Today was fairly eventful as far as snakes go. During our toolbox talk on the end of the cutline with the machine operators and spotters, one of them went a touch hysterical and shouted “Cobra!!” (everything here – legs + scales is a “COBRA!!!”), and out from under one of the freshly parked 4X4’s slithered a decent-sized
Actractaspis bibronii, which I carefully necked (with thick leather gloves – having very little wish to experience THAT for a second time in my life) and managed to get some pics and a tissue sample before releasing some distance away from where we were working. I was quite surprised to see it active so early in the day, I always assumed that being more fossorial they would tend to be more nocturnal as well. There had been no earthworking machinery in this area for about 4 days now, but the machines were parked there overnight, so it is entirely possible that it was under one of them from last night and decided there was too much activity and was looking for a quieter place to spend the day. I first placed a stout stick across the back of its head to immobilise it and it turned around and struck violently to the point that I could feel it “tik tikking” on the wood with its fangs. Once I had it in the glove it calmed down quite nicely and allowed me to handle it without any fuss (firm grip on the sharp end of course)
Returning with the guys lunches one of the spotters told me he found another “VERY BIG cobra!” that the D9 had killed a little further on, and after lunch he took me to where he had carefully laid it out (I love it when they are so eager to please), only to find a large 950mm
Bitis arietans that had been cut in half.
It was not all that fat compared to a lot I’ve seen, but otherwise seemed very healthy (considering the large numbers of rodents around not surprising). The guys were very interested when I pushed out the fangs so they could see. Sorry Arno, I don’t have anything big enough to keep heads in so they don’t stink my room out, but I’ll bring some larger containers back with me after R&R and get you those that haven’t been squashed. About 200m further on one of the spotters again wet himself shouting that there was another COBRA!! In the grass close to where I was standing. In this half Maize plantation/half weed plantation was another
B. arietans moving quietly through the dried vegetation. It was stunningly marked and this picture does not do it justice.
It was a bit smaller, at around 600mm. I just used a stick to prod it further away from us, and it willingly obliged without any attempt at defending itself. I don’t have any snake tools with me so I wasn’t going to take an unnecessary risk in catching it for a tissue sample, also not thinking that there would be much point with the other one so near.
On the way out one of the other spotters came over with a snake hanging off the end of his flag. Unfortunately beheaded, it was an otherwise very healthy
Dasypeltis scabra (perfectly matching the pattern on the earlier shed skin I posted pics of).
It seems that more and more of the snakes I expected to find are being found, for which I am glad. Hopefully I can get a few more interesting specimens in the next 6 days before I return to SA.