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 kukri snake Banded kukri snake The common kukri snake or banded kukri, Oligodon arnensis, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid found in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and Nepal. The nasal scale is divided; the portion of rostral seen from above is as long as its distance from the frontal or a little shorter; the suture between the internasals is usually nearly as long as that between the prefrontals. The frontal is as long as its distance from the end of the snout or a little shorter, and a little shorter than the parietals. The loreal, if distinct, is longer than