Oro Province
Sangara
(second visit)

Then came a Müller's crowned snake (Aspidomorphus muelleri) which Ben caught and gave to our snake-nervous driver Hayward to carry over to me, held firmly behind the head.
"Poison snake" I said, wondering if he knew.
"Yes" he nodded so after the handover I congratulated him on his new found bravery.
We then caught two more bringing our total for this species to six.

Müller's crowned snake, Aspidomorphus muelleri

We were also very successful searching for New Guinea small-eyed snakes (Micropechis ikaheka), captuting three more specimens, including the largest of the trip, making a total of seven specimens for the snakebite project.

Ben with the fourth New Guinea small-eyed snake, Micropechis ikaheka	Mark takes the fifth and smallest New Guinea small-eyed snake, Micropechis ikaheka
And finally the largest specimen of New Guinea small-eyed snake, Micropechis ikaheka	Ben holds the Probagger for the largest New Guinea small-eyed snake, Micropechis ikaheka

These are dangerously venomous snakes so they were not handled again or photographed in more detail until we and they were safely back in the Snek Haus in Port Moresby.

New Guinea small-eyed snake, Micropechis ikaheka

We had been so successful that on the morning of the final day we made a last ditch trip out to Heropa in the hopes of picking up a New Guinea brownsnake (Pseudonaja textilis). Unfortunately we blanked there again and returned to The Ridge to prepare for our flight back to Port Moresby.