Snakes

Bush Vipers, commonly known as Atheris, are found commonly throughout tropical Sub Saharan Africa, excluding southern Africa with sporadic distribution due to their preference for primarily rainforest habitats. Due to deforestation, the Bush Viper populations are dwindling and its general reach and habitat are smaller than once believed. They are considered to be threatened, primarily due to deforestation. There are roughly 10 different species of bush viper within the genus, all of which come in a variety of colours, sometimes with different colours seen in the same species of viper. Bush vipers are relatively small in stature, with adults commonly not exceeding around 30-35 [...]

This form of viper is found most commonly in rainforests and savannah regions of Sub Saharan Africa. The main regions this viper can be found stretch from the coasts of Sierra Leone, along the southern coasts of neighbouring countries to the east and down into the rainforest regions of the DRC and Republic of Congo as well as Gabon. It can be also found in the northern regions of Zambia, and occasionally along more coastal regions of Tanzania, parts of extreme southern Malawi, through north western areas of Mozambique and occasionally into Zimbabwe. It can also be found in the very north eastern regions [...]

The Puff Adder, also known as the African Puff Adder or common adder is a species of viper that is found extensively throughout both Saharan and Sub Saharan Africa. Its territory range reaches from The Gambia and Ivory Coast and neighbouring nations all the way across the continent through the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Ethiopia, throughout the border regions of Democratic Republic of Congo and from there it’s known throughout basically all of the countries in the rest of the continent with the exception of the Republic of Congo and Gabon and only a small pocket of southern [...]

This cobra is one of the largest of the cobra family to be found in Africa. It is also known as an asp, and is the snake that was famously believed to have been used by Queen Cleopatra to commit suicide after she learned of the supposed death of Mark Antony.Despite being known as the Egyptian Cobra, this cobra is found throughout regions of northern Africa including in the western regions such as Mauritania, northern Nigeria, Mali, parts of southern Morocco, Western Sahara, throughout Burkina Faso, even into the Central African Republic in spots down into the Congo basin, but also can be found [...]

The Cape Cobra tends to make its home in the southernmost tip of Africa, usually in the region of South Africa, into some parts of southern Botswana and Namibia. In South Africa its primary region of habitation is confined to the central and eastern areas, including into parts of western Lesotho. Its region includes Bloemfontein, but does not reach Johannesburg. It can also be referred to as the Yellow snake, Copper Cobra or Brown Cobra, due to its varying degrees of yellow colouring. The snake makes its home in a variety of types of habitat in the overall region it can be found including [...]

The Spitting Cobra can refer to any number of the cobra species which use its fangs to project venom, sometimes as much as three metres, towards potential enemies when it feels threatened. This venom can cause irritation to intact skin including blistering and redness or swelling, but if introduced to eyes it can cause permanent blindness. The venom is also delivered directly into the victim through a bite. Spitting cobra venom can vary in its effects but most is cytotoxic. Many other cobra varieties feature neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects, making cobra venoms some of the worst in the world. Spitting cobras can make sudden [...]

The name Boomslang is a derivative of both Dutch and Afrikaans with “Boom” meaning tree or beam and “Slang” meaning snake. Therefore, the Boomslang is literally a tree snake, and has so far been the only type of its species found in its genus. The full adult length of a Boomslang is between 3 to 5 and a half feet, but some have been measured to an excess of 6 feet. Typically males take on a lovely greenish colour with hints of black or blue while the females tend to be brown shades. The colours do vary though. At hatching the males are shades [...]

The Western Green Mamba, like other mambas is a highly toxic snake found in the Western regions of Africa including Gambia, Senegal, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia being its most common habitats. Reports from other places such as Nigeria as well as Cameroon, Central African Republic as well as Mali may be unreliable, but have mentioned the presence of the Western Green Mamba. The typical size of the Western Green Mamba ranges from around 1.4 metres to 2.4 metres. The Western Green Mamba prefers to live in the trees of tropical coastal rainforests, but can be found further [...]

Unlike its cousin the Black Mamba, the Green Mamba lives in trees along the eastern coastal areas of the Sub Saharan African region including in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania (including the island of Zanzibar), Mozambique, Zambia and even as far south as the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa. Eastern Green Mambas are brightly coloured, large snakes with highly toxic venom. The females tend to be around 6.5 feet in length, with males coming in with slightly lower lengths. The diet of the Eastern Green Mamba typically consists of small mammals but also includes eggs, bats, birds, gerbils, rats and mice. They blend well with [...]

The Black Mamba is a common snake found in numerous parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, normally residing on the ground as opposed to in the trees like other species of mambas. One of the longest snakes known to the African continent, Black Mambas are known to exceed 6.5 feet in length, some even coming in close to 15 feet. Mambas start out a lighter colour when young and darken as they age. They are known for their trademark black mouth and throat, giving them the name Black Mamba. The Black Mamba tends to live in savannah grassland, woodlands, rocky terrains and also have been known [...]