Cape Cobra (Naja nivea) - venomous & very dangerous if threatened.
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Just after I picked up a snake a fellow snake catcher asked me to release for them, I received a callout for this Cape Cobra in a home office in Table View.
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You can help us keep our wildlife safe! Even small donations help immensely:
http://www.bloubergsnakerescue.co.za/donate
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Also known as a "Koperkapel" or "Geelslang" in Afrikaans, the Cape Cobra is a common venomous snake in our area that can range in color from yellow through reddish brown to black.
When threatened or cornered, it's quick to spread a hood and won't hesitate to bite. Cape Cobra venom is highly neurotoxic (the most potent of any African cobra), which means that it attacks the nervous system and causes respiratory collapse (the victim stops breathing), which in turn leads to suffocation.
As in most cases, this snake was doing its best to try and get away from us humans. Even though it's essential to be respectful of the danger that a snake like a Cape Cobra poses, if you give them room to escape they will always try to get away and hide - there's no snake in South Africa that will aggressively chase you.
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Read more about this species here: https://bloubergsnakerescue.co.za/snake-profiles/naja-nivea-cape-cobra/
Find your nearest snake catcher's contact details here: https://snakeremoval.co.za/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex1BSwFDmeQ
Video taken by my friend Johan Herbst and used with permission.
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica) - dangerously venomous.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j-qbucpLeA
Western Stripe-Bellied Sand Snake (Psammophis subtaeniatus) - mildly venomous.
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I'm on holiday in Limpopo at the moment and I'm hopeful to find some snake species we don't have in the Western Cape. Last night we had a power outage and when someone went to check the breaker box, they found this little snake inside.
Western Stripe-Bellied Sand Snakes have a very distinctive, broad yellow band down the center of their bellies. One of the fastest snakes in Africa, this species is active during the day, often during the hottest hours.
Although mildly venomous, they're not dangerous to humans.
They feed primarily on lizards, but also eat frogs, rodents, and small birds.
Oviparous, they lay 4-10 eggs in the summer.
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Thank you to all of our donors, including Reload Espresso Bar in Table View, Parklands, and Sunningdale: http://bit.ly/reload-espresso-bar
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Download our FREE “Snake Removal Pro” app to have instant access to your nearest snake catcher’s contact details, read frequently asked questions, watch snake rescue videos, and more:
http://bit.ly/snakeremovalpro
You can help us keep our wildlife safe! Even small donations help immensely:
http://www.bloubergsnakerescue.co.za/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJSax_UP_TQ
Karoo Whip Snake (Psammophis notostictus) - mildly venomous.
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Some Milnerton Ridge residents called me about this Karoo Whip Snake that "hitch-hiked" in their back back from Langebaan this morning. It has some slight damage on its tail so I cleaned it up and disinfected it, and will be monitoring it for a day or two.
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You can help us keep our wildlife safe! Even small donations help immensely:
http://www.bloubergsnakerescue.co.za/donate
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Often found in fynbos, grassland, arid savannah, and karoo scrub, the Karoo Whip Snake is alert and quick-moving. It feeds mainly on lizards, mice, and other small rodents.
Oviparous, they lay 3-8 eggs in the summer.
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Read more about this species here: https://bloubergsnakerescue.co.za/snake-profiles/psammophis-notostictus-karoo-whip-snake/
Find your nearest snake catcher's contact details here: https://snakeremoval.co.za/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-wBcsQ8F7g
I recently spent 4 days rowing along the Orange River for a total of 60km - I went on a similar adventure many years ago and have been wanting to go back ever since.
We were two people per boat, with a total of 15 boats in the group. Each boat had to carry all the clothes, bedding, food, water, and snacks for the two people on it, so if you capsized you ran the risk of losing out on a meal or two. ?
By day we rowed, swam, hiked, and made new friends, at night we slept under the stars to the sounds of baboons, birds, and bats.
Highly recommended!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wwOpBfvfmM