Snakes!

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Southern African Python,
non venomous but powerful constrictors,
this one managed to catch a Springbuck

 

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Completely harmless Olive Snake.
One of the most gentle & passive snakes you'll ever come across.
Certainly no more than 1m long.
Great to have around eating mice & rats.

 

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Southern Vine Snake
Highly Venomous

 

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An attractive bright, grass-green snake that is active during the day when it hunts for geckos and frogs.
This snake climbs well and may be seen high up in trees.
It is quick to escape when disturbed but may bite readily if handled.

Because of the green colour it is often mistaken for a Boomslang or Green Mamba and needlessly killed.
The Eastern Natal Green Snake has keels on the belly as well as the underside of the tail and tends to be bright green with some light yellow on the belly and chin.

 

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Cape Cobra
Highly Venomous

This snake varies in colour from near black to dark or light brown, beige, yellow or speckled while juveniles have a dark band on the throat.
The Cape Cobra is easily confused with the Mole Snake and the Black Spitting Cobra.

It is by far our most dangerous cobra and with the Black Mamba it accounts for the majority of fatal snake bites in South Africa.
The Cape Cobra may stand its ground if threatened and is quick to form a hood and bite.

It occurs largely in the Cape provinces but extends into the Free State, Northwest, southern Botswana and Namibia.
The venom is potently neurotoxic causing progressive weakness and may affect breathing rapidly.
Victims need urgent hospitalization and in a severe bite antivenom is essential.

 

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Antivenom shortage: After several months of production problems, SAVP is still experiencing a shortage of antivenom.
We recently ordered 15 vials of polyvalent antivenom and were told that there is still a backlog.
Veterinarians are desperate for antivenom and cannot get any stock at this stage.

If you work with venomous snakes or do snake removals, be extra careful.
There is no guarantee that your local hospital will have antivenom in the event of a bite.

 

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Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera) from Limpopo Province.
Highly venomous.

 

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Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica).
Highly venomous.
Like the Kraits in Asia this snake has a reputation of entering houses and biting people while asleep.
This results in a large number of people ending up in hospital.
While fatalities are quite rare the venom of this snake does a great deal of tissue damage.

 

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This is a 'must carry ' item when on a walking Safari OUT THERE....

In serious neurotoxic envenomation after a snakebite the victim may soon experience difficulty with breathing.
Rescue breathing may be life-saving while transporting the victim to a medical center.
When performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a stranger, a one way barrier device should be used at all times.
Many first aid kits contain a face mask for this purpose - a hard plastic device that is inserted into a patient's mouth with a square piece of see-through plastic attached. Such devices are difficult to use and do not always provide adequate protection to the person giving rescue breaths.
For mouth-to-mouth resuscitation we recommend a pocket mask.
They are relatively inexpensive and provide a far better seal if used correctly.
In the attached photograph the pocket mask fits into an orange case.

 

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Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) baby hatching.
Very dangerous and Venomous!

Females lay 6-17 eggs in summer.
They take around 86 days to hatch and the young measure 40-60 cm in length.

It is a popular fallacy that baby snakes are more dangerous than adults because they are supposedly dumb and do not know how to control their venom.
That is not true.
Their venom is similar to that of the adults but their venom yield is substantially less.
Black Mambas have a predominantly neurotoxic venom that rapidly causes progressive weakness that ultimately affects breathing.
Though not an aggressive snake, it is very nervous and because of its fast-acting venom and size (adults may exceed 3,8 m in length) is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in the world.

Juvenile Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
Hoedspruit, Limpopo.
Highly venomous.

 

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Snakebite and snake identification

The photograph is of a Cape Cobra.

In the event of a snakebite it is not necessary to know what snake bit you and most snakebite victims that end up in hospital do not know what they were bitten by.
Killing or catching the snake responsible is not a good idea and a second bite will really complicate matters.
Most doctors are not good at identifying snakes and when victims arrive at hospital with a dead snake, doctors usually contact the Poison Information Center for assistance.
Most snakebite victims do not receive antivenom as all bites are not life-threatening.
Snakebites are treated according to the symptoms that present and this may be a drop in oxygen levels, bleeding, progressive swelling, or progressive weakness.
Doctors take a blood sample which is sent off to a laboratory for analysis and, in cases of severe envenomation, antivenom may be administered. It is the correct treatment for serious snakebites and, if given early enough and in the right dosage, it neutralises the effects of the venom and may also prevent or reduce tissue damage.
Having said that, the correct identification of a snake responsible for a bite could be of great value and snake expert are often called upon to assist in this regard.
In a recent case a person was bitten by a snake in the Western Cape and ended up in hospital.
The patient had ptosis and dilated pupils but was breathing normally and it was assumed that it may have been a Berg Adder bite.
The symptoms matched that of a Berg Adder bite and antivenom was not a consideration as there is no antivenom for Berg Adder bites.
The only description of the snake was that it had some orange coloration.
The ASI team was contacted, and we quickly established exactly where the incident took place.
With the largest and most detailed database of snake localities in Southern Africa and good knowledge of snake habitat, we could quickly eliminate the possibility of a Berg Adder bite as this snake has never been recorded within 30 km of the bite site and the habitat was not suitable.
We suspected a Cape Cobra bite and as time progressed, the victim started experiencing breathing difficulties.
Antivenom was administered once it was deemed necessary and the patient had a full recovery.

 

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Hairy Thicktail Scorpion (Parabuthus villosus) .
Highly venomous.

 

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Interestingly, they does not always follow the "small pincers = big venom" axiom...

 

[Ryeboy86]

Thanks for all the GREAT pictures and information! I LOVE learning about snakes! Isn't the Vine Snake rear fanged?

 

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Black Mamba

https://www.africansnakebiteinstitute.com/snake/black-mamba/

The Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is the largest venomous snake in Africa, with a maximum length of 4.5m.
It is active during the day, often basking near a hole in an anthill or large rock crevice where it quickly disappears into if disturbed.
Despite its reputation it is a shy, elusive snake that is quick to escape, but it will also not hesitate to strike repeatedly if cornered.
When threatened it may form a narrow hood and will gape, exposing the black inner lining of the mouth.
The venom of this snake is potently neurotoxic and may cause difficulty with breathing within half an hour in cases of severe envenomation.
Other symptoms include a numbness of the lips, slurred speech, ptosis and progressive weakness. Antivenom is effective but often required in large quantities (10 – 15 vials).



Distribution of most bites

 

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Green Mamba
Untreated bites are usually fatal.
The green mamba is related to some of the deadliest snakes in the Elapidae family, which includes cobras, kraits, coral snakes, and death adders.
Elapid snakes' venom is primarily neurotoxic, and it acts to paralyze its victim's nervous system.

 

[275r7x57]

Antivenom shortage: After several months of production problems, SAVP is still experiencing a shortage of antivenom.
We recently ordered 15 vials of polyvalent antivenom and were told that there is still a backlog.
Veterinarians are desperate for antivenom and cannot get any stock at this stage.

If you work with venomous snakes or do snake removals, be extra careful.
There is no guarantee that your local hospital will have antivenom in the event of a bite.

View attachment 515112

What is the average cost of Antivenom per dose?

What is the average number of doses a person receives?

Does insurance cover Antivenom?

Thanks
275

 

[Ryeboy86]

What is the average cost of Antivenom per dose?

What is the average number of doses a person receives?

Does insurance cover Antivenom?

Thanks
275

I think if depends on the anti-venom used. There is a gentleman on YouTube that goes by "ViperKeeper". He has a BIG collection of venomous snake species. I think he said some anti-venom can cost several thousand a vial.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

I’m really glad we don’t have those snakes here.
Need any grizzlies?

 

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Night Adder

Night Adder venom is cytotoxic, and most bites are not serious – causing pain and swelling. Having said that, the venom of this snake should never be underestimated, especially in children, as some victims require hospitalisation.

Poisonous baby Night Adder