions envenoming can be life threatening, especially in children. Many adults experience prolonged discomfort and disability long after the bite. Although Adder bites to a child can be more serious than to an adult children usually recover faster than adults. Children usually recover completely in 1-3 weeks but most adults take 3 weeks or more to recover. 25% of adults that have been envenomated take between a month and 9 months to fully recover according to the British Medical Journal.
The last Human death in the UK from an Adder bite was a 5 year old child in 1975 although there have been more recent deaths in Europe. In 2004 an 81-year-old woman died following an Adder bite to the middle finger in Breege, Germany. The emergency services arrived 15 minutes later but the 81 year-old had lost consciousness, and died despite resuscitation attempts. "​

Interesting, but I note that the 2 cases you mentioned were where the victim was very young or very old. However, you're right about it being more serious than a bee sting, reading the NHS Direct website says although very rarely fatal it can take some adults who are particularly badly affected up to around 9 months to fully recover.

A bit more painful that I thought then! Interesting info. Thanks Bios.

 

[Bios.]

Yeah I think if your a healthy adult then you should be fine.

 

[gsgary]

Nice shots, was there any surf at Gwithian ? i used to go to the Bluff nightclub when i lived in St Ives

 

[Bios.]

Nah no surf. It was small and onshore, it's been flat for ages.....

 

[gsgary]

The surf was fantastic last September, got to shoot it at least twice every day, got some good shots of Jason Robinson on Porthmeor i hope it is as good this September when i'm down
http://gsgary.smugmug.com/Sports/Surf-StIves-12911-afternoon/i-z7Rq9Ct/0/L/Jasaon-Robinson-1-L.jpg

 

[Bios.]

Great shot. Crazy body torque going on there!