Mamba mating season is in full swing along the coast

THERE has been an increase in green mamba activity on the coastal side of Marine Drive on the Bluff of recent. This peaked professional snake catcher, Warren Dick’s curiosity to investigate why there were more sightings of mambas in the area.

According to him, autumn and early winter is mamba mating season. While most snakes come together to mate in spring, mambas choose to mate in autumn and lay their eggs in early summer.

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Snakes, specially green mambas, are generally shy and elusive animals that are seldom seen, so why are they more likely to be encountered during mating season?

“Like most creatures, (humans included) when given the opportunity to have coitus, all common sense leaves the mind and before you know it you often find yourself in the path of danger.”

When a female snake comes into oestrus, she has a built in instinct to move over a far distance. While she is on the move, she leaves a scent which tells all the males in her area that she is ready to mate. She basically casts her net far and wide and then it is up to the male to find her, but there is a catch.

Male mambas often cross paths and will engage in combat, but instead of a battle to the death, their combat looks like an elegant well coordinated dance which often looks like mating to the untrained eye. They will often twist around each other forming a koeksister, at the same time pushing each others head to the ground.

The fighting can go on for hours until the one with the least stamina admits defeat and flees the area, leaving the stronger one to continue the search for the female, or be lucky enough to mate with her.

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It was previously thought that female snakes only mate with one male a season, however, through DNA studies, this has proved false. A female can mate with multiple males in one season. Another interesting fact is that a lot of female snake species can retain sperm for the next season if males are hard to come by.

“Unless your house borders a natural area, the chances of you coming across a green or black mamba is very rare. Green mambas spend most of their lives in trees where they feed on birds, while black mambas favour rats. When I am called to capture a black mamba, it is almost always the case that they were there looking for food. I usually find plenty of evidence of rodent activity.”

If you keep your home and garden clean, tidy and rodent free, you don’t have to worry about snakes. For the safe relocation of snakes, call Warren on 072 211 0353.  

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