The Many-spotted Reed Snake (A mplorhinus multimaculatus) deserves a mention in this group as there are green individuals. Many-spotted Reed Snake ( Amplorhinus multimaculatus ) Any snake under 80 cm that is green is very unlikely to be a Boomslang. Juvenile Boomslang are usually light grey to brown above with stippling of blue, the throat is yellow to orange, making it unique in colour and very different to the Philothamnus. The loreal scale is present in this species, separating it from the Green Mamba. The scales are heavily keeled creating a unique scale pattern amongst green snakes. Females are usually olive brown, but occasionally green females have been found. Males are generally green, or black with yellow or greenish sides in the Western and most of the Eastern Cape. In juveniles (under a meter) the eye is a bright emerald colour, going olive green as they age while the overall body colour is grey and not green. The Boomslang can be identified by the short stubby snout and large eye. These snakes are arboreal, but will go to the ground to bask or catch prey. In Southern Africa they are widely distributed avoiding the dry treeless areas of the west. There is an effective monovalent antivenom available for a bite from a Boomslang. Fortunately it is an extremely docile snake that rarely bites unless caught or stood on. They have a potently haemotoxic venom and a bite requires medical attention. The Boomslang is a large snake that can reach lengths of around 2.3 m. On the head profile you can see that this species lacks a loreal scale, separating it from snakes of the genus Philothamnus. These snakes are shy and live in trees (arboreal), seldom venturing to the ground. The belly is a pale green or yellowish green and there may be the odd yellow scale on the body. They can be identified by the elongated coffin-shaped head and large size. Further north in Africa they go further inland and reach the forests on the eastern side of Zimbabwe. In South Africa they are restricted to within 40 km of the sea in northern Zululand but around Durban and the KZN south coast no more than about 4 km from the sea, where they live in dense coastal forest. Polyvalent antivenom is effective against the venom of this species. They possess a potent venom that is both neurotoxic and cytotoxic and bites often result in swelling. The Green Mamba is a large snake that can reach up to 2.5 m in length. The figure below will help you understand some of the references to head scalation discussed in each species account. The harmless green snakes can be tricky to tell apart, but with the use of distribution maps and some morphological features (scale counts and colour) they can be identified. These snakes are often killed needlessly as people confuse them with the Green Mamba or Boomslang. The other six snakes are the harmless Green Snakes in the genus Philothamnus, commonly called Bush Snakes, Green Snakes and the Green Water Snake. The Many-spotted Reed Snake is considered mildly venomous, however, bites to humans are not of medical significance. Only two of these snakes are highly venomous, namely the Green Mamba and the Boomslang. These snakes can be complicated to tell apart and many people struggle to do so. There are nine snakes in southern Africa that may be green in colour. Spotted Skaapsteker (Striped form) vs Striped Skaapsteker.Spotted Skaapsteker vs Many-spotted Reed Snake.Rhombic Night Adder vs Snouted Night Adder.Rhombic Egg-eater vs Rhombic Night Adder.Mozambique Spitting Cobra vs Snouted Cobra.Eastern Natal Green Snake vs Western Natal Green Snake.Eastern Natal Green Snake vs Green Mamba.Common Wolf Snake vs Bibron’s Stiletto Snake.Common Purple Glossed Snake vs Bibron’s Stiletto Snake.Bibron’s Blind Snake vs Bibron’s Stiletto Snake.Aurora House Snake vs Spotted Harlequin Snake.African Rock Python vs Southern African Python.Snake Awareness and First Aid for Snakebite.Beginners Guide to Snake Identification.10 December 2023 – Gauteng – Venomous Snake Handling Bootcamp.09 December 2023 – Gauteng – Snakes are super! Kids’ Snake Awareness Session.09 December 2023 – Gauteng – Snake Awareness, First aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling.03 December 2023 – Western Cape – Kids’ Snake Awareness.03 December 2023 – Western Cape – Advanced Venomous Snake Handling.02 December 2023 – Western Cape – Snake Awareness, First aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling.26 November 2023 – Gauteng – Venomous Snake Handling Bootcamp.25 November 2023 – Gauteng – Kids’ Snake Awareness Session.25 November 2023 – Gauteng – Snake Awareness, First aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling.19 November 2023 – Western Cape – Kids’ Snake Awareness – Western Cape.19 November 2023 – Western Cape – Venomous Snake Handling Bootcamp.18 November 2023 – Western Cape – Snake Awareness, First aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling.
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