Snake charming charmers may also use Russell's vipers. Indian and Burmese pythons, and even mangrove snakes are also encountered, though they are not as popular. In North Africa, the Egyptian cobra, puff adder, carpet viper and horned desert viper are commonly featured in performances. Except for the pythons and mangrove snakes, all of these species are highly venomous. At home, snake charmers keep their animals in containers such as baskets, boxes, pots, or sacks. For safety, some North African snake charmers stitch closed the mouth of their performing snakes, leaving just enough opening for the animal to be able to move its
Banded water snake Banded water snake The banded water snake or southern water snake ("Nerodia fasciata") is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake endemic to the central and southeastern United States. It is found from Indiana, south to Louisiana and east to Florida. Adults of the banded water snake measures from in total length, with a record size (in the Florida subspecies) of in total length. In one study of the species, the average body mass of adult snakes was . It is typically gray, greenish-gray, or brown in color, with dark crossbanding. Many specimens are so dark in color that