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Edible serpent, freshly killed

May I introduce: the Taiwan habu (Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus), one of the ten or so poisonous snakes here on The Rock. This species is actually very delicious, I've had its cousin, the Japanese habu, 20 years ago in a small roadside restaurant in Okinawa. Deep-fried, I seem to recall. (Yes, it tastes like chicken, only oilier). Among the other toxic reptiles are the Taiwanese cobra (naja naja atra, lives just a ways up the hill behind our house, my son had a little run-in with one last year) and the Hundred-Pace-Viper (Deinagkistrodon acutus), so called by the locals because that's how far you can run after getting bitten and before croaking (unless you get medical help in time)

HikeHausberg051011snake-Trimeresuru.jpg


I hike a five-klick loop trail every day, and one gets to see quite a lot of interesting critters out here in the woods. A pair of crested serpent eagles, for one, or the always popular whip scorpion. ((The dogs are wonderful for sniffing out creatures you wouldn't usually notice) Currently, though, the snakes are out after the long rain, and I 'm looking forward to meeting some more of them in the coming days - preferably not as roadkill.
 
Kinda reminds me of a platter at a tourist trap restaurant in Amarillo, Texas. They had Diamondback Rattler, Buffalo, Rabbit, Mountain Oysters, and Frogs Legs - all breaded.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Oct. 14 2005,12:53)]Kinda reminds me of a platter at a tourist trap restaurant in Amarillo, Texas. They had Diamondback Rattler, Buffalo, Rabbit, Mountain Oysters, and Frogs Legs - all breaded.
Oh, the habu dish I had wasn't that fancy at all. Just fried noodles with snake meat on top, for two bucks or three. Seemed quite the everyday staple in Okinawan cuisine...In fact, the habus there were so common that there were signs in parks and other natural recreational areas to Beware Of Habu. After dusk, the countryfolks never left the house without a walking stick they used to hit the ground with at every second step. The vibrations kept the habus away.
 
Dogs can have difficulty reaching adulthood when they're so curious about a poisonous snake. A lot of people who run hunting dogs in areas of the US popular with rattlesnakes have to train their dogs to stay away.
 
ha i tried to have sanke once but i failed i threw up when they brought me the plate. it was red tail boa snake soup. mmmm yum................:D
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (herenorthere @ Oct. 15 2005,9:29)]Dogs can have difficulty reaching adulthood when they're so curious about a poisonous snake.
My two mutts are very sweet, but really curious.
The other day they tried unsuccessfully to get this thing here to play with them.
Took them a long time and numerous (VERY PAINFUL!) stings to realize that these creatures usually don't fancy canine company.
Let's hope they'll keep encountering snakes only in dead or harmless form...
 
Looks like The Tingler from the old black and white movie of the same name.
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ Oct. 18 2005,9:47)]Looks like The Tingler from the old black and white movie of the same name.  
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Lol, when we used to have Friday or Saturday night scary movies every week, "The Tingler" and "Night of the Leapus(about giant killer rabbits)" were two I could never get through w/o falling asleep , for some reason.

Cheers,

Joe
 
Awwwww even though its a hot still poor road kill snake..
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Love the centipede, some spieces are toxic if a person thats allergic to bug bites or has health probs gets bitten by one.
Love the pics.

Jim,Rattler, buffalo, rabbit, bear, gator, deer, elk and ect. are good eatting even snappin turtles, but for me no thanks on the oysters and frog legs..
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  • #10
I thought mountain oysters were really bull testicles...

-D. Lybrand
 
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