Myths, Hoaxes and Viral Posts

Myths, Hoaxes and Viral Posts

“Giant” Puff Adders

Viral Posts “Giant” Puff Adders Photographs of “giant” snakes often do the rounds on the social media and new maximum record lengths for snakes are published from time to time…

Six meter Black Mamba

Viral Posts “The six meter Black Mamba” The image of “a monster 6 m Black Mamba” has been doing the rounds on Facebook since around 2012. The snake has mysteriously…

How forced perspective works

Myths and Hoaxes Forced Perspective and Snakes Photographs of exceptionally large snakes are often published in social media and, at times, with claims of a new world record. In most…

Snake Repellents

Myths and Hoaxes Repelling a Myth Various forms of snake repellents show up in the social media from time to time and this includes the commercially-available snake repellents that are…

Pythons eating people

Myths and Hoaxes Pythons eating people Another hoax. There are no known cases of pythons killing people in KZN. In fact there is very little evidence of pythons killing people…

Suckling baby snakes

Myths and Hoaxes Suckling baby snakes Another hoax that went viral. Supposedly a dead Rattlesnake with babies (all in fact dead), trying to suckle from the mother. Snakes do not…
African Snakebite Institute