Facts about snakes

LOCAL snake catcher, Warren Dick, aims to educate people about snakes and insects through his weekly articles.

“Through my day-to-day interactions with people I want to share my knowledge and educate people, rather than encourage people in their fear of snakes in order to make money.

Unfortunately, there are some educated people on the topic of snakes that will much rather misinform you in order to keep you in fear, so be careful as to where you get information from,” said Warren.

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Are all snakes dangerous and should they be killed on sight?
“This statement could not be further from the truth. Nine out of 10 snakes that I am called about are totally harmless and perfectly fine to be left in the garden to play their vital role in the ecosystem,” he said.

According to Warren, there are about 175 different snake species found in Southern Africa of which only 18 species have been known to inflict deadly bites, and 23 species cause painful bites. The remaining are harmless. Most snake species are not tolerant of urban sprawl, meaning that if your property is two or three properties or more from a natural area, the chances of encountering a mamba in your garden are very slim. There are 12 common snakes in the Durban South area which are quite easy to identify and tell apart at a quick glance.

The three most common species found in Durban South gardens are all harmless, they are the Spotted Bush snake, Brown House snake and the Herald snake.

The deadly snakes are the Black Mamba, Green Mamba, Mozambique Spitting Cobra and the Twig snake.
The dangerous snakes are the Stiletto snake and the Rhombic Night Adder.

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The harmless snakes are the Spotted Bush snake, Brown House snake, Herald snake, Natal Green snake, Southern Brown Egg Eater and the Wolf snake.

Are snakes cold and slimy?
According to Warren snakes are dry to the touch, however, their shiny scales give them the appearance of being wet.
Snakes are cold-blooded, meaning they rely on outside temperatures for body heat. If you pick up a snake that has been basking in the sun, it is going to feel warm, however, if you pick up a snake on a cold day, the snake will feel cold.

Can a snake’s forked tongue sting you?
“Even though snakes do have nostrils, they do not smell in the same way that we do and for this reason, the forked tongue is used. In fact, most reptiles use a forked tongue for smelling. They will stick their tongue out of their mouth to collect sent particles, the tongue is then brought back into the mouth where it is rubbed on a specially sent organ called the Jacobson’s organ which enables them to detect which way their prey went and even to detect danger. The tongue can in no way sting,” said Warren.

Do snakes live in pairs of family groups?
According to Warren all snakes are solitary animals and all but one species of snake have zero parental instinct. Snakes only come together for mating purposes, for most species this is in spring, but some other species like mambas mate at different times of the year. After mating both male and female will go their separate ways, and after a few weeks, the female will search out a spot where she will lay her eggs, once she has laid her eggs she will move off. After about 60 days, the baby snakes hatch and they also disperse as soon as they can.

Contact Warren on 072 211 0353 to find out more about snakes, spiders or other wildlife.

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