FOR snake catchers, summer is their favourite season as the heat brings out snakes.
Professional snake catcher, Warren Dick, said he receives many calls from panicked folks about snakes this time of the year.
Also read: How to ‘survive’ Durban’s snakes in summer
“I receive calls about snakes in homes, gardens, cars or just about anywhere else almost every day. Many residents mistake Green Mambas for the harmless Spotted Bush Snake,” said Warren.
Identification of the Spotted Bush Snake: It is a thin-bodied snake, no thicker than 13mm and averaging a maximum length of 1m. It is green on top with a pale yellow or pearl-white belly with black and sometimes white speckles on the first half of the body and orange around the pupil of the eye.
Favourite food: Tree frogs and geckos.
Habits: The Spotted Bush Snake is without a doubt the most common snake in the Durban area thanks to the availability of geckos. Unfortunately, its fetish for geckos is what attracts the snake to homes. These snakes do not have fangs or venom which makes them completely harmless to humans and pets alike. They are active during daylight hours, favouring escape at the first sign of danger.
Identification of a Green Mamba: Green Mambas are generally thick-bodied, large snakes, averaging more than 1.5m in length. Green Mambas are bright green, top and bottom, with no black spots. They have coffin-shaped heads with grey eye colour.
An interesting fact about the Green Mamba is that they often have a few random yellow scales on their bodies which are unique to each snake and can be used to identify a specific individual.
If you would like to make contact with Warren to get some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified, WhatsApp or call him on 072 211 0353. Visit his Facebook page, Warren’s Small World
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