This Malayan Racer (Coloegnathus flavolineata) photo was sent in by Camille Lemmens from the IDCThailand.net dive shop in Koh Samui, in Suratthani Province.

Malayan racers are similar to the Copperheaded Racer snakes in Thailand, but they are darker and they don't have the nasty attitude. They don't often strike, and they can be hand-held usually without any problems. If one knows how to handhold a snake.

Best way to hand hold a snake? Put your hand or arm under it's mid body and lift up. It thinks you are a tree.

The wrong way to hand-hold a snake is to grab it's tail or mid body clenched between your fingers – it will take that as aggression and may strike.

Please don't generalize this to all snakes… some snakes should…