Nagini?

[richter_kuymal]

No: HPFGUIDX 146182


Sonja wrote:
> <snip> Nagini is a viper, and based on the description (diamond
> pattern and about twelve feet long) is probably a type of King 
> Cobra. According to my sources that species is the longest known 
> viper:
>
> http://www.szgdocent.org/resource/rr/c-cking.htm

Carol responds: 
> <snip> I also agree that she's a viper, probably more than 
> ordinarily poisonous <snip>. Somewhere (is it in HBP?) she's 
> described as being a "venomous green," which struck me as I 
> read it as resembling both the basilisk in CoS (also deadly 
> and magical) and the Avada Kedavra curse. That doesn't match 
> well with the diamond pattern described in (IIRC) the first 
> chapter of GoF,


PAR writes: 
Ah, but it could. There IS a snake that fits the diamond pattern, 
the venomous green, AND the deadly viper role in RL.  It's the 
snake known as the "Mohave green" a large, highly aggressive 
Rattlesnake native to the western deserts of the United States. 

http://www.wildherps.com/species/C.scutulatus.html
http://www.vtc.net/~buffalo/mojave.html
http://www.digitalprocessing.net/gallery/026snake.jpg

NO the JPG is NOT a bad photo. The snakes actually CAN come in 
that vivid a green color. They are considered one of the most 
dangerous of the rattlesnakes because of their extreme toxic 
venom. And they don't always "rattle".  A magical version of 
such a snake would be deadly indeed.  Perhaps JKR saw a photo 
of one in "most venomous snakes".

PAR who lives in an area where these snakes can be found.