Snakes

Snakes are generally feared and widely misunderstood. They are often perceived as being cold blooded, slimy and since biblical times have been burdened with the reputation of being evil. Snakes are, however, none of these! Unlike mammals snakes have no internal mechanism or warm body covering for regulating their own body temperature and thus rely on their immediate environment to do so. Their skin is covered in either smooth or keeled scales giving them a smooth or rough texture respectively, which only feels wet if they have been in water.

 

Snakes are definitely more prevalent in warm conditions as they cannot regulate their own body temperature. However activity times depend on the species. Boomslang and Cape cobra tend to be active during the day (diurnal) while puff adders can be active during night and day (nocturnal and diurnal). In early spring snakes are often most active as they look for their first meal after winter and seek out a mate.

 

Contrary to popular belief snakes are not out to get people. Why would a snake attempt to bite something which it has no intention of eating and place itself in a potentially deadly situation? A snake will only bite if it fears for its life and feels that its only chance of escape is to defend itself.

 

 

In the greater Cape Town area there are only six snakes which have venom which are medically important. The most commonly encountered of these are the boomslang, the puff adder and the Cape cobra. Boomslang do not drop from trees and bite people. In fact very few bites have ever been recorded and the majority of these have been snake handlers and collectors. The puff adder is seen to be lazy and sluggish, however, this too, is a misconception. Most snakes tend to flee as quickly as possible in order to avoid detection and conflict but the puff adder instead relies on its excellent camouflage. It does this by lying as still as it can hoping that it will remain unnoticed by the approaching or nearby threat.

 

 

If one gets too close, the puff adder will let out a loud and unmistakable hiss, warning the aggressor to stay away. If one does not heed this warning it may result in a nasty, but avoidable, bite. The last snake commonly encountered is the Cape cobra. This snake will warn an aggressor that it is too close by lifting up to a third of its body off the ground while spreading an impressive hood. If the snake feels that the threat is still too close it may lunge forward to force the aggressor away from it. Once again if these warnings are not heeded, the chances of a bite are likely.

 

 

Although it is the three above that can cause problems, the commonest snake on our trails is the Mole Snake. The young are as short as a few centimetres but they grow to 1.5 metres, and come in various colours, from light brown to dark brown. They are harmless.

 

It is important to remember that no snake wants to bite something it is not going to eat. Encounters with people are both stressful and energy consuming and as a result the snake's primary aim in such a situation is to escape unscathed, with as little energy or precious venom lost as possible. Thus the best course of action to take if you see a snake is to leave it alone, an action the snake will undoubtedly reciprocate. This may sound like a cliche but when it comes to snakes this idea could not be more relevant. People who are afraid of snakes should consider the following annual mortality statistics taken from Sharklife.co.za: Sharks  7 in 25 years, venomous snakes   15, lightning   200, drowning   408, burnt to death   871, road accidents 18 000, smoking   29 000, AIDS   370 000.

 

 

If bitten, the snake bites that require immediate medical attention are those of the boomslang, the puff adder and the Cape cobra. However, being bitten by a snake does not always imply envenomation. In other words snakes are able to control the amounts of venom that they inject when they bite which means that in some cases there may be no venom injected at all. However, every bite should be treated as if it were a lethal dose, and a hospital contacted immediately.

Put one of these numbers in your phone NOW!

 

Poison Unit: Red Cross Hospital   021 689 5227

Groote Schuur Hospital: Casualty   021 404 4141

Tygerberg Hospital: Poison Unit   021 931 6129

Constantia Mediclinic: Casualty   021 799 2087/ 799 2122

 

It is not recommended that you keep your own anti venom. It is expensive and has a relatively short shelf life and wrongly administered may have adverse effects.

 

Courtesy of our new friend Grant Smith from the Heldeberg Nature Reserve who has written a piece for the Club about our legless friends...

For more info email;- rinkhalsrelic@gmail.com