Snakes Alive!

Snake hiding in grass

Snake hiding in grass

I have not often come across snakes in the wild, but certainly remember each time I have.

The first was seeing a large (2 metre) mole snake slithering away from my Mum-in-law’s front door. I ran after it to get a better look! Although mole snakes are not venomous, they can inflict a very nasty bite, with their many teeth!

I have seen the odd Cape cobra on walks in a forest, and hissing madly after us in the road after we had driven over it (not actually on it); its hood displayed in maximum displeasure!

But the most exciting of all would have to be the green mamba (highly poisonous, if not deadly) on a trip to the Eastern Cape, that my husband suddenly noticed staring fixedly at us from a branch in the bush, not a metre from my Mum’s face.

If you want to scare yourself some more, you can read about common highly dangerous snakes of South Africa.

Skink

Skink

However, this little ‘snake’ has legs; and is in fact a harmless skink that lives on my stoep and frolics dangerously close to Little Monkey at times!

post script: Yesterday’s temperature of 42C was the hottest day in Cape Town in 100 years. See yesterday’s post Forty Degrees. The fires continue to blaze, read News 

 

53 thoughts on “Snakes Alive!”

  1. Pingback: Skinks Alive! | Mad Cap Dog

  2. ady

    I am getting shivers !!!!! I am not fond of reptiles much….. The 1st pic does looks very very scary !!! I thought how were you bold to stand still and click pictures !

    Liked by 1 person

  3. faburlifekhloe

    This little one did look like a snake at first glance for real, but glad he wasn’t 😛 I would be freaking scared to see him even though he wasn’t harmful. You were so brave taking snaps of him Sci 😉

    Liked by 1 person

      1. sb2711

        I agree…but it looks exactly like a walking snake. Thanks to you, I have an April Fool’s prank for my friends. *sinister look*

        Liked by 1 person

  5. ladysighs

    For some reason my ‘Follow’ for you got turned off. 😦 And this never appeared in the Reader. And now that I have come here, I believe I know the reason why. lol I have trained my computer to not come anywhere near snakes … good or bad.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      Interesting! I have had my follow turned off, and people not appearing in my reader too 😦 Thanks for re- following 🙂
      And sorry for the snake thing – I put it in the title so people could avoid if preferred – but it was actually a little skink – lizard with legs 🙂

      Like

    1. scifihammy Post author

      I haven’t seen one in ages – probably because I don’t walk in isolated spots any more. The ‘snakeman’ used to visit the schools, and my daughter has photos of her age 5, with a massive python draped over her shoulders, and a huge grin on her face 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      You are the Only one to Love snakes! 😀 I did put in quite a few links with photos of the snakes I’d seen – to make up for my lack of photos 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      2. scifihammy Post author

        That is an awesome photo 🙂 You look so happy! hehe
        The snake my daughter had draped round her was this size also 🙂 She could hardly support it 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Lucy

        That’s actually a funny picture because I asked the guy if I can click a picture of the snake and he just put it around my neck. I wanted that, but I asked for a different thing hahah 🙂 I was so happy. Their skin is so soft. But as you said, very heavy! My back hurt when I was done hah. Worth it! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Bad touch Bear

    I think I sometimes have equal amounts of fun readin the comments after your post XD
    Strange how it would just stare back, I wonder if LM has eaten similar creatures while you weren’t looking.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      haha I read comments on people’s posts too 🙂 LM has probably killed a few, but I’m not sure she eats them. I have found the odd dead mole lying in the garden 😦

      Like

  10. Em

    Haha its a skink! Iam absolutely terrified of snakes, I’ve seen enough puff adders, mamba’s etc here in KZN. Luckily I have two fox terriers who are great at chasing them away 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Aditix

    Scary post. 😉 I am certain I would run away from snakes, not after them. The one with legs looks a bit cute though…
    🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  14. quiall

    I will admit here that I went straight to comments so as to avoid seeing your post. I have a pathological fear of sssssssnakes!!! As I used to wilderness camp in my youth I have had some errr hilarious encounters with THEM. Maybe one day I’ll write about it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      No problem at all Quiall! I hoped by the title that those averse to snakes would avoid the post. I even emailed a friend, who hates snakes and follows me via email, to just delete it!
      But the photo I show is actually a little 4-legged skink (lizard) that I was tricking people into thinking was a snake 🙂
      Maybe writing about your snake-encounters will free you from some of the fear? But it is at least a reasonable fear 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  18. pensitivity101

    Hubby hates snakes (having been bitten by one in Hong Kong) and thought I was mad in the 80s to have my picture taken with a python called, yeah you guessed, Monty. My sister and I used to keep slow worms and lizards when we were kids, so they never really bothered me.
    We had to be wary on our walks in the woods as adders (vipers) were abundant, and a couple of years ago, a woman’s dog was bitten and died because she didn’t realise what had happened so didn’t get her dog to a vet quickly.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Miss C

    I hate snakes- just looking at the pics give me the creeps.
    I love the skink. never seen one.
    Jipes – Not a metre from your mom’s face!!! I think I would have died.

    Liked by 1 person

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