Snake tales: Did I just see a Green Mamba in my garden?

I OFTEN receive calls for ‘suspected’ Green Mambas almost daily. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are not Green Mambas. People seem to fear the worst when they see a green snake, worrying that it’s a mamba or Boomslang. But most of the time, you have nothing to worry about. I hope this article helps you out.

Do we even get Green Mambas in the Highway area? No. Not naturally anyway. The odd ones do turn up in unusual areas, but these are hitchhikers, who crawl into a car engine of someone who’s travelled to the south or north coast, where these snakes occur. But this is rare. The chance of you returning home from the coast are next to none, so please don’t let that thought get you anxious.

Green Mambas are restricted to the coastal forests of KZN, and do not venture far inland. They tend to be seen in forests and gardens from Umhlanga northwards, and are quite common down the south coast as well.

Habitat destruction is a major threat to them, and further limits their range, making this species listed as Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. They are also often caught and sold by a few snake collectors, which is denting their numbers even more.

How do I identify a Green Mamba? Green Mambas get quite large, reaching lengths of two meters or more, and are also quite thick snakes. They are a beautiful emerald-green colour, both on top and underneath. They also have a cheeky grin, but don’t get too close to catch a glimpse of it. They are not aggressive snakes at all, and just like the Black Mamba, they’ll always try to get away rather than bite.

A Green Mambas bite can be fatal, but with urgent hospitalisation, one can make a full recovery. So don’t tempt one. Fortunately, bites are rare, which is probably due to the fact that they spend most of their time in the treetops.

What about Boomslang? Do we get them in the Highway area? Yes, this highly venomous species does occur in the area, but mostly in the upper Highway area. Please refer back to our article, ‘The Colours of Boomslang’, which was published back in May. You can read it via the Highway Mail website.

What green snake am I likely to see then? By far the most common snake species in the greater Durban area- the Spotted Bush Snake. It is often referred to as the Variegated Bush Snake, garden snake, and grass snake. It is completely harmless, and cannot harm you, a child, or a pet. Still, this does not mean that you should pick them up.

Unlike the Green Mamba, it has black spots going half-way down the body, and is very thin, with a pale yellow belly. They too are very pretty. There are two very similar species to the Bush Snake, which look almost identical except that they lack the spots (Green Water Snake and Natal Green Snake).

The Spotted Bush Snake is definitely the green snake that you’re most likely to see in your garden. (see September’s article about this species for more info, again, on the Highway Mail website).

For snake rescues and removals around the greater Durban area, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806. For educational work, you can email him atnickevanskzn@gmail.com.