Is that an black mamba?

http://www.google.com/search?q...les%252F%3B900%3B462

If I look at this link, I would say "YES".
The black mamba is often dark-silber.

It was last year in N.
I climbt up an old machan, on an hyena-spot. I look dirketly, in the near of my head, face to face, in her (I think black) mouth.

She make an noise: "zzzzzzz", I rooled my head like in boxing lessons and jump away...

I think she dont bite, because she would have no underground, she feeled, that she falled 5 meter down...
Maybe this was my luck...

Not sure what type of snake, But he is close enough for a well placed shot

Not sure either but, it's way too close for comfort!

Rick, the rubber one I got for you bed is way more realistic-looking that that one :-)

Jon,
You are so damned considerate...... You'll probably have to pay for overweight luggage if you bring it so just the thought is enough!

Not sure but it looks like a female boomslang to me.

All snakes in "my" Africa are mambas (regardless of color, length, shape, or size) and all are considered to be armed and deadly until ground checked.

Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out works for me... sorry, snakes

Yes it is a Black Mamba

quote:

Originally posted by Leopardtrack:
Yes it is a Black Mamba

Without a shadow of doubt!

No, it's not.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunshine:
No, it's not.

Herman,

You are absolutely right, its just a common mole snake, totally harmless.

This one must be pretending to be a mamba

quote:

Originally posted by Sunshine:
No, it's not.

Put your hand near it then

Here I send you some more fotos of the machan. I was exactly at one high with my head, eyes to snake...

Coffin shape head would confirm that it is a mamba.

Looks like a Mamba to me. Whatever it is would be dead upon seeing it.

Mamba.

I had this join me in a bow blind in Botswana.

Damn Tom. That must have added a little excitement to the afternoon.

Sure would have caused an un-enticing smell eminating from the ground blind if it had been me.....

Too many stories of snakes and blinds.

I've gotta say I simply fail to understand the oh so common compulsion so many people feel to kill snakes at every opportunity.

To me snakes are doing what snakes do and we're the intruder in their environment so we should try to leave them in peace...... I can perhaps understand killing them if they come into the house or camp (if there's no other way) but other than that I reckon it's sheer bloody ignorance to kill them anywhere else....... all you need to do is give them the chance to bug out and 99.9% of the time, they'll do just that.... and that (despite popular claims) includes mambas....

I have found that dead mambas in the field seldom have a chance to find their way into camp to become a potential problem.

I generally agree with you Steve...that being if you would have wanted to hang out and leave this one in his place in the only doorway to a small blind I would have let you...and promptly jumped over you body to get out of the blind.

Tom

I'd have backed out and given him 10 minutes to voetsak and he almost certainly would have done so.

Opus

That attitude might well boost your ego but in truth, you're needlessly destroying one of the very things you visit Africa for.

Backed out where....? He was dangling over the door about to drop in the blind on my shoulders.

quote:

Originally posted by Hunting For Adventure:
Backed out where....? He was dangling over the door about to drop in the blind on my shoulders.

Mate, any blind has 101 snake sized entry/exit holes & although you might not know it, if you had time to nail him, you easily had time to bale out and give him time to bug out.

999.99% of the time, there's no need whatsoever to kill a snake.

It's all about knowing how to deal with the situation.

I know we're talking about poisonous snakes in Africa, but here in the States a common mantra seems to be, "The only good snake is a dead snake."

Actually, the saying ought to be, "the only snake that should be killed is a poisonous snake."

Non-poisonous snakes are really quite advantageous, as they eat things we don't like: bugs, mice, rats, vermin of all sorts, and in some cases, other snakes--the BAD kind.

Here in Georgia it is against the law to kill a non-poisonous snake.

I like to see our local snakes around the house, as living out in the country and keeping chickens attracts mice and rats and other undesirable forms of life.

Our common rat snakes are prolific and do yeoman's work keeping down the mice population.

We also have the eastern king snake, a real prize because, as the name implies, they are indeed the king of snakes, their claim to fame being an apparent immunity to poisonous snake venom--they eat other snakes and have an affinity for cottonmouths, copperheads, water moccasins and rattlesnakes. A constrictor, the king snake throttles its snake victim and swallows it whole.

So, while it's somewhat natural to be frightened and wary of snakes in general, it's only the few really dangerous ones that deserve to be dispatched on sight.

Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.

If I see a snake, he is officially in my territory and must be exterminated. They are evil, soulless creatures that I refuse to share space with.

How many times have you heard about all the snakes in heaven -- NEVER -- they are all in Hell where they belong.

it is that remaining .01% which gives me reason to kill them 100.00% of the time.

Once had a 4ft rattlesnake come into my 5ft wide pop up blind, while archery antelope hunting.

There was some interesting dancing going on for awhile!

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

quote:

Originally posted by Hunting For Adventure:
Backed out where....? He was dangling over the door about to drop in the blind on my shoulders.

Mate, any blind has 101 snake sized entry/exit holes & although you might not know it, if you had time to nail him, you easily had time to bale out and give him time to bug out.

999.99% of the time, there's no need whatsoever to kill a snake.

It's all about knowing how to deal with the situation.

Shakari is correct, of course, both politically and otherwise.

Back when I used to bowhunt and utilize hides/blinds, I've hunted with snakes in the blind. On one occasion, we helped a horned adder out of a pit blind with sticks that were a bit too short for my taste, but he was pretty docile and thankful to be out of there. On another, I sat most of the day with a boomslang in the overhead, but they are rear-fanged and while I kept an eye on him, he sat tight. The most interesting was the python in the pit blind. Since they are not venomous, I didn't worry much. What I didn't count on was the honey badger who tracked him to the blind and tried to come in the front window. The honey badger retreated after a slap across the head with a cap, but he came back overnight and trashed the blind.

Thankfully, I'm over bow hunting and blinds. I agree with Shakari about leaving snakes alone -- unless they are in camp, in which case, I'm afraid I'd have to dispatch it.