SNAKES OF THE WESTERN CAPE. The Western Cape covers approximately 129 462 km² and is home to forty-one species of snakes, twelve are venomous and bites are considered medical emergencies, nine are venomous but not considered dangerous and nineteen species are non-venomous.
Snakes Of Cape Town While the western cape is only home to around 42 species of snakes of which most are completely harmless and only half a dozen or so are considered to be dangerous and capable of inflicting a bite which would require serious medical attention. With Cape Town being surrounded by wide open […]
SNAKES AND THEIR FANG STRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA. The different species of venomous snakes have different fang structures, venom types and different delivery methods to inject their venom. The delivery methods and fang structures depend on various factors such as habits, prey and the environment where the snake lives. Essentially fangs are modified teeth and […]
Rhombic Night Adder and Rhombic Egg Eater. How to tell the differences between these two common and often misidentified snakes. Rhombic Night Adder – Causus rhombeatus These venomous snakes bite a lot of people, typically who underestimate their demeanour and venom potency. Being mostly active during the day, a short robust snake (average 50-60cm) which […]
A Guide To The Cobras Of South Africa. There are 5 species of true cobras of the genus Naja that are found in South Africa, of these 5 species only two are capable of spitting or spraying their venom. SNOUTED COBRA – NAJA ANNULIFERA BROWN FOREST COBRA – NAJA SUBFULVA MOZAMBIQUE SPITTING COBRA – NAJA […]
Part Three This is the third instalment of a four part trip to Namaqualand road trip you can catch the second part here. This narrative starts off as Andries and I leave Springbok and head towards the West Coast. DAY 6 Springbok to McDougalls Bay Bay via Port Nolloth. We left the sweltering heat and dry heat […]
Part Two This is the second part of a four part trip to Namaqualand you can catch the first instillment here. This part details my time in Springbok with good fried Adries Cilliers as we travel around Spingbok and surrounds searching for reptiles. DAY 4 Augrabies Falls National Park To Spingbok I made the 2.5 hour […]
St Lucia Awaits. While I’ve been through to St Lucia several times this summer already I made a beeline to join good friend Theo Busschau and Lindsay in St Lucia over the weekend in early December while he was making his way back from Stellenbosch in the Western Cape to Nelspruit. I left Durban late Friday […]
Commonly Confused Snakes That You Should Get To Know In South Africa To Avoid Being Bitten! There are countless snakes picked up and handled by the public and amateur snake handlers daily across South Africa and Africa. Most of these encounters are fortunately harmless/mildly venomous snakes but a small percentage of these snakes are venomous and […]
The Green Snakes Of Durban and Kwa-Zulu Natal If you’ve seen a thin green snake in your garden in Kwa Zulu Natal chances are it’s NOT a Green Mamba or Boomslang, but rather of one the four harmless green snakes. Including the 6 green snakes there are eighty-three different types of snakes found in Kwa-Zulu […]