Snake

Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth
Adding variety to snakes in AD&D® gaming

by Ray Hamel and
David Hage

Snakes for the Divine, by High on Fire

Snake Biology - - - -

- - - - -

As long ago as the Garden of Eden, the
snake has been a representative of fear
&& evil. With its silent means of locomotion,
its quiet and mysterious living habits,
and its lethal means of defense, the snake
is one of the most highly feared creatures
in nature.

Enlarged to the proportions of the giant
snakes encountered in an AD&D® game
adventure, even the bravest of fighters is
likely to be petrified at the sight of one of
these reptiles. Unfortunately, the number
of snakes listed in the MM is
rather limited, and the variety given does
not adequately represent the variety nature
has provided in the different types of
snakes and the various threats that snakes
pose.

Basically, dangerous <journeys> snakes can be divided
into two large groups -- the nonpoisonous
(or constrictors, if you will) and
the poisonous. While there are a large
number of snakes under either category,
we have selected six constrictors and five
poisonous snakes of various capabilities in
an attempt to cover the spectrum without
writing a book-length treatise on the subject.
Because many of the constrictors act
and kill in the same manner, invention has
been used in that area adapting several of
the constrictors from ancient African
legends -- even a little reshaping of Kaa,
the python from Kipling's The Jungle
Book. The poisonous snakes are pretty
much the way you would find them in
mundane nature.

We've even managed to throw in a little
insight on the sea snake and the spitting
snake, which are listed under their own
headings in the MM. Those
who are inclined to invent some additional
snakes of their own, we have included a
bibliography of some of the finer books
we encountered in our research. If you
have difficulty finding them, any good
college library will provide a herpetology
textbook with information on snake biology,
and any gooddoog Nature encyclopedia provides pictures and descriptions of the various snakes of the world.

Snake biology

The body of snake is not slimy as
many think it is; it is covered with
dry scales. The scales on the belly of the
snake are like large individual plates. Larger
scales form a shield about the head of the
snake. The skin of the snake is shed about
three times a year, as the snake grows
larger. A similar rejuvenation occurs
with the fangs of the snake, which are replaced
every three weeks as they tend to wear out
rapidly. These worn-out fangs are then swallowed.
An observant hunter could
find the remains of these in the feces <shit>
of the snake.

The powerful belly muscles of the
snakes are used for locomotion. Most
snakes' primary means of travel is by
rectilinear locomotion, also known
as "caterpillar locomotion." This form
of locomotion involves the advance of the
body in a straight line, moving belly plate
by belly plate. This type of movement is
usually associated with the inchworm,
although the humping of the body is not
as prominent with the snake.

On smooth || flat surfaces, snakes move
either by sidewinding locomotion or telescopic
locomotion, Sidewinding locomotion
involves swinging the body into an
S-shape, so that the belly plates act like
treads on a bulldozer, pulling the snake
along. Telescopic locomotion involves
movement by extending the entire front
half of the body, and then drawing up the
rear.

The tongue is the primary sense organ
of the snake. It not only picks up scents
but also acts as a heat sensor. Since most
snakes cannot see beyond 3?, they use this
sensor to locate and hunt down prey, in
light or darkness, up to 100? away. It is
believed that a venomous snake can detect
its victim among a group because the smell
of the victim is slightly altered by the
presence of snake venom in its body.

All snakes are deaf. They lack not only
an external ear appendage but an internal
eardrum as well. Some are able to detect
extremely loud noises through the sensitive
tip of the tongue. Snakes do not have
a voice box, which is why the loudest
sound they ever make is a hiss. Of course,
this silence only makes their stealthiness
all the more effective. Since they cannot
hear, snakes perceive an approaching
creature through the vibrations in the ground,
which can be detected through
the bones of their skulls. They are unable to
detect movement by the motion of air
currents; birds of prey take good advantage
of this opportunity.

As a cold-blooded creature, the snake is
unable to maintain a constant body temperature.
Instead, its body temperature
changes as the external environment changes. Therefore, the
snake can live in a limited range of temperatures
-- usu. 40-100<degrees> F. If a snake is
subjected to a temperature greater than this, <>
it overheats and dies. Temperatures lower than
40<degrees> F cause the snake to become
sluggish, eventually slowing down to a
deathlike state. Extreme cold eventually
leads to a snake's death. If there is an
extreme in temperature in a snake's environment,
the snake usu. attempts to burrow underground
using the earth as
an insulator to regulate the snake's body temperature.

Constrictors
The constrictor attacks with its fangs,
inflicting minor damage but establishing
an anchor. The snake then wraps its body
around the victim and begins to ?shape?
the victim's body for consumption, effectively
squeezing the life out of the prey in
the process.

The major damage that occurs from this
constriction comes from cracked ribs,
burst blood vessels, ruptured organs, and
the inability to breathe. Player characters
receiving 25% of their total hit points in
damage must make their saving throws at

-1 to prevent broken ribs. At 50% damage,
broken ribs are inevitable, and a
saving throw must be made to prevent the
bursting of major blood vessels. Burst
blood vessels cause an additional 1-6 hp
damage per round. At 75% damage, the
player character must make a saving
throw to prevent the rupturing of body
organs (spleen, lungs, etc.). Failure produces
unconsciousness in 2-8 rounds.

The fangs of the constrictor are curved
backward into the throat. The only way to
remove a bitten finger is to slide the finger
farther into the snake in order to slide the
finger off the fang. You can see how hard
it would be to try to do the same if the
snake bit a PC in the leg.

When swallowing something as large as
a human being, giant snakes can unhinge
their jaws. This can be done because of
two movable joints between each jaw and
the back of the snake's head. The two
halves of the lower jaw are also separated
by an elastic ligament allowing it some
stretching capability. Once the jaw is unhinged,
the snake uses its throat muscles
to swallow the victim, aided by the fangs
which pull the victim into the gullet to be
devoured.
Some specific types of constrictor snakes
follow.

Rock python:

FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 9"
HIT DICE: 6+1
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Constriction
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (20-40')
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>

This yellow-brown snake
is often found near water. One of the
largest of the constrictors, it has been
known to devour prey as large as leopards
or human beings.

The female of the species spends two
months out of the year guarding her nest
of eggs, and there is a 10% chance of
running across such a female. The female
attacks anyone within approaching distance
of the nest. The nest can contain 10-
100 eggs. When they hatch, the young are
about 2? in length.
Indian legend has it that a dying rock
python spits out a gem just before it expires.
The gem is valued at 10-60 gp value.

Ram python:

FREQUENCY:
NO. APPEARING:
ARMOR CLASS:
MOVE:
HIT DICE:
% IN LAIR: %
TREASURE TYPE: []
NO. OF ATTACKS:
DAMAGE/ATTACK:
SPECIAL ATTACKS:
SPECIAL DEFENSES:
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT:
SIZE:
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:

This reptile, colored
brownish-gray with lighter diagonal markings
to mask it when it hides in trees, coils
around a low-hanging branch waiting for
prey to pass below it. As its victim passes,
the snake springs away from the branch
and swings down in a clublike manner,
ramming the creature with its AC 3 head
for 3-10 hp damage. This attack can be
used only if the python has surprise, and
then only in the initial round of battle. The
ram python gains surprise on a 1-4 on a d6
roll.
If the ramming attack is unsuccessful,
the ram python resorts to biting, as its
other relatives do.

Boa constrictor:

Possibly the most familiar
of the constrictor class, the boa is pale
tan, dark brown, or black in color, with
saddlelike markings on its back. The boa
prefers dry regions.
This snake is extremely irritable, which
is attributed to the fact that 75% of all

boas are infested with ticks on over half of
their bodies. This makes the bite of a boa
constrictor potentially infectious as well
(as per giant ticks). If cornered, the boa is
able to hiss loudly, and it attempts to scare
off captors by doing so.
The boa constrictor probably has the
best eyesight for any snake, with a 10?
infravision range. Boas give live birth, with
the young being 2-2½? in length.

Anaconda:

An extremely large snake,
African legends have the anaconda reaching
lengths of 200' with its thickness equal
to a man's height. The majority of anacondas
reach a length of slightly less than 70' <70?>
long. Because they are so large, anacondas
have overwhelming bone-crushing ability.
Anacondas spend most of their lives
inhabiting rivers or swamps, attacking the
birds and other wildlife on shore. There is
a 5% chance of finding an anaconda on
shore, usually sunning itself in a tree. As
water snakes, the larger varieties of anaconda
may qualify as a variety of sea snake.

Ringed snake:

When attacking, the
ringed snake raises its head and, by staring
into the eyes of its victim, effectively
hypnotizes it into a catatonic state. It then
constricts the paralyzed victim.
The ringed snake eats its prey legs-first,
instead of head-first as most snakes do.
Since its diet consists largely of toads and
frogs, this manner of devouring pushes
the air out of the victim (preventing the
formation of painful intestinal gas).

When on the defensive, the ringed snake
can feign death by total motionlessness
and a stiffening of the body, even if picked
up. However, if it is captured, it possesses
stink glands that release a foul-smelling
odor designed gag those who do not make
their saving throws vs. poison; this effect
lasts for 2-8 (2d4) rounds. If given the
opportunity, the ringed snake can escape
by swimming, as it is an excellent swimmer.
The ringed snake has a black body with
a 1? -wide yellow-orange ring around its
neck and a yellow-orange or red belly.

Saw-edged scaled snake:

This constrictor
is covered with tiny needlelike spines that
it uses as an aid in locomotion and in
killing constricted prey. The scales appear
normal until raised through muscle contraction
by the snake. The scales puncture
the intended victim during constriction.
The sawlike edges of the scales are doublebarbed,
and it is impossible to pull them
out of the skin without pulling out chunks
of skin as well. The scales can be removed
by the snake by a simple relaxation of the
muscles that control them. No additional
damage is received if the removal occurs
by the action of the snake. If the scales are
forcibly removed, the victim receives an
additional 4-24 hp damage. If they are
carefully removed, the damage drops to
1-6 hp. If the snake is killed, the muscles
controlling the scales remain taut.
The saw-edged scaled snake is jet black
in color. Though based upon the primitive
Asian wart snake, which has individual
scales instead of the usual arrangement of
overlapping scales, the saw-edged snake is
found only in fantasy worlds.

Venomous snakes
In nature, one-fifth of all species of
snakes are poisonous. Since the poisonous
snake?s digestive process is so slow, and
the victim is swallowed whole, the digestive
process must begin as soon as possible.
The venomous snake uses its venom
as saliva, beginning the digestive process
outside the snake?s body. The venom not
only kills the victim but also begins the
breakdown of the proteins that serve as
the nutrients for the snake. The snake lets
its victim lay for a time before relocating
and devouring it, allowing time for the
digestive process to begin.
The venom causes several symptoms in
the victim: burning pain and swelling,
followed by cold sweats, nausea and vomiting,
sleepiness, and a feeble pulse. This
can lead to difficulty in breathing as the
breathing muscles become paralyzed, a
comatose state, and perhaps death. The
time and severity of effect varies from
snake to snake.
Except for the cobra, all poisonous
snakes listed here are immune to their
own poisons.

King cobra:

FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 15"
HIT DICE: 4+2
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: L (25')
SIZE: Neutral
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>

The king cobra prefers the
densest of jungles near water. It is a highly
aggressive snake known to actually pursue
humans. When attacking, the snake rears
its head 5-6? off the ground and spreads its
ribs to form a menacing hood behind its
head. Because of the cobra?s deadly reputation,
NPCs who see the upraised cobra
must make a saving throw vs. spells (wisdom
bonuses applicable) or become paralyzed
with fright.
The cobra must strike forward and
downward when attacking. It is unable to
strike upward. When the snake bites, it
continues to stay attached to the victim,
chewing the skin to increase the amount
of venom introduced into the victim's
bloodstream, until it is knocked away. The
chewing causes an additional 1-2 hp damage
per round.
The bite is highly venomous, capable of
causing instant shock to the bitten victim,
with death by asphyxiation following in 15
minutes. The failure of a save vs. Poison
indicates that the victim is immediately
rendered unable to function.
The king cobra is a black snake with
grey bands.

Black mamba:

FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 15"
HIT DICE: 4+2
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACK S: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3/1-3/1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (15')
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>

The jet-black mamba lifts
its head off the ground and opens its
mouth threateningly when it plans to
attack. It is astonishingly quick and is
capable of striking three times in rapid
succession in one round. Its venom can kill
in 20-25 minutes.

Gaboon viper:

FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 15"
HIT DICE: 4+2
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See text
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (7')
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>

This snake may reach
only 7" in length, but its thickness can be
that of the human calf. Although it attacks
humans, it is not known to devour them.
The Gaboon viper is equipped with 6-9"
fangs that sink deeply into the bitten victim.
The viper's venom is dangerous because
it not only causes paralysis of the
breathing muscles, but it also acts as a
hemotoxic agent that causes severe hemorrhaging,
negating the effect of any possible
antivenom. The bitten area becomes
swollen and blackening of the skin occurs
within one hour. Death follows in six
hours.

The Gaboon viper is colored with carpetlike
markings which camouflage it on
the jungle floor. It gains surprise on a 1-4
on d6 roll.

Rattlesnake:

The smallest and least dangerous
of the venomous snakes, the rattlesnake
is found in dry or rocky terrains.
When surprised, it coils its head slightly
raised in an S-shape for striking. It also
(95% of the time) vibrates the rattle on the
tip of its tail, making a buzzing sound that
alerts the approaching character of its
presence.
The venom of the rattlesnake affects the
nervous system, sometimes causing death
through paralyzation of the breathing
muscles. The amount of venom introduced

into the system depends a great deal on
the amount of movement made by the
bitten victim. The symptoms of the venom
last eight hours for every point of difference
between 20 and the victim?s dexterity.
At this point, a saving throw is made,
equal to the player character?s dexterity. If
the player character has limited his movements,
then the saving throw is made at
-1. If the player character has been moving
as much as he normally would, the
saving throw is at -3. If the player character
?s movement has been restricted to
practically nil, he gets a normal saving
throw. If the saving throw is made, the
process reverses, with the same amount of
time for recovery as the lapse covered. If
the save is not made, the player character
dies from asphyxiation.
The rattlesnake actually has a market
value, as it is hunted for its rectangularpatterned
skin which can be used as boot
leather, and for its meat which is considered
a delicacy. Each ?pelt? would be
worth 1-4 gp to the right buyer.

Flying snake:

With a longitudinal ridge
on either side of its belly, the flying snake
can glide from tree to ground (or tree to
tree) from a height of 100?. The flying
snake is also an excellent climber.
The bite of the flying snake causes paralysis
(saving throw vs. poison at +3) but
not death. The effect of the paralysis is
usually one hour for every point of the
difference between. 20 and the victim?s
dexterity.
The flying snake is colored in a combination
of black, green, and red bands.

Sea snake:

There are actually two types
of sea snakes. Those called "sea serpents"
are the larger variety of sea snake, actually
an anaconda of the 8-12 HD variety.

The poisonous sea snake is a smaller
snake with a flattened rudderlike tail that
enables it to MOVE swiftly through the water.
The poisonous sea snake attacks anything
that is violating its territory. The
bite of the sea snake is like a pinprick, and
50% of the time it goes unnoticed until the
symptoms of the poison begin to occur.

The venom causes paralysis in 3-6 rounds,
leaving the victim to drown in the following
melee round.

The poisonous sea snake is yellow or light blue in color.

The statistics for the larger of the sea
snakes can either be taken directly from
the Monster Manual or derived from the
stats given for the anaconda.

Spitting snake:

A member of the cobra
family, the spitting snake bites when attacking,
spitting only as a defense when cornered.
The spitting cobra launches a cone-shaped
mist that can hit a TARGET up to
10' away; the snake is usu. aiming for
the victim's eyes. A PC
hit by the venom is allowed two saves vs. Poison. The first determines
whether or not blindness occurs. If the
saving throw is not made, the blindness
lasts 2-12 turns. At this point, the second
saving throw is made to determine if the
blindness becomes permanent.

The bite of the spitting cobra causes
instant death unless a saving throw vs.
poison at -1 is made. As with all members
of the cobra family, the spitting cobra
is not immune to its own poison.

The statistics for the spitting snake can
be found in the MM. <>

Bibliography
Encyclopedia Britannica.
University Press: New York, 1911

Goin, Coleman J., and Olive B. Goin.
Introduction to Herpetology.
W.H. Freeman and Company: San Francisco, 1971

Grzimek, Dr. Bernhard.
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Van Nostrand
Reinhold Co.: New York, 1971

Oliver, James A. Snakes in Fact and
Fiction. MacMillan Company: New York,
1958

Stidworthy, John. Snakes of the World.
Grosset and Dunlop: New York, 1974

Wright, Albert Hazen, and Anna Allen
Wright. Handbook of Snakes. 2 vol. Comstock
Publishing Associates: Ithaca, 1957

THE FORUM

In response to "Sharper Than a Serpent's
Tooth," in DRAGON issue #115: While I found
the article quite useful in some respects, I feel
that it is necessary to correct 2 major problems:
information presented which is factually
wrong, either as fantasy or reality, and several
areas in which fantasy and reality are not
adequately distinguished.

There is no other way to say it: Some of the
material presented in the article is simply
wrong. This is, of course, fantasy, and creatures
can be changed around at will by gamemasters.
However, such changes should be identified as
such when dealing with areas unfamiliar to the
reader.

One example is in the matter of fangs for
constrictors. If the authors have designed constrictors
with fangs for their worlds, fine.
However, this should be identified as a fantasy
change, not treated as though it were a characteristic
of real-world snakes. I suspect that the
authors simply made a mistake here. Fangs are
a specialization for venom use and are found
only in venomous snakes. I can tell you from
personal experience that constrictors have no
fangs! Teeth, yes ? in some cases, big nasty
teeth ? but no fangs. When a young 3? Burmese
python I once owned mistook my hand for the
mouse I was feeding him, he grabbed me and
ripped my skin up to the extent that my kitten
does when she gets a bit too rough ? lots of
little scratches. The mistake the authors made
was the common one of automatically associating
snakes with fangs and not checking any of
the references cited in their bibliography, looking
in a snake?s mouth, or just thinking about it
for a minute.

A related error is that of the curvature of
fangs or teeth, and the extreme difficulty of
removing them from the flesh. Yes, all of those
little teeth curve backwards. Unlike the description
in the article, you have to dislodge yourself
not from a single fang, but in the typical finger,
a dozen or so small teeth. Fortunately, snake
jaws can open almost 180°. Snakes can voluntarily
release what they have bitten, but it can
be hard to convince them to do so. When my
python was young and foolish, he missed a
mouse and bit his own midsection. I had to stick
him in the sink and run cold water over him to
force him to stop trying to swallow himself!

Yet another error occurs in the authors?
descriptions of the way snakes move. Giant
snakes, such as described in the article, can and
do move by rectilinear motion. However, a
snake must be quite heavy for this to work.
Most smaller or slimmer snakes, such as the
garter snake in the incident above, move by
sinusoidal motion: the familiar S-shape of the
crawling snake. This is the most complex of
snake movement patterns, and the mechanics
are still not fully understood. Contrary to the
authors? statement, sidewinding locomotion has
nothing to do with belly scales. Rectilinear
movement can, at times, use the belly scales as
cleats. Sidewinding, however, could be performed
quite nicely by an animated garden
hose. And leave the telescopic movement to the
worms! Snakes can do many odd things, but
extending and contracting their backbones is
not one of them!

There is dispute about the heat-sensing ability
of the snake?s tongue. Those snakes which hunt
primarily warm prey have specialized heatsensing
organs. In the case of the pit vipers,
such as rattlesnakes, these are the pits which
give the group its name. Most of the big constrictors
have similar organs, generally along
the upper lip, although not always marked by
visible pits. Snakes can also see farther than the
meter or so mentioned in the article, at least
well enough to detect motion.

There are also errors in the description of
death by constriction. While broken ribs and
internal damage are possible, they are a side
effect rather than the primary means of killing.
A constrictor grabs its prey and wraps it in a
few coils, then keeps up a steady pressure.
When the victim eventually exhales, the snake
tightens down and keeps it from inhaling again.
By this mechanism, it can quickly asphyxiate
anything small enough to wrap. After the prey
has stopped squirming, the snake drops it, noses
the body for a while, then picks an end and
starts to swallow it. All snakes, not merely
constrictors, can unhinge their jaws.

Then there is the matter of the properties of
the venom of the venomous snakes listed. While
the commonly used categories of ?hemotoxin?
and ?neurotoxin? are not precise, they serve as
broad descriptions of the effects of most sorts of
snake venom. The vipers utilize primarily hemotoxin,
which contains powerful enzymes that
cause massive tissue damage and internal bleeding.
This toxin produces the burning pain and
various symptoms of shock as described. The
elapids, such as cobras and coral snakes, generally
use neurotoxin. While there is said to be
little pain beyond that of the bite, neurotoxins
produce central nervous system depression,
including paralysis of the breathing muscles,
weakness, and sleepiness. Shock can also occur.

Rattlesnake venom is primarily a hemotoxin!
While it can, untreated, cause death, permanent
damage is much more likely to occur due to
severe tissue destruction at the site of the bite.
Incidentally, in the real world, the rattlesnake is
neither the smallest nor least dangerous of
venomous snakes.

Now we come to the areas in which the
authors have made significant changes in their
reptile descriptions, but not noted that they are
creating fantasy material. While they state at
the beginning of the article that the poisonous
snakes are described much the way you would
find them in nature, there are some glaring
errors. Also, as the authors said, they have used
much license with the constrictors, but have not
indicated many of the changes.

Some of the changes are obvious. The ram
python does not exist, nor does the ringed
snake or saw-edged scaled snake. I got quite a
chuckle out of the description of the latter ? it
is obviously a gigantic version of the common
ring-necked snake, an innocuous little creature,
1? or so long, that spends its life hiding under
rotten logs and hunting the wily and ferocious
earthworm! As for swimming ability ? due to
their anatomy, virtually all snakes are good
swimmers, and some (like the water and garter
snakes) spend much of their lives in or near
water.

However, some material is fantasy but not
indicated as such. For example, the size of the
anaconda is exaggerated to quite an extreme.
While there are undocumented reports of
specimens over 30?, there is no reasonable proof
of any much over 20?. Both the reticulated
python and the rock python average much
longer, possibly slightly over 30?, although
neither can match the bulk of a big anaconda.
Due to their slimness, snakes look much longer
than they are. The difficulty in measuring them
adds to this. A 6? python I had appeared to be 8?
or so. Getting him to crawl along the base of a
wall, so he would straighten out, and using a
measuring tape convinced me that my eyes
were lying. Many people exhibiting or describing
snakes deliberately exaggerate their size.

I have only dealt with captive boa constrictors,
so I do not know if wild ones are irritable
due to ticks. They are among the most docile
snakes in captivity, one of the reasons for their
great popularity as pets. The newborn young
are somewhat smaller than the authors stated. I
assume that the ticks described are a fantasy
addition. While most wild snakes do harbor
ticks, they do not have the effects of the giant
tick bite for several reasons. First, ticks are
surprisingly specialized beasties. Those which
parasitize snakes and other reptiles are specific
to cold-blooded creatrues and tend to ignore
mammals. Second, there are few if any diseases,
deadly or otherwide, transmissible between
snakes and humans. The staphlococcus bacterium,
a common source of infection in humans,
can be transmitted to snakes, causing skin and
internal infections, and generally leading to a
rapid death. A small, innocuous fungus which
lives unseen on human skin can cause a fatal
condition called mouth rot in snakes. In neither
of these cases is the vector ticks, nor would the
bite of a snake with ticks have any more effect
than the bite of one without. Presumably, staph
bacteria could be transmitted in the bite of a
sick snake, but, as they are so common in the
general environment, it would be hard to tell
whether the snake was the source of the
infection.

The Gaboon viper?s description includes
another element which should be clearly distinguished
as fantasy: the length of the snake?s
fangs. While Gaboon vipers have fairly impressive
ones, about 2? long, the 6-9? listed would
not even fit in the snake?s mouth! The head of a
7' specimen is only 4-5" long! While this sort of
thing is quite possible in a fantasy world that
also has bags of holding and portable holes, it
should be so noted.

Neither king cobras nor sea snakes are quite
as aggressive as listed. In general, any snake will
prefer to retreat if possible, but those two will
continue an attack rather than bugging out at
the earliest opportunity. The sea snakes have
small mouths and have a hard time biting large
portions of a body. They use a highly potent
neurotoxin; for effects I would use that listed
for the spitting snake bite.

Jeanne McGuire
State College PA
(Dragon #121)