Iguana 12.1


Venomous snakes can be lethal. Unfortunately, many of us
forget that even some non-venomous snakes usually con-

sidered to be harmless can, in fact, be very dangerous. Accidents
with large boas and anacondas (especially the latter) can be nasty
and potentially life threatening. One of my jobs has been to
catch anacondas and show them to tourists. Over time, one gets
to know (or believes that one knows) these animals, and one
develops tricks to avoid bites. Sadly, in certain situations, even
with a lot of care, accidents can happen. When they do, one
does not quickly forget an anaconda bite. These massive animals
live in water, and their mouths and saliva are full of bacteria.
Even a relatively inoffensive bite from a baby anaconda can
quickly become infected and produce a lot of pain, and the bite
of an adult is another matter entirely!

Another snake that can be really aggressive and potentially
dangerous is the Common Savanna Racer, Chironius carinatus.
These snakes usually are encountered crossing roads, along
paths, on beaches, or along rivers in bushes. I’ve been bitten by
more than just a few. Bites are very bloody, but usually no deeper
than a cat scratch. On those (unfortunately frequent) occasions
when I have been bitten while capturing one of these aggressive

snakes, I take advantage of the opportunity to show people that
they are non-venomous and pose little danger — until now…

I have had two previous encounters with Chironius attack-
ing my face, in the rainforests of the Guiana Shield. On the first
occasion, I was handling a Chironius fuscus in front of a group
of gold miners, with the intent of showing them that it was
“harmless.” I let go of its neck for only a second and it immedi-
ately attacked my nose. At the time, I thought it was funny, but
some of the garimpeiros almost died of heart attacks! The sec-
ond time, I had seen a large, red C. scurrulus crossing a forest
path. I ran and caught it by the tail — and the next view I had
was the open mouth approaching my face at an amazing speed.
I immediately released the snake and luckily avoided a bite.

Neither of those episodes was anything like my most recent
encounter with a Chironius in Los Llanos. Rather than provid-
ing an amusing tale, that experience was quite serious. I had seen
the tail of a big C. carinatus disappearing into a pile of dead logs
along the bank of the Apure River. I grabbed the tail and was
showing the snake to a group of tourists before securing its neck
— big mistake! I never would have imagined that its tail was
strong enough to support its entire body, nor that an apparently
panicked snake could effectively identify a particular target. I
had considered the two previous attacks to my face as coinci-
dental, mainly because bites resulting from handling these
snakes at serpentariums were directed at my hands and arms, but
I now realize that was due to the fact that only a small portion
of the total length of those animals was free.

I now believe that Chironius attacks the face strategically.
With at least 1.40 m of the animal’s total 1.60 m free, it had the
potential to reach my face — and it did! It twice attacked the
same eye, and after that my side and my arm, all in the few sec-
onds before I finally secured its neck. Of course, I closed my eye,
and that saved my sight. Even so, the bite was frighteningly
effective. If Chironius had longer teeth, such as those of an ana-
conda or a treeboa, they would have easily penetrated the eyelid
and severely damaged my eye. I was extremely fortunate not to
lose the eye, and I can only hope that I will be far more cautious
the next time I handle a monster Chironius!

Chironius Attack!
César Luis Barrio Amorós

Fundación AndígenA, Apdo. Postal 210, Mérida 5101-A, Estado Mérida, Venezuela (cesarlba@yahoo.com)

IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2005 23CHIRONIUS

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All Savanna Racers, like this Venezuelan Chironius carinatus, are quick,
aggressive snakes that bite readily when handled. Photograph by the author.

The author with the Chironius carinatus that attacked his face.
Photograph courtesy of Arassari Trek/Fundación AndígenA.