What you don’t know, can kill you…
South Africa is said to have more than 150 species of snakes, and I am terrified of every single one of them, writes Laurie Smith
SOUTH AFRICA is said to have more than 150 species of snakes, and I am terrified of every single one of them.
Just to put this into perspective, I’ve managed to type most of this article through the gaps in my fingers, and I am not afraid to admit that,
a) I shrieked at every single photo used in the research of this article, and;
b) I will most definitely be asking a male adult to check my cupboard before I go to sleep tonight.
But I must remain realistic and educate myself about these creatures, with regular reminders about their habitat (NOT my cupboard) and what to do in the case that someone I love was bitten by one of Satan’s creatures.
It is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa, second only to the Mamba.
• In color the snake is slate to olive grey, olive or tawny brown above, with some or all scales black-edging.
• Below, salmon pink to purple yellowish, with black bars across the neck and ventrals speckled or edged with brown or black.
• Young specimens sometimes have pink or yellow bars on the throat.
• Like the Rinkhals, it can spit its venom. Its bite causes severe local tissue destruction (similar to that of the puff adder). Venom to the eyes can also cause impaired vision or blindness.
• This snake is a nervous and highly strung snake. When confronted at close quarters this snake can rear up to as much as two-thirds of its length, spread its long narrow hood and will readily spit in defence, usually from a reared-up position.
* To appease the snake lovers out there, I do not kill snakes for fun, and I think they are fantastic when they are living happily deep in the bush with their other slithering family members. In fact, a friend has a pet snake that I can now be on the same property on without weeping like an infant.
We are making progress.
Types of venomous snake bites
Cobras and mambas: inject Neurotoxic venom which will affect the nervous system and cause initial muscle weakness, blurred vision, difficulty in swallowing and breathing and eventually paralysis.
Adders: inject Cytotoxic venom which will cause massive swelling and bruising to the area that was bitten, and could eventually burst the skin open.
• Is a venomous snake related to the highly dangerous Black Mamba.
• This mamba is less aggressive and smaller than the Black Mamba. They average around 6 feet.
• Though the Green Mamba’s venom is significantly less toxic than their cousins’, a single bite could still certainly be fatal to a human.
• Green Mambas are highly arboreal and almost never touch the ground.
• They are generally found in south-eastern Africa.
• Like their name, Green Mambas are a lovely grass green color, but yellow when born.
Boomslang and Vine snakes: inject Haemotoxic venom which destroys the platelets in the blood and causes major internal bleeding in the lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and so on. Blood will also leak out of all orifices in your body, including minor wounds and bruises.
Berg Adders are highly dangerous as they inject both Neurotoxic and Cytotoxic venom into you.
• When distressed this spitting snake spreads its hood, showing its distinctive striped neck, and can spray venom up to 2.5m. It is also known to fake death by rolling onto its
back with its mouth agape.
• The Rinkhals has eclectic tastes. Its main prey are toads, but it also eats small mammals, reptiles and other amphibians.
• The Rinkhal only hunts at night because it hides from the sun during the day.
• It generally aims its venom at the face. If the venom enters the eyes it causes great pain.
• Symptoms of a bite include swelling/bruising, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, violent abdominal pain, cramps and vertigo, or dizziness
Different snake venoms
• Neurotoxic venom – Cobras and Mambas: attacks the central nervous system, and starts to affect movement, breathing, swallowing, speech and sight.
• Haematoxic venom – Boomslang: affects the blood by using up the clotting factors so it no longer coagulates, leading to extensive blood loss into the tissues.
• Cytotoxic venom – Puff Adders: attacks the body cells or tissues. This bite is extremely painful, with much swelling and marked symptoms of shock.
• Myotoxic venom – sea snakes: attacks the muscles and can lead to death from kidney and heart failure.
• Considered to be Africa’s deadliest snake because it is responsible for the most human fatalities.
• Puff Adders reach an average length of around 1 meter, and they’re solidly built with a wide girth.
• Colour patterns vary depending on where they live. Their habitats extend throughout Africa except for dense rain forests and deserts.
• The Puff Adder has large fangs and its venom is powerful enough to kill a grown man with a single bite.
• Puff Adders rely on camouflage for protection and lie still if approached. Because of this, people tend to step on them and get bitten.
• Many fatalities occur because bites are not treated correctly, leading to infection and gangrene.
Someone has been bitten: what NOT to do
Panic and run around as this will increase the blood circulation and transport the venom quicker around the body.
Do not make a tourniquet (this means to tie a cloth tightly around the arm or leg) as this will destroy the tissue of the arm or leg below it and it might have to be amputated later, as well as concentrate the venom (if it was a venomous bite) in the area and kill that body part off quicker.
Do not cut and try to suck out the venom as we see them do in cowboy movies, as the venom will still get absorbed into your blood stream through your gums and cheeks.
Don’t give the victim anything to eat or drink, especially alcohol, or use potassium permanganate crystals or solution near or on the bite wound.
Never use soapy water round the bite wound, or leave pressure bandages on too long.
Don’t leave the victim alone, or apply ice to the wound.
• Has the longest fangs and the highest venom yield of any venomous snake in the world.
• Gaboon Vipers can be found in West, Central and parts of East Africa, they prefer forested areas.
• Adults reach an average length of around 5 feet.
• While the Gaboon Viper delivers a huge dose of venom, the venom is not as toxic as some of the other snakes on this list. A single bite could kill a man however.
• Gaboon Vipers are very interesting looking snakes with a huge triangular shaped heads and pretty black, brown and pink markings.
• Gaboon Vipers are quite passive and rarely bite unless provoked or stepped on (even then they don’t always bite).
What you SHOULD do
Loosen the clothing, pressure the patient, and keep him calm and quiet.
Do dress the wound with a bandage and keep it cool (in the shade). This will stop your blood vessels dilating and decrease the blood flow in that area.
Do watch the patient carefully. If he or she loses consciousness, apply the ABCs:
A – Airways: tilt the neck backwards to get the tongue away from the back of the throat and stop the patient from choking on it. Do not put a blanket or anything under the person’s head.
B – Breathing: look, listen and feel to check if the patient is still breathing. If he or she has stopped breathing, give one breath every five seconds.
C – Circulation, check the pulse in his or her neck, on either side of the windpipe, or listen for a heartbeat by putting your ear next to the chest.
Once the situation has been assessed, then get help as quickly as possible. The bitten person would need to get to hospital as soon as possible.
• An extraordinarily dangerous snake found in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Human fatalities are rare, since this snake is very timid, but spectacular.
• It’s venom is haemotoxic, which means that it affects the body’s natural blood clotting mechanism resulting in the bleeding of the internal organs.
• Sometimes it can take as long as 24 hours before the symptoms of the venom can be felt or seen. Once it gets to work however, a person can bleed to death from every orifice.
• The Boomslang is a tree-dwelling snake (Boomslang means ‘tree snake’ in Afrikaans).
• Females are brown, and males are light green with black highlights.
• The Boomslang reaches an average length of 5 feet. Its fangs are at the back of its head.
Protect and educate yourself
Avoiding a snake bite starts with education and protection.
Most snakes cannot identify motionless objects, so it is best to stand perfectly still if a snake is encountered.
• The coloring is simalar to that of a twig – grey-brown with a lighter abdomen, and they are very long and thin, averaging about 1m in length.
• The head is elongated, with large eyes and horizontal pupils.
• The venom causes disabling of the clotting process, leading to internal and external bleeding.
• No antidote to a bite by this snake is available in South Africa.
• Though the actual bite is rather small, it will likely bleed copiously as the blood clotting mechanism becomes affected.
Wait until the snake relaxes, and it will usually move off on its own accord.
If you work outdoors, or are travelling in the bush or forest, always wear suitable protective clothing such as boots and long trousers, which can prevent a serious snake bite
• Source: Jeanine Burger (Pri.Sci.Nat.;SIE & ES) – Senior Environmental Advisor, Eskom
• One of Africa’s most dangerous snakes.
• It’s aggressive when cornered and will not hesitate to strike.
• It can reach speeds of up to 20 km/ph.
• It’s the largest venomous snake in Africa with adults reaching an average of 8 feet in length (2.5m).
• Black Mamba’s are not black at all, but brown/olive skinned. Their mouths are inky black which they show when threatened.
• Black Mambas live in savanna, scrub, tree hollows, and sometimes people’s homes.
• If a Black Mamba encounters prey it can strike up to 12 times, each time delivering enough neuro and cardio-toxic venom to kill a dozen men within 1 hour.
• Without anti-venom, the mortality rate is 100%
• Source: Jeanine Burger (Pri.Sci.Nat.;SIE & ES) – Senior Environmental Advisor, Eskom
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