1.1 D. polylepis found in workshop

[Smeegle]

A friend of my wife had these two Black Mamba's removed from her husbands workshop on Saturday by staff from a local snake park:


Female


Smaller male found a few hours later

One of the comments made on Facebook:

"Tim said there might be babies and to just keep our eyes open. He also explained the peppery smell that Black Mambas give off and let us smell the snake so we can identify it. So all in hand. The children are still banned from the area though."

I have never heard of the "pepper smell" referred to, can anyone confirm this?

[deleray]

I would not refer to it as a "pepper" smell, but anyone that has kept green and black mamba's can tell you they (or their excrement) have a very distinctive smell.

[eyed_lizard]

Also known as musking, from what I can make out of what you said.

[MISA]

Me thinks it might be from the peppered steak pies?
I cant say I have heard or smelt that story about mamaba's before, I suspect the smell might be from the excrement that has been lying around a while, some wild snakes do smell a tad off or unclean, as for peppery I cant colude with that theory.

[Bushviper]

It is a distinctive smell. I think it is more like curry than pepper. The cobras have it slightly sharper but also similar. I have detected this smell sometimes way before you get to see the snake.

[Eyelash]

Haha...mambas do indeed smell guy's...I've kept a couple and even D.jamesoni have a "weird" smell to them...I cant really describe it but once you've smelt it you'll never forget it haha...It's usually the first thing you would smell if you walked into a snakeroom with mambas...

[rolandslf]

I have smelt it before, I definitely concur with the curry like smell.
Interestingly I once had it with my BHS as well.

I am also glad to see that Tim is still in the land of the living, allbeit a bit heavier.

[michael]

Well I think it’s quite a nice smell, perhaps it’s a type of mamba perfume. What would cause this smell? I don’t think its excrement perhaps musk as suggested before?

[vuduman]

There are loads of curry smells here in Durban.Make sure before you venture out on a callout that someone did actually see the snake and not just the smell

[deleray]

The cobras have it slightly sharper but also similar. I have detected this smell sometimes way before you get to see the snake.

I agree to some extent. Of the 11 species of cobras I have, Naja naja is the closest to the mamba smell. The rest just plain stink

[Smeegle]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I never knew this, I guess you learn new things every day!

It is definitely snake season in KZN at the moment. I overheard a vet at Creatures and Critters on Sunday telling the owner (Richard) that they had seen 10 dogs admitted from snakebites in the last week or so.

[BOOGY]

By far matches the smell of curry and ol.

[Silvrav]

Now that is interesting...so I assume pepper(curry) spray will only lure them to you

[Rishaad]

They definitely give off a spicy smell. On the last mamba call out that Byron and I attended, the smell stayed on my clothes and my arms even though the snake did not musk on me.

[Smeegle]

....and a third Mamba was found this weekend in the same place!



I wonder what attracts them to the workshop? They must enjoy a bit of DIY or something....