Category: Dog walks

Cute little snake

Looked to be 20-25 centimeters long. I nudged it with a stick to encourage it to move out of the middle of the path (and out of sight of birds, though extremely windy and none to be seen.

So what is it? I asked Grok.

Canelones, Uruguay: what kind of snake is this?

[Thought for 37s]

This appears to be a juvenile crucera (Bothrops alternatus, also called víbora de la cruz or yarará grande), a venomous pit viper native to Uruguay (including Canelones) and neighboring countries. snakeradar.com +1Key matching features from the photo and species descriptions:

  • Bold, irregular dark (nearly black) dorsolateral blotches or “C”/telephone-receiver/headphones-shaped markings with pale (cream/white) borders or centers on a lighter ground color. These can appear somewhat connected or blotchy, especially in young animals, and match the classic crucera pattern. everything.explained.today +1
  • Small size (juveniles/neonates are typically ~20–25 cm and more brightly patterned than adults).
  • Robust body for its length and typical head shape of a Bothrops.
  • Found on sand — cruceras occur in grasslands, wetlands, near water, and occasionally wash up or appear on beaches/coasts in southern Uruguay (including Canelones) after rains or via currents. elpais.com.uy

It is one of the two medically significant Bothrops in Uruguay (the other is the yarará, Bothrops pubescens, which has more trapezoidal markings and is less associated with lower/coastal areas). Adults reach 80–150+ cm; both species have heat-sensing pits, triangular heads, and venom that can cause significant local tissue damage and other effects (antivenom is available in Uruguay via the CIAT toxicology center). gub.uy

Similar-looking non-venomous species that can occur in the same area (and also like sandy habitats) include:

  • South American hognose / falsa crucera or nariguda (Xenodon dorbignyi, including the Uruguay subspecies whose type locality is in Canelones). It mimics the crucera’s blotchy pattern, has an upturned snout for digging in sand, and is harmless to people (though it may flatten its head and body when threatened). en.wikipedia.org +1
  • Other colubrids such as certain Erythrolamprus (e.g., culebra de Peñarol) or Dryophylax hypoconia (culebra de la arena) have different spotting or banding and are generally more slender or differently patterned.

Recommendation: Do not handle it. Keep a safe distance, and if it is near people or pets, contact local wildlife/rescue experts (e.g., Alternatus Uruguay or the relevant environmental authorities) for safe relocation. In case of a bite, seek immediate medical help (call CIAT at 1722 in Uruguay) — do not apply tourniquets, cut, or suck the wound.

Identification from a single photo is not 100% certain without scale counts, head details (pits, pupil shape, snout), or closer examination, but the location, size, and distinctive blotched pattern strongly point to a young crucera. If you have additional photos (especially of the head or underside), that would help confirm.

The faceoff

Lara, left, and Leo, right, otherwise known as the little white monsters, abruptly parked themselves in these positions in the middle of the dog walk. We were expecting to see an epic clash, like a joust, but after a few moments they both decided, “Meh,” and wandered off to chase Mocha the dog, who was chasing dirt bikers. Much more exciting, even if they took no interest in chasing the motorcycles ( good thing), only Mocha. Sofie, center above, made one of the encounters more interesting by standing in middle of the wide sand path of the moto, whose rider yelled something at her. We were too far away to do anything. We didn’t hear what he yelled. And didn’t need to, I think.

Poor old dog

Just as our friends are getting ready to adopt a couple of 4-month-old puppies, one with a black spot surrounding one eye, I see this dog a few blocks from us and think, “poor dirty old dog”…

…and then it starts to run. Umm, no, not old. Betty, the orphaned sheepdog we took in last January, is almost 14 years old and not quite up to the young one’s capers – though she can indeed run very fast when she gets it in her mind to do so.

Because of course.

When it’s time to get rid of the old CRT TV or computer monitor, you don’t leave it in one of the hundreds of containers put out for that purpose by the municipality, you somehow drag it into the middle of nowhere and leave it there instead.

Because that’s what Grandpa would have done.

“It’s the way we’ve always done it.”