PAPUA NEW GUINEA SNAKEBITE PROJECT
KEELBACK KORNER

Then Owen saw a snake swimming cross the river, but it dived under the surface and was harder to follow. we chased in and after several failed grabs Owen managed to get the M1 tongs too it. We took care, this snake was banded and the best-known banded snake here is of course the lethally venomous New Guinea small-eyed snake (Micropechis ikaheka). But this was much more innocuous, a Barred keelback (Tropidonophis doriae), that much was clear as soon as I got a look at the rough, keeled scales of it back (smooth in Micropechis) and the somewhat larger eyes, the same species as the night before butof an orange-grey phase. I was still GPSing the locality when Owen and ben heard a frog cry out and venturing on the bank they found another keelback, a unicolour Many-scaled keelback (Tropidonophis multiscutallatus) trying to devour a Wood frog (Hylarana sp.) larger than itself - they caught it. Then I sighted another Barred keelback swimming across the river, on the same bend, an orange-phase specimen this time. It out-manouvered Owen and myself and lunged under the bank. I put my arm under but there was a large cave under there so it could be anywhere. We waited but it did not come out, so giving it up as lost I set off up stream, but the boys would not be beaten and 5minutes later whoops of adulation as they caught it, Owen coming over for a proud snake catcher photograph.

Barred keelback (orange-grey phase) Tropidonophis doriae	Long-tailed keelback Tropidonophis multiscutellatus
Common wood frog Hylarana daemaeli	Barred keelback (orange phase) Tropidonophis doriae

Owen with a Barred keelback, Tropidonophis doriae

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