Snakes indigenes to Limpopo Province

Prepared by HSE Department

How to identify a snake

Harmless or nonnon-venomous snakes have only
solid teeth these may be in the upper jaw only
the lower jaw or both jaws
Moderately poisonous snakes not only has
solid teeth,
teeth but one or more pairs of grooved
fangs
Extremely poisonous consists of the front
front-fanged snakes their long poison fangs being
near, or at the front of the upper jaws

Snake Venom
Neurotoxin venom - attacks the central nervous system, and starts to
affect movement, breathing, swallowing, speech and sight.
Haematoxic venom - affects the blood, using up the clotting factors
so that the blood no longer coagulates and there is extensive blood
loss into the tissues.
Cytotoxic venom - attacks the body cells or tissues, and a bite is
extremely painful, with much swelling and marked symptoms of
shock.
Myotoxic venom - attacks the muscles and in some cases can lead to
death from kidney and heart failure.

Bite Patterns and symptoms

Adders and Vipers has generally two puncture marks at the site of the bite
Bite causes instant pain with immediate swelling, bruising and blistering
Symptoms can include nausea and dizziness
Immobilise the limb but do not restrict the blood flow
Mambas and Cobras has generally two puncture wounds at the site of the bite
Bite can feel more like a sting and there is little or no bruising and swelling
Symptoms include feeling confused, dizziness, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and breathing
Immobilise the limb and do restrict blood flow between the bite and the heart administer CPR until Medical
help is available
Boomslang and Vine snakes has sometimes puncture wounds can be seen at site of the bite
Bite is generally not very painful but within one hour copious bleeding is likely to occur from the bite wound
and any other wounds cuts or scratches the victim may have
Symptoms can include a severe headache, nausea and vomiting
Whilst it is helpful to restrict the blood and lymphatic flow it is important not to cause bruising as this could
lead to subsequent bleeding under the skin
If venom is spat in to a persons eyes use any liquid available, preferably a neutral one such as water or milk
but anything at all will do - and flush out the eye.

First Aid/ Dos and Don'ts

DO:

Try to identify the snake; colour, size, shape of head, attacking method are all useful

Loosen the Victims clothing and, if necessary, move them in to the shade

Keep the victim calm and still; movement will increase blood flow and transport the venom to the heart
much faster

Immobilise the limb but do NOT restrict blood flow unless you are certain the bite was from a snake that
delivers neurotoxic venom

Clean and dress the wound being careful not to apply pressure and cause bruising

Be prepared to administer CPR if necessary

Get the victim to a hospital as soon as possible

DO NOT:

While there can be differences of opinion as to what we should do for snake bites the consensus of
opinion as to what not to do is reasonably consistent:

Allow the victim to exercise or stress themselves

Cut the bite or attempt to suck the venom out

Give the victim anything to eat or drink especially alcohol

Use potassium permanganate crystals or solution near or on the bite wound

Use soapy water round the bite wound

Leave pressure bandages on too long

Leave the victim alone

Apply ice to the wound

Soak the affected limb in any solutions

Harmless Snakes

Delalndes Beaked Blind Snake

Distants Tread Snake
Brown House Snake
Mole Snake
Two-striped Shovel Snout
Cape File Snake
Black File Snake
Spotted Bush Snake
Green Water Snake
Common Egg Eater
Cape Wolf Snake
Southern African Python

Delalande's Beaked Blind Snake

Description
A very smooth-scaled snake with a blunt head that is not distinct from the body.
It has minute eyes and a very short, bluntly rounded tail.
Colour varies from a pinkish grey to a plain brown.

Distant's Thread Snake

Description:
A very small, slender, brown to black snake, with a
very small, blunt head and minute eyes.
The tail is very short and has a blunt tip.

Brown House Snake

Description
A slender brown snake with two distinctive pale
stripes above the eyes

Mole Snake
Description
A large, thickset snake with a pointed head that has a noticeably long, sharp snout.
It has several variations in colour from beige to pitch black.
Juveniles are very differently coloured, they have a beige background with a row of
brown spots down each side and a wavy dorsal strip and the eyes have a red iris.

Two-striped Shovel Snout

No information could be found

Cape File Snake

Description
Their prehistoric appearance, unusual scales and triangular
cross-section sets them apart from other snakes thus
adding to their appeal.

Black File Snake

Description
The body varies from grey to almost black and there
are indistinct cross bands present, these bands are
not particularly obvious on the belly.

Spotted Bush Snake

Description
A very slender snake with a flat, distinct head and a long tail.
The body is bright green to olive, usually with dark spots on the bars
on the forebody, becoming grey-bronze towards the rear.
The head is green or blue-green.

Green Water Snake

Description
The green water snake is a relatively large
snake with a greenish gray or olive brown
color on its dorsal side.

Common Egg-eater
Description

The few teeth it has are solid and harmless.

No fangs.

Wide variation in pattern and colour; ranging from browns and greens to solid dark grey.

V-shaped dark mark on neck; the top of which points to the snout.

Fairly slender snake with small head that is rounded at the snout.

Belly usually cream in brown coloured snakes and white in grey ones.

Size ranges from .5metres to 1.5metres in length.

Often confused with the Night Adder

Cape Wolf Snake

Description
It has a flattened head.
Colouration is usually uniform dark brown to black,
sometimes with each scale white-tipped and a white- or
black-speckled belly.

Southern African Python

Description

The length of an Afican Rock Python ranges from 3 to 6 feet and they eat rodents almost exclusively,
feeding primarily on several species of native African rodents, including rats, gerbils, and gerboas.

They are most active at night, when they hunt for their food.

To facilitate nocturnal hunting the pythons have eyes that are adapted to dim light.

Another adaptation that helps the python in their nocturnal hunting is the heat sensitive organs located in
the scales bordering in the python's mouth.

These organs enable it to locate warm-blooded prey in complete darkness.

Mildly Venomous

Bibrons Burrowing Asp

Striped Skaapsteker
Eastern Tiger Snake
Herald Snake
Common Centipede-eater
Purple-glossed Snake
Shield-nose Snake
Bicoloured Quill-snouted Snake

Western stripe-bellied sand snake

Description
The Western stripe-bellied sand snake can be identified by its slender
head, large eyes, yellow underside, the stripes down the length of its body
and strictly diurnal lifestyle.
It grows to an average length of 1 meter and a maximum length of 1.4
meters.
Although venomous is not dangerous to man.

Bibron's Burrowing Asp

Description
The color pattern consists of a purplish-brown, gray or black ground color, often with a
purplish sheen. The belly can be brownish, white or pale in color, with a series of dark
blotches. In specimens with a lighter belly coloration, this may also include two or three scale
rows on the flanks
Bite
Bite causes immediate pain and local swelling
Venom
Mild Neurotoxic - nausea, dry throat, and dizziness

Striped Skaapsteker
Description
Grey to pale olive grey or brown with three well-defined black-edged
stripes that extend along the entire body
The venom of this snake is weak and unlikely to have any effect on man.
Venom
Neurotoxic - nausea, dry throat, and dizziness

Eastern Tiger Snake

Description
The patterning is darker bands, strongly contrasting or indistinct, which
are pale to very dark in colour.
Coloration is composed of olive, yellow, orange-brown, or jet-black, the
underside of the snake is lighter and yellow or orange
Venom
Neurotoxic - nausea, dry throat, and dizziness

Herald Snake
Description
Some specimens of this snake have unmistakable red or orange lips, but often this
feature is absent and the lips are cream or white.
However, this snake always has black temples and fine white speckles on the brown
to grey body.
Virtually no effect on man.

Common Centipede-eater
Description
The most common one found in this area is the black-headed
Cape centipede eater which has a venom which is very
effective on centipedes but harmless to humans.

Purple-glossed Snake
The venom is poorly known; bites are reported
to cause loss of consciousness ... Purpleglossed snakes are found in various habitats,

Shield-nose Snake
Description
It has a short thick body, a single large nasal scale, it has a
cobra like ability to lift its head of the ground (it does however
not spread a hood),
Venom
Neurotoxic - nausea, dry throat, and dizziness

Bicoloured Quill-snouted Snake

Description
This very thin, elongate snake has smooth scales.
The snout is extremely pointed with an under slung mouth.
It is pale above with paired dark blotches or stripes; the belly is white
Venom
It is only moderately poisonous.

Very Dangerous

Vine Snake
Boomslang
Mozambique Spitting Cobra
Snouted Cobra
Black Mamba
Snouted Night Adder
Puff Adder

Vine Snake
Description

Colouring is similar to that of a twig; grey-brown with lighter markings.

Very long and thin averaging 1 metre in length.

Head is elongated, with large eyes and horizontal pupils.

Venom

Haemotoxic disabling the clotting process and causing internal and external bleeding - No antidote to a bite by this snake
is available in South Africa.
The Bite

Puncture marks at wound site.

Actual bite not very painful.

Likely to bleed copiously as blood clotting mechanism becomes affected.

Boomslang
Description

It is a long, slender snake with distinctive oblique dorsal scales.

Its color is highly variable, ranging from nearly black to bright green and even reddish; some individuals
have black scales with a bright yellow spot in the center.

Males are more brightly colored than females. The head is large and the eyes are prominent.

Adult females are typically olive

olive--brown in color,
color while adult males can be brownish black, bright green, or
bluish green
Venom

Primarily a haemotoxin it disables the blood clotting process causes internal and external bleeding
The Bite

Puncture marks at wound site.

Caught on site.

Actual bite not very painful.

27/10/2009

Likely to bleed copiously as blood clotting mechanism becomes affected.

Mozambique Spitting Cobra

Description
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 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.
It is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa, second only to the Mamba.
Mamba
It can spit its venom.
Its bite causes severe local tissue destruction
Venom to the eyes can also cause impaired vision or blindness.
blindness
Venom
Cytotoxic cell killing
Neurotoxic attacking the victims central nervous system.

Snouted Cobra
Description

Two enlarged venom fangs fixed in the front of the mouth.

Solid teeth in both jaws.

Typically yellowish to olive brown but can be brown or dark brown.

Belly usually yellowish.

Normally have a darker band of colour round the neck.

Average length of adults between 1.5 and 2 metres but can reach lengths of 3 metres!

Body is cylindrical and stout with a long tail.

Males larger than females.

Often confused with the Eqyptian Cobra (Naja haje).

Venom

Highly poisonous. Neurotoxic attacks central nervous system.

Black Mamba
Description
Two enlarged venom fangs fixed to the front of the mouth
Solid teeth in both jaws
Adult Black mambas reach an average of 2.5 meters and a maximum of 4.5 meters in length
These snakes are actually a grey to olive colour with lighter scales round their head
They take their name from the black colouring inside their mouths
Thin and extremely agile
Capable of reaching speeds of 20 kmh
Venom
Extremely poisonous.
Largely neurotoxic poisonous to nerve tissue
Cardiotoxic causes heart muscles to stop functioning

Snouted Night Adder

Description

Head has a dark brown or black V-shaped mark, the top of which points forward and finishes between the eyes.

Colouring varies from light browny-pink to light grey.

Diamond shaped darker markings are found on the back and tail these are sometimes bordered with white.

Adults average about .5metres in length and seldom exceed 1 metre.

Body is cylindrical and reasonably slender.

Venom glands are extremely long up to 10cms and found on either side of the spine connecting up to the fangs.

Poor eye sight and a keen sense of smell.

Often confused with Egg Eating Snakes (Dasypeltis).

Venom

Cytotoxic cell damaging.

The Bite

Extremely painful with swelling at the bite wound.

Puff Adder
Description

Colours vary according to geography but head usually has two dark bands; one on the crown and one between the
eyes.

Colours range from dull yellow to light brown and even orange or reddish brown. Males can have striking yellow and
gold colour patterns.

V-shaped markings are present all the way down their back but getting lighter towards the tail.

Iris range from gold to silver grey.

Stomach is yellow or white with some darker spots.

Venom

The venom is cytotoxic with strong haematoxic and some cardiotoxic effects and large volumes are produced. It causes
severe pain, swellings in the bitten limb, hemorrhages and nausea.

Death is caused by secondary effects, s. a. kidney failure, due to severe swellings.

Bite

Swelling develops within 10 to 30 minutes.

Wound shows two teeth marks and is painful.