| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| prozacbear |
Posted - 02/09/2011 : 20:23:24
Hi
Had a lovely day trip to London Zoo yesterday and these are a few of the many photos I took.
First pics are of a King Cobra, who was happy to pose for me
This is the Puff Adder who never seemed to move once all day
This chap was very frisky
As were these two
The giant tortoise was trying to get frisky but frankly he was rubbish at it
Another one who refused to move
One who wouldn't stop moving
The two black mamba's were awesome
The green mamba was a bit of a no show
This guy was very handsome
The Komodo dragon was simply amazing (and looking straight at me)
Although he apparently loves a hug
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| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| frambo |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 16:26:43
Bleeding hell... must go back then- last time I went they were 3 feet long!
That Komodo is too cool- looks like a dinosaur! |
| prozacbear |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 16:15:31
quote:
Originally posted by frambo
How big was the one in your pic? Last time I went to the zoo the kings they had were not at all big... the one in your pic looks a bit bigger
I'm not the best at estimating snake sizes but would estimate 6-8 ft. |
| frambo |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 16:03:07
Very interesting documentary that one, and that clip shows how loud they hiss! That's the thing, they tend to hiss very loudly to warn you away but quite often they don't get out of the way for you. Rom actually has a few pets that have grown quite used to him but the thing about Kings is that they rarely come into villages etc like something like a saw scaled viper so they don't really get that much bad press as some other snakes... but they really can get very threatening. And another thing they have on their side is that they're highly religiously respected snakes- people will rarely kill a king cobra.
It's odd but I was watching a David Attenborough interview the other day on Eden and he said that he wouldn't like to meet a King Cobra as they're very aggressive and they spit venom at you. Odd words from someone with so much interest in the natural world, even I know that Kings don't spit venom. Odd.
How big was the one in your pic? Last time I went to the zoo the kings they had were not at all big... the one in your pic looks a little bigger.
And here's a really massive one :) (my royal tries to copy this pose a lot haha)
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| prozacbear |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 15:35:04
quote:
Originally posted by frambo
Was this an Austin Stevens documentary by any chance?
Because my dad has had a lot of experience with King Cobras (used to milk venom for anti venom many years ago in India and used to go out searching with Romulus Whitaker) and from what I've heard they tend to be aggressive, especially if with young about. Then again, it's all about first impressions, if they want to strike you they probably will be very aggressive about it and will go as far as chasing you, however if not then they can get fairly relaxed.
Come to think of it, it was a Romulus Whitaker documentary called "One Million Snake Bites" on the BBC. I could not find the bit i remember but here is a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEm68jFLdko |
| frambo |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 15:07:21
Was this an Austin Stevens documentary by any chance?
Because my dad has had a lot of experience with King Cobras (used to milk venom for anti venom many years ago in India and used to go out searching with Romulus Whitaker) and from what I've heard they tend to be aggressive, especially if with young about. Then again, it's all about first impressions, if they want to strike you they probably will be very aggressive about it and will go as far as chasing you, however if not then they can get fairly relaxed. |
| prozacbear |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 14:44:46
quote:
Originally posted by frambo
Fantastic pics- the reptile house is amazing and you're got some good shots there!
King Cobras are such beautiful snakes... so awe inspiring.
I watched a documentary about them a while back which said they are not naturaly very aggressive snakes. On the show he went up to a wild king cobra which was all hooded and hissing and just sat in front of it. Once the snake became confident he wasn't a threat it just laid down and fell asleep using the mans foot as a head rest. |
| frambo |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 14:12:59
Fantastic pics- the reptile house is amazing and you're got some good shots there!
King Cobras are such beautiful snakes... so awe inspiring. |
| Lorraine |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 11:52:40
Fantastic pics. I really enjoyed looking at them. Thanks for sharing. |
| Dio |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 11:47:24
quote:
Originally posted by prozacbear
quote:
Originally posted by Dio
Amazing photos prozacbear. I've been trying to convince the OH to go to London zoo with me for ages but these photos may just help convince him.
We had a great day, I would recommend it
I'll definately go again soon with or without him lol. The last time i went was 3 years ago as i got 2 free tickets for adopting a pygmy hippo for a friend for his birthday. It's so much better now than when i used to go as a kid and it was all concrete. |
| prozacbear |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 11:20:46
Here are a few non reptile shots from the zoo that I can't resist showing
Must admit I was so taken with the Komodo dragon I adopted him |
| n/a |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 11:06:43
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013sgpk/Natural_World_20112012_Komodo_Secrets_of_the_Dragon/
Just off to watch ... |
| BlueDragon |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 11:01:07
quote:
Originally posted by mystra
fab pics, love the komodos!
did anyone watch that programme on bbc 2 the other week about the komodos? i fell in love with the 'tame' one who was helping with their research!!
Yes, I did! He was lovely, wasn't he?
Great photos, I love to see different animals like this 'cause I never get to see them myself. ALthough I did have a very lucky day last Saturday where I got to photograph some birds of prey ; )
Very sharp photos, and they're a nightmare through glass. Well done : ) |
| prozacbear |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 10:59:00
quote:
Originally posted by Dio
Amazing photos prozacbear. I've been trying to convince the OH to go to London zoo with me for ages but these photos may just help convince him.
We had a great day, I would recommend it |
| Dio |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 10:51:50
Amazing photos prozacbear. I've been trying to convince the OH to go to London zoo with me for ages but these photos may just help convince him. |
| prozacbear |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 07:30:01
quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
Those pics are just superb! Loved the mambas especially! Thanks for posting!
Thanks, black mamba's are a contender for my favourite snake (although not a good contender for a pet), here's a couple more mamba shots. I really wanted an open mouth shoot but it seems their not big yawners.
quote:
Originally posted by mystra
fab pics, love the komodos!
did anyone watch that programme on bbc 2 the other week about the komodos? i fell in love with the 'tame' one who was helping with their research!!
This Komodo was just a soppy as the one on that documentary, his keepers were stroking and hugging him and he seemed to love it, just look at his face.
Here's a tongue shoot just for the hell of it.
quote:
Originally posted by SaltyTurtle
Incredible pictures Mr Attenborough!
May I ask what camera/lens you were using?
I'm impressed with the results, especially since you're obviously snapping through glass!
Thanks, I was using a Cannon 550D with a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS telephoto lens, and a Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II prime lens.
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| SaltyTurtle |
Posted - 03/09/2011 : 00:03:38
Incredible pictures Mr Attenborough!
May I ask what camera/lens you were using?
I'm impressed with the results, especially since you're obviously snapping through glass! |
| markmifsud |
Posted - 02/09/2011 : 23:21:46
love the pictures, I really should go there again seeing as its so close |
| mystra |
Posted - 02/09/2011 : 22:08:44
fab pics, love the komodos!
did anyone watch that programme on bbc 2 the other week about the komodos? i fell in love with the 'tame' one who was helping with their research!!
King cobra is amazing too, such a grumpy looking thing, amazing shot of him with his mouth open - good catch!! :) |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/09/2011 : 20:33:05
Those pics are just superb! Loved the mambas especially! Thanks for posting! |
