I was deployed to Iraq in 2004 threw 2005. Saddam Hussain collected exotic animals. I mean exotic animals that killed people and he used them to torture citizens and enemies. I was first stationed at his sons hunting palace. Mainly saw huge fish there but have heard stories of different animals they found and had to clear out. Never saw a python there but did see two cobras. One was alive and was a tan color which was 4 to five feet long and the other was a long black snake that was at least 10ft long. It looked dead and was in a shallow stream. I did not get that close to it. The biggest camel spider I saw was in Camp Arifjohn Kuwait. It was the size of my boot. So it was like ten to 12 inches.

This is not a "coralsnake" in that it is not a venomous elapid snake like our US "Coralsnakes". The red next to yellow "rule" 1. only works in the US, except that it only works some of the time in some areas of the US. Some harmless snakes are red/yellow/black and have the red-against -yellow patterns. 2. only works some of the time in the US. Coralsnakes, like all other living species, are variable. I have seen coralsnakes that were almost solid black, had no black pigment at all, or had no yellow bands at all. Color is only reliable for identification if you don't mind being wrong some of the time, and in that case what's the point of the rule?

Harmless Midland Ratsnake (juvenile).

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