Although these snakes can be encountered safely, like a hippo or a cheetah, they must be treated with upmost respect. It is a popular fallacy that being back-fanged it can only bite onto a small digit – this is incorrect as it can open its mouth very wide. So they know how to fight back. Don't let a fear of snakes stop you from exploring Africa's breathtaking wilderness areas. Our most venomous snakes include the aggressive black mamba, the puff adder, Mozambique spitting cobra, Cape cobra, boomslang, vine snake and gaboon viper. In the Eastern Cape, the boomslang is not uniform green. The African rock python is one of the world’s largest snakes; reaching lengths 6 metres or more. Tentacled Snakes (Erpeton tentaculatum) and certain others may be an exception, but I advise consulting a herpetologist and an experienced medical doctor if you feel compelled to acquire a rear-fanged snake of any species. Females are olive and… This article shows you the 10 most venomous snakes in Africa; interesting facts about each of them; how to identify them in … In trees it poses no threat to humans as it is extremely reluctant to bite and bites are rare. Upper and lower jaw bones are not attached so they are able to open these incredibly wide. The back-fanged snakes have fixed, grooved rear fangs that are situated quite far back in the mouth. There are three types of venomous snakes in southern Africa – they fit into the cytotoxic, neurotoxic and haemotoxic category. Belly is creamy white in colour. The genus is native to Africa. All species in the genus have a slender and elongated profile, a long tail, a narrow head, and a pointed snout. The twig snakes (genus Thelotornis), also commonly known as bird snakes or vine snakes, are a genus of rear-fanged venomous snakes in the family Colubridae. This list includes all the green snakes that can be found in the Eastern Cape. SNAKES AND THEIR FANG STRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA. African rock pythons are generally brown with lighter brown and olive green markings. The delivery methods and fang structures depend on various factors such as habits, prey and the environment where the snake lives. Barring the boomslang (Dispholidus typus) and the many-spotted reed snake (Amplorhinus multimaculatus), all the individuals listed come from the genus Philothamnus and they are all closely related. With a little care, there's nothing to prevent humans and snakes from co-existing in harmony. Although only the boomslang and the vine snakes have caused fatal bites, all back-fanged colubrids should be regarded as potentially dangerous to man and must be handled with caution. Until we learn more about them, rear fanged snakes are best considered as suitable for display in zoos rather than private collections. The Boomslang is largely tree-living but may descend to the ground to bask. The different species of venomous snakes have different fang structures, venom types and different delivery methods to inject their venom.. All snake species are important to the balance of the African ecosystem, fulfilling a valuable role as middle-order predators.