In two trips to Zim I've seen one cobra and I can't remember any others.

In one trip to Namibia we saw a black mamba (PH stepped OVER it, but that's another story), a cobra (saw the same one twice on two different days... PH missed it with is Colt Python... again, another story) and some green tree snake.

Kyler

50 days hunting in Zim and no snakes, which is just fine with me.

JPK

RSA 3 Puff Adders
Zim 1 cobra, we ran over it on the road back to camp.

In Limpopo of RSA one dead 7' Egyptian cobra and a very alive beautiful and chilly horned adder that everyone else stepped across except me, I was last, and saw it.

We didn't see any in Namibia. That was the end of September when it went from darn cold at night right to hot when the sun came up.....nothing in between for snakes to get comfortable in. Several years back when I was participating in a military exercise in Egypt a cobra crawled into the officer's latrine. Needless to say not one of us enlisted guys stuck around long enough to be ordered in to get it out!!

I have actually stood on a puff-adder and lived to tell the tale! That was quite an experience, and even though I have a fascination for and have always kept snakes as pets (mainly brown-house snakes and a herald), I am afraid the adrenaline took over there and I ended up killing it with the 'walking stick' I was carrying! I am one of the few people who will usually swerve to avoid a snake on the road, much to the surprise of others in the car. We have killed venomous snakes, mainly snouted, (formerly Egyptian Naja haje cobras) around the house, because of us (kids) dogs and chickens, otherwise I do not like the indiscriminate killing of snakes.

The location with the puff-adder was in the mountains of Masvingo, just by lake Kyle in Zim. The only reason I was not bitten, is that it was still early on in the morning, and the snake was still cold (late summer) and slow. We were walking down a baboon trail, when I felt something soft under-foot and heard a long, drawn out rough, hollow hiss. Once I looked down, to say that I leapt back was an understatement! It is scary how these snakes can blend in to a bit of grass and leaves! From where we were on the hike, it took 3 hours to get back to civilisation, and would have been about another hour to the hospital, am quite grateful of the pain that I was spared there!

I am one of those crazy people, who if they encounter a snake in the bush, will usually try to catch it (only if it is non or mildly-venomous and only if identification is concrete). During summer months in Africa, you will always happen upon snakes if you spend time in the bush, if you have a good knowledge of snakes, you should not fear them, although, you should never lose respect for them (the venomous ones especially). The only real snakes that scare me are puff-adders and black mambas (and imfezis). I once had to go into a shed to identify a snake (a huge mamba 9-10ft long) that had gone into a shed in Botswana. The scary part, is not knowing what snake it is, but having a good idea of what it might be, took a bit of looking around, before I caught the sight of him sitting quietly looking back at me! I quietly left the room and let him do his stuff! There were no kids in the camp, and he was in a spare room full of spare chairs, etc. He was known amoung the staff though, who knew there was a mamba in camp, so there was no need to call out a shotgun. For those that have hiked in the Chimanimani mountains of Zim, you may well have come across a small, dark, vicious adder, know as the Berg-adder, they are aggressive little sodds, and makes you realise why thick-leather hiking boots are useful!

quote:

Originally posted by CARLOSTHEJACKAL:
In Zim this past september, my friend thought it would be funny to put a rubber snake under my pillow. Needless to say it scared the shit out of me. One day he will pay dearly for that prank.

You gave to me a excelent idea for my next trip, Thanks!!!!

Justifiable homicide in my book. I must admit I am terrified of snakes. Most people have a phobia of some type this just happens to be mine. At the same time however I seem to have a fascination for them even if they give me the willies. So far have come across a couple of boomslangs and one green mamba. No black mambas thank god. The only cobra I ever saw was one spitting cobra that was already dead.

One large fake rubber snake that my "buddy" put under my bed in my tent-still dont think it was funny!

One Large Puff Adder in the Selous

A banded cobra in Naimbia 02, Puff Adder in Naimbia 04 with some mamba at a distance.

STEPPED ON A BLACK MAMBA WITH CLINTON VAN TONDER IN TANZINIA IN SEPT 06. IT WAS SIX FEET LONG-FREAKED ME OUT BEYOND BELIEF. I was wearing snake pants for the snakes that bite from the ground-not the monster known as the black mamba. Saw a green one that day and three more blacks that week. In fact, we drove over an eleven foot one too. I HATED SNAKES BEFORE-NOW EVEN WORST.

A bit off-topic, but still relating to snakes, my Dad also once had quite a rather unpleasant experience with an Egyptian cobra at home, which could have gone horribly wrong. Our maid came screaming into the house, after going to collect eggs from the chicken run, and instead of finding eggs in the nest, found something a little more sinister!

We decided not to subject it to the firing squad, so called the local expert snake-catcher, who I knew very well, who had all the snake sticks, and kit to capture big and nasties like this one. To cut a long story short, the snake decided to run (or rather slide/crawl) instead of fight, and beat a hasty retreat through a small hole in the wall behind the run. Steve, the snake catcher told my Dad to grab it by the tail as he jumped over the wall to deal with the fiesty end.

Well, the next time my Dad looked down, there was and irate cobra with a hood spread hovering just over his hand! He was extremely lucky not to be bitten, and think that due to the often aggressive nature of these snakes, he was very lucky to beat a hasty retreat in time without any complications!

To cut the story short, we got the snake, a big black and yellow banded male, probably just under 7 foot long. He was released safely away in the bush afterwards, after quite an exhillarating capture.

Off topic again, but quite interesting I think, is how our relatives, the primates, hate and fear snakes to the extreme, just like many humans! If you ever have the time for a good laugh, the next time you see pesky vervet monkeys around your camp, get a good, large rubber snake, hide it in a cardboard box, out of their sight, bury it under some sand (or leaves) with fishing gut attached behind it's head.

Remove the box once the snake has been well hidden and place an apple in clear view of the monkeys underneath it. Sit back quite a distance, usually behind a tree or wall, and wait for the fireworks to begin, once the monkeys climb down from the trees to get the apple/banana.

We did this as kids at Chirundu, and just wish that we had a video camera at the time, would have provided for some really good laughs everytime afterwards. I have never heard or seen such panic and pandemonium, as I did when those monkeys discovered the snake bursting out from under their treat in the sand just in front of them! The screams and snake threat calls continued for many minutes afterwards, and we couldnt get them to come down again, but got them again a few days later!

Two black mambas in Tanzania 1995 and another one in South Africa 1999

I have a hard time hating something born with out legs or ears. Sure seems like they are handicapped.

I like snakes and pretty much can't think of a reptile I abhor or even wanted to hunt or kill. But that is just me (and these are my expereinces) and we are all entitled to our opinions!

In Africa I have seen puff adders and spitting cobras plus a few non poisonous species. In the US plenty of rattlesnakes. On my first safari I nearly stepped on a plump puffy, it hissed but that was it, it had no intention other than letting me know it was there. My foot was well within strike range. Puff adders sure make a loud and distinct sound.

I have pet reptiles, one of my lizards will be 22 years old in February. Another is better trained than my dogs. Coincidentally, both are African desert lizards.

In my college days I had a pet Massassaga which is a type of rattlesnake, it was completly tame and eerily aware of life in general. It would sit coiled beneth the base of my room door when I was away to class (you could see it) and once home it would stay under the radiator or coil up in a book case and appear to watch TV. Everyone knew it was there so I never had any break-ins.

Yeah, bizzare but MANY people witnessed this snake and it's behavior. When someone new came into my room, it would crawl over and check them out! I credit that snake to keeping a certain person with ill intent away from me and my meager belongings.

I wish I still had that critter. It was something else.

Of all the people who post here I think none have been bitten by an African snake, or a poisonous one at least. We see them, we know what they are, they are doing a job eating other vermin. If it is venomous just give it space they will avoid you as well.

Ann I'm going to hijack this just a bit but was the lizard a Savannah Monitor? If so I had one and it was meaner 'n hell! I'm impressed with the Massasauga...did you raise it from young??

Nope, my old guy is a Sudan Plated lizard, the other is a big male Mali Uromastyx. Both are very personable and know their names.

The snake was givin to me as a wild caught adult. I am sure it was an odd ball, I certainly don't expect to find another like it again.

Some reptiles do have more social skills than others. Considering their small brains this is surprising. Knowing that, I see the same variation with my laying chickens, some are very friendly, others are not and avoid me. They hatch that way.

I've had some pretty mean Uro's in the past but the social ones are fascinating. I've seen a guy who has a gigantic Nile Monitor that is leash trained and tamer than a rabbit.

quote:

I've seen a guy who has a gigantic Nile Monitor that is leash trained and tamer than a rabbit.

Now THAT would be cool!!

One of my favourite venomous snakes is the Gaboon viper/adder, it is one of the ellusive snakes that I have always wanted to see in the wild, have seen many in captivity, but it is not the same as discovering the real thing in the forest. I went looking for them when I stayed in Chipinge for 2 days, but no such luck after much looking. Has anyone seen these guys maybe any Mozambique die hard Ph's and hunters?

Namibia - One long, thin green snake trying to get into our bathroom while my wife was taking a shower. I thought, Aw hell, this hunt's over. I didn't want to kill it, thought it might be an endangered species. I ran it off with a long stick. Wife calmed down and the rest of the hunt went well.

A couple Kalahari Puff Adders. Its amazing how closely they blend with the dirt and grass.

I wonder how many people have been bitten by a venomous snake in Africa. I have been bitten many times playing with non-veonous serpents, usually when catching or feeding them, but I tend to try cut down on handling venomous ones. I think only something like 15-25 percent of Southern African snakes are venomous, but obviously actual abundance of venomous species can be quite high in some areas relative to non-venomous ones.

It has always been my experience that although you may come across venomous snakes quite frequently in the bush, 99 % of the time they will make a dash for it, unless you corner them in a room with no escape, not a situation to be in when there is a spitting cobra, Cape cobra, or black mamba involved! I have come across all 3 in the bush, but have only seen Cape cobras twicein the Eastern Cape, but have heard that they are much faster than the other cobras, and the most venomous too.

A bite from a mamba a few hours from civilisation is about as serious as things can get in the bush (unless you have loads of antivenom (from what I know, mamba venom laughs at polyvalent antivenom). I remember reading a full report of the few people that have been bitten by mambas (mainly snake handlers, and people trying to kill a snake with conventional weapons) and of the 5 or so cases, most of those that did not receive enough antivenom and/or medical attention in time, usually died inside 5-8 hrs and one case something like 10 hrs. I remember one exceptional case where a person was bitten in the neck (that is how high these snakes can bite, head, torso and neck!) who died inside ten minutes, he was unlucky in that the venom was injected into a major vein, the jugular and obviously hit the heart big time.

I know of 5 people personally that have been bitten by venomous snakes, 2 by night-adders, 2 by puff-adders and one with a black mamba (in 3 of the cases, negligience in terms of snake-handling or entering a cage and not being vigillant was the main reason). The man who was bitten by a mamba, was lucky in that his wife was able to drive him to the hospital, (by the time that the he got to the traffic lights, about 400m down the road, he was already starting to lose consciousness! Then to add complications, they ran out of antivenom at the local hospital, and things were touch and go for a while, before more antivenom was sent in, but he pulled through ok!

Being a person of reasonable intelligence and religious by nature I believe the admonition of the Bible that says the serpent will forever try to bite me on the heel and I will forever try to kill him. I truly hope man is successful in his effort. The only single living thing on earth I am unconditionally afraid of (and that includes man)is a snake. Also there are also NO non-poisonous snakes they are all deadly. Such is the mindset of one who is totally afraid of them. A practical joke on me with a snake be it real or fake would not just result in the loss of whatever friendship there had been but everlasting animosity. Did I say I was afraid of snakes?

Of the 5 cases of people that I know of who have been bitten, the other 2 cases involved were with a night adder (which bit my uncle) and a puff-adder respectively, both at night, involving not seeing the snake and stepping on it. The girl who stepped on the puff-adder had a really nasty time of it. One thing you should never do is walk around at night in flip-flops without a torch, centipedes, solifuges, baboon spiders and scorpions may also be out to get you.

Allen and everyone else, thanks for the pics, quite a huge pair of puffies, looks like a male and female. The male is huge (the extended one, with less dirt on it)!. I wish that I could post some pics, but unfortunately, I only bought a camera and took up photography in the last 2 years, and can only show you grass snakes that I have seen and taken pics of here in the UK (they stink to high heaven by the way once you have caught them), and of 2 captures, one was very docile, the other tried it's best to bite me.

There are only 3 species of snakes here, and only one is venomous, but not really life threatening! I long for the the sights, smells and diversity of the African bush (birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, fish, etc). Every time I see wildlife documentaries on tv of familiar sights, such as Acacia thicket, miombo or mopane woodland and valley bushveld, it just brings back memories big time. I am sure it is not just me. It is strange waking up to the sounds of unfamiliar bird song, but I have become used to it unfortunately. At night in the African bush, it is never quiet, and is something that you take for granted when you leave (it becomes hard to sleep at night at first when there are few frogs, crickets, hyenas, nightjars, etc calling outside).

I am convinced that once you have experienced Africa, it can not be removed from your blood. For those that fear encountering snakes on a hunt, your fear is probably justified, but the excitement of seeing a large mamba or cobra retreating can give you quite a buzz and is far more exciting than seeing no snake at all!

quote:

Originally posted by steve_robinson
One Large Puff Adder in the Selous

What is the striking range of the Puff Adder when it is poised like the one in Steve Robinson's post above?

Namibiahunter

I was told by my PH Geoff Wainwright, that their striking distance is half their body length. I was about 6ft away from the snake when I snaped that pic. The trackers wanted to kill it and Geoff took the axe away from them. I was on the truck and he was yelling at me to get down there! I don't do snakes! But I got close enough to this one.

One hunt, one puff adder. It was an absolutely beautiful juvenile in the thorn west of Otjiwarongo, Namibia, this past May. By the time I got my camera out, it had found a hole, dang it. My PH, Johann Veldsman, said the puff adders may look fat and dumb, but they have one of the fastest strikes in Africa.
Ann: I admire your sang-froid with snakes. I think the mamba, being the only one that might chase a fellow, is the one that gives me the most "creeps."

One South African vine snake "hiding" across a two track in Zimbabwe.

During 6 safaris in RSA and Zim, I never saw a snake.

Last year in late May in Namibia I saw two Egyptian cobras, a spitting cobra and a puff adder..........the weather was still warm

But here in Oz we have the Eastern Taipan which a snake nut has told me is one of the most venomous snakes in the world.....as well as it's much more common cousin the Brown snake!

This guy was the only one I saw:



Poor devil got lost and stuck in the camp one morning...when we returned in the afternoon it was gone - with a litle help from the camp staff - they flushed it out from the hole with boiled bath and decapitate it.

Mouse93, lovely pic of a puffie, pity it was killed though, if it was in camp, it was acceptable, but I still really dont like it when people kill snakes indiscriminately out the bush away from people. There is a good following of the mindset that 'the only snake is a dead snake'.

Most of the people that I have come accross in Africa, will usually kill a snake (if it is small enough, or run from it mostly if it is not). I always feel saddened when there has been a call out of a snake that has been spotted, only to see it and find that it has wass a harmless house, grass or blind-snake that had been blungeoned to death.

The strike distance of the puff-adder being half it's body length is probably a good estimate. They are apparently one of the world's fastest striking snakes! Their fangs aren't too short either, and have been known to go through soft-leather hiking boots (the usual striking target...foot/ankle). I have heard too that with a dedicated strike, their whole body can launch forward with the momentum of the strike. I have had one large female strike at me in a glass cage, which was pretty quick and frightening! They can range so much in temperament though. In captivity, I have come accross some incredibly placid puffies, and others that were absolutely ferocious. They vary so much in colouration and patterns too, even in the same area they can vary considerably from snake to snake, but can vary distinctly too accross major borders and vegetation types, blending in unbelievably well to their respective vegetation types. I have never handled one, as they tend to bite even some of the experienced snake-handlers from time to time (they have a fair amount of loose skin around the head, and can sometimes find enough space to wriggle around and place a fang into a thumb if you are not careful)!

quote:

Originally posted by Gayne C. Young:
I stepped on a yellow cobra in South Africa. I jumped in the air, screaming like a school girl...My PH was very helpful, "We'll never find a good warthog with you screaming like that."

Let him step on it and see what kind of fit he pitches! I don't like snakes, scorpions, rats or spiders.

I haven't seen a snake in Africa yet and don't care to. I have seen some big rats, spiders and scorpions though. I'm a bit squeamish about what crawls around in the thatch roof when the generator shuts down and did not want to know what it was.

I had something eat a tube of antiseptic creme one night sitting beside my pillow. Now what would do that and make it back to their hidey hole? Nasty.

this year in matetsi, in July, I saw more snakes that in all my trips to africa. Saw 3 cobras ( one charged us) and the puff adder
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/matetsi/P1010094.jpg

This whole season...

A Black Mamba in March
A Python and Green Mamba in May
A pretty much harmless Bicoloured Quill snouted Snake in July

And a Mozambique Spitting Cobra end of October of which I posted a report in the hunting reports section Walker the Brave

Save the last one none of the snakes posed any kind of threat to me or my clients.

It's not at all uncommon to see snakes in Africa and of every varity..I have had a couple of close calls with the Black Mamba, have seen the others of all types in the Selous and other parts of Tanzania, in Zimbabwe, RSA, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique to name a few..

I have seen rattlesnakes, coral snakes, water mocs and others in the USA...

I don't concern myself about snakes, they seldom bother you and mostly are trying to get away..but like anything else that is a potential danger, keep your head out where the sun shines and see them before they see you. In Africa I assure you that your trackers will see them before you do and you will be forewarned.

As far as I know the Black/Green Mamba is the only one that will actually chase you at times, but rarely will he do this...

quote:

Originally posted by Gayne C. Young:
I stepped on a yellow cobra in South Africa. I jumped in the air, screaming like a school girl.

Luckily, it was very cool and the snake was sluggish. My PH was very helpful, "We'll never find a good warthog with you screaming like that."

A mate of mine did the same thing here in Oz, he's not a small boy and he must of lifted 3 feet in the air after nearly walking on a big brownie.................

Blair338/378, I am sure that most people would scream like a girl if they stood on a large king brown! Auz has some really scary snakes, I cant remember of the ten most venomous snakes in the world how many come from Australia, something like all ten or something silly like that! It must have been quite a mean Elapid ancestor that made it onto the island in the first place that radiated into such a diversity of hectically venomous species! I remember seeing that guy who has a show on tv, can't remember his name (not Steve Irwin, the other guy) who got bitten by a tiny death-adder that they thought was a new species or sub-species at least. He didnt even know he had been bitten until he went into a really bad state and he was not looking at all happy in hospital. Having seen the snake, I don't think it could have been more than a foot long and thicker than the average finger!

2 cobras..
1 vine snake...
1 adder..
1 python of some type.., 10-12' long wrapped around the porcelain toilet bowl.