Beautiful snakes that you will find in East Africa national parks

There are several snake parks in Africa where tourists and researchers visit either to explore or study the behavior of these reptiles. Some snakes have venom, fearless, while others do not have poison. Other snakes hide in branches of trees to avoid their enemies thus it is important to walk with tour guides who know where to find the snakes and understand their behavior as some may even prey on mammals.

Here are three types of snakes that you will find in Africa.

Black mamba

The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)is a lethally venomous snake with an average length of between 8. 2 feet to 14 feet. It leaves in most parts of Sub Saharan Africa and scientist Albert Gunther described it as the second poisonous snake in the World after King Cobra. They have been linked with many deaths of humans in Africa because when they bite a person, there is a likelihood of dying if he fails to seek medication between seven hours to fifteen hours. Moreover, they slither at a speed of 12.5 miles per hour. Black mamba likes to stay in dense forests with rocks where they easily get their prey including birds, lizards, and some insects.

Their name is derived from the blue-black color at their mouth which is visible when they open it during the time of danger.

African rock python

The African rock pythonis one of the greatest snakes in Africa as it grows within a range of 16.5 feet to 20feet. Taxonomist says there are two subspecies of African rock python; Python sebae sebae and Python natalensis. It is non-venomous and preys on small and large mammals as well as small reptiles including lizards, monkeys, antelopes, and crocodiles swallowing them whole. It resides along lakes and rivers banks since its food can be easily obtained there. It kills its prey by constricting and wrapping it around as it coils around until it dies from suffocation. In rare instances when it is so hungry, it preys and strangulates human beings or small children. Moreover, the African python lays between 20-100 eggs mostly in caves and thick bushes. Thereafter, it protects them from predators as it incubates them until they hatch. The babies are then protected for two to four weeks after hatching.

Green Mamba

Green mamba is a highly poisonous snake that is found in East Africa and likes to spend most of its time in top trees looking for food. As the name points, eastern green mambas are jewel-green in color but they become dull toward mounting. With its camouflaged and beautiful green color, it easily blends with tree leaves enabling it to get prey through the application of sit, wait, and attack strategy. It feeds on birds and their eggs, and lizards. Sometimes it feeds on sleeping bats.

According to research, most deaths of snakebites in Africa are as a result of green mamba. Although it fears coming close to humans, when irritated it bites. Its venom contains three-finger toxins that include aminergic, dendrotoxins, and calcicludine. When a person is bitten by green mamba, tetanus toxoid is used for treatment as antivenom. There are many varieties of snakes in Africa snake parks that act as a source of revenue when tourists visit the sites. The three most common snakes are Black mamba, African rock python, and Green mamba. It is desirable when walking in a snake park to move with experienced tour guides to help you easily spot the snakes and also avoid any unfortunate incident of a bite that could be harmful.