Fun & Games at the Office!?

A great whoop and holler, people jumping up and running out of the room... What caused this chaos in the middle of a regular Monday afternoon?

Someone's idea of a silly joke - to break the somber mood in the sweat and heat of the afternoon - was to throw a small live snake under the desk where some of the assistants were working! I didn't have my camera with me at the office, but found this pic online. Although he was actually a lot smaller than the snake in the photo, probably a juvenile, he got the desired response!



I got the chance to have a good look at our black guest while a few people set about trying to capture him to set him free again... I had the fleeting thought "hey, even though we have air conditioning and satellite internet, we're still in PAPUA... maybe this snake is not as innocent as he looks!" I settled down to my laptop and sat internet, and found out that he was most likely a Papuan Black Snake, one of the most poisonous snakes in Papua (and makes the list of most poisonous in the world!). Good thing he stayed calmer than the folks in the office!

Although we can't be 100% in identifying it (no serpentologists in the office here), everyone who saw both the live thing as well as the description and pictures of the snake agree it had to be a Papuan Black Snake.

Here's what my research uncovered: "The Papuan black snake (Pseudechis papuensis) is found in Papua New Guinea, and has been recently found on Saibai Island in the Torres Strait. Its numbers are thought to be in decline, possibly as a result of the introduction of the cane toad (Bufo marinus) into its habitat. It lives in swampy areas of the southern coastal lowlands of PNG, where it feeds on small mammals and frogs. It is usually a uniform glossy black, but may be dark brown. It is solidly built, with a large, flat head. The length ranges from 2.1 to 2.4m. It is oviparous. The papuan black snake is said to be of a nervous disposition, avoiding human contact, but will strike aggressively if cornered. [!] The venom produces coagulopathy, neurotoxicity and haemolysis. The antivenom of choice is black snake antivenom.

This snake has reportedly been used historically by native shamen for murder or assassination!