A Project that I am working on...

[Mamba no 5]

Hi, I am no expert in Herpetology or any of the related fields fields.
This is why I need some help (ok, a lot of help) with a "secret" project that I am working on at the moment.

All I can say is that I need some copyright-free pictures to use:

I Need some copyright-free pictures of the following snakes: (Some of the more common species found in South-Africa)
Please include as much of the body of the snake as possible. Close up head-shots + Full body shots would be ideal.

Brown House snake (Lamprophis capensis)
Puff Adder (Bitis Arientans)
Rhombic Night Adder (Causus Rhombeatus)
Cape Cobra (Naja Nivea) (pref Of both Brown and Yellow)
Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja Mossambica)
Rinkhals (Hemachatus Heamachatus) (Photos of as wide a range of color variations as possible)
Stiped Skaapsteker (Psammophylax tritaeniatus)
Herald snake (Crotaphopeltis Hotamboeia)
Mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) (Black and Brown please)
Any of the Bush snakes.
Any of the common water snakes.
Any whipsnakes.
Common Egg-eater (Dasypeltis scabra)
Boomslang.
And almost any "common" snake pictures would be welcome.

You can watermark the photos but please "allow" me to use them.

I Know that this is quite a request but I do believe it will be worth it upon completion.

I Have very little access the these kinds of snakes myself so that's why I am asking (cough-begging-cough) anybody on SA reptiles for these photos.


p.s Mamba pics would also be greatly appreciated.

If you are planning on sending me pictures, send them to ggpmuller@gmail.com thank you very much.
Also you can just give me permission to use pics on the forum that have already posted.
If you have any further questions please PM me.

Kind regards, Mamba no 5.

[kfc223]

You can use any shots I posted on the forum and I will email you some more shots.

[Mamba no 5]

Thank you very much.

[Mamba no 5]

Ok, I suppose I can tell you all what the project is:

I Am designing a website that will help people to quickly identify snakes, for example a snake they just found in their garden shed.
The site will work with a search based system that incorporates the use of "tags", every species of snake will have certain "tags" according to their characteristics.
For example: a Cape Cobra have the following tags: hood, aggressive, yellow, black, brown, medium sized, thin, day, night, climbing, ground, arboreal(same as ground but this is for people who could use either), etc.

The reason I didn't want to post this information originally was that some opportunist might try to steal the idea and rush an inferior site.

I Am not doing this for any profit whatsoever and plan to expand the site until it has almost every species in South Africa, including Spiders and Scorpions.

Kind regards Mamba no 5.

[Chopper 1]

Ok, I suppose I can tell you all what the project is:

I Am designing a website that will help people to quickly identify snakes, for example a snake they just found in their garden shed.
The site will work with a search based system that incorporates the use of "tags", every species of snake will have certain "tags" according to their characteristics.
For example: a Cape Cobra have the following tags: hood, aggressive, yellow, black, brown, medium sized, thin, day, night, climbing, ground, arboreal(same as ground but this is for people who could use either), etc.

The reason I didn't want to post this information originally was that some opportunist might try to steal the idea and rush an inferior site.

I Am not doing this for any profit whatsoever and plan to expand the site until it has almost every species in South Africa, including Spiders and Scorpions.

Kind regards Mamba no 5.

Great idea, BUT you will need someone with PLENTY of first hand experience to assist you as there are so many variants in snakes that your idea will not work without pro help Bushviper or any one of the guys who have been in this game for 20 years plus will do!!! I can help you to an extent (time restraint) via emails..

Good luck

[Mamba no 5]

Thank you very much for the offer and I will most likely take you up on it.
But I think I can handle to first 20 odd species just to get the site going.

Remember no one can design a site that will correctly identify every snake in every variation with the description from somebody who doesn't know snakes. So I will be linking SA reptiles to the site should there be an inconclusive identification. Then they can just post the classic "please ID".

Kind regards Mamba no 5.

[Jamster]

Sounds great: ) we have got alnost all those species at our park, including the mambas. Will take specific shots this coming weekend. Maybe also include a section that deals with commonly confused species. Such as green mambas and the harmless green snakes or the confusion between egg eaters and nighties. They may be easy to differentiate between for us, but not for people who don't know what to look for.

Good luck:)

[Mamba no 5]

Good idea, I can link those species to each other with a "Make sure it's not a..." kind of link.

[Bushviper]

Sounds like this could work. If you have enough pictures of each variety of snake I am sure someone can find their snake. The answer is to get as many pictures as possible.

The biggest problem is when they have seen a black shiny snake at night just before it went under the fridge. It could be a number of snakes and unless they actually capture it they will not be sure. This will however possibly help far more people than what it stumps.

Good luck with this.

[pytoxic]

I wonder did you get this to work Mamba?
It would be pretty cool and nice for people who want to know what certain snakes look like.
Thanks
Nic