Viral Posts
“Poisonous snake versus Non-poisonous snake”
Another misleading viral post doing the rounds on social media
“Poisonous snake vs non poisonous”
(Most snakes are considered venomous and not poisonous, but there are a few species which do excrete poison, however we have no poisonous snakes in Africa)
The line illustration pointing out the differences between ‘poisonous’ and ‘non-poisonous’ snakes has been doing the rounds on social media and although it may well work for parts of the USA but is not applicable to Africa. Please do not consider it good education.
In Africa, Boomslang have rounded heads – they are highly venomous.
The Black Mamba has round pupils – they are highly venomous
The illustration shows that only venomous snakes have a single row of scales after the anal plate, while harmless snakes have dual (or paired scales) after the anal plate. General rule – if you have to look that closely you’re in trouble!
This is obviously not true, as many of the dangerous snakes in Southern Africa have paired subcaudal scales including the Black Mamba, Green Mamba, Cape Cobra, Twig / Vine Snake, Boomslang and Puff Adder to name a few.
