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Habu Museum Park is another major attraction of Okinawa World. Habu is a venomous pit viper endemic to the Okinawan and Amami islands. There are a number of species.
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Habu Museum Park has an educational museum about the habu, a zoo of habu and other snakes, and a small hall for the habu snake show. First find out what time the next habu show will be.
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Habu zoo.
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The Habu Museum has live habu on display. Nocturnal, so they were sleeping. Habu are venomous vipers in Okinawa.
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Also popular in Okinawa World is the Habu Museum Park and Habu Show. Habu is Okinawa's venomous snake. Habu Theater for the 20-min. habu show a few times/day.
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Okinawa World's Habu show was interesting, but not particularly thrilling. The viper is not like a trained monkey doing tricks for a treat each time. The snake doesn't understand such a concept.
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The trainer explained about the habu while handling it with a hooked pole.
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The habu's rear pair of fangs excrete the venom.
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Habu's nostril, eyes, and pit.
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Habu ready to attack. If you see this pose, run away quick.
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The trainer mentioned that in the past, they had a mongoose and habu snake fight each other in the show. But due to animal rights concerns, it was discontinued. These are only stuffed animals on display in the Habu Museum.The mongoose was introduced to Okinawa in 1910 to control the habu population. But the mongoose instead preyed on other native species.
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Two balloons to irritate the habu.
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The habu didn't care for the white balloon, but went for the green one in a split second. Very dramatic...
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The stage also had two partially filled water tubes for the show's climax (?). This is the Snake and Mongoose Show. Instead of fighting each other, they race in the water.
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In the tubes, it was a swimming race between a mongoose (upper tube) and habu (lower tube). They were both released into their tubes at the same time.
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It was to see which would reach the other end of the tube first. The tubes were about 5 meters long.
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The mongoose immediately and hilariously swam through the tube, winning the race hands down.
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The snake didn't understand it was a race and wandered back and forth in the tube until it finally reached the other end after correctly thinking that it was the way out. So that was the main highlight of the show...
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Also showed a cobra and tried to provoke it to show its expanded neck.
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Habu Museum has many interesting exhibits about the habu. There's also some English.
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Striking reach of the habu is much wider compared to a cobra. It's 360˚ all around. Watch out for it.
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Where habu bites occur. Most common (31.8%) on the fingers, then the calf of your leg. Ouch!
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First-aid for a habu bite. Suck out the venom and spit it out.
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Hooked poles for catching habu. Habu are caught for making Habu-shu liquor.
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Exhibits of different species of habu. This one is from Kumejima island.
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Habu viper from Kumejima.
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Inside Nanto Brewery producing habu-shu liquor. 南都酒造所
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Brewing Habu liquor or habu-shu (ハブ酒) made with awamori or brandy.
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The extract from the snake supposed to be good for you. The snake's venom is somehow neutralized by the alcohol, so it's not poisonous when you drink it.So what do they do with the snake after drinking the habu-shu? Would a bird of prey eat an alcohol-soaked snake?
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