Snake rescuer Nick Evans shared more insight with The Witness on green snakes after catching a big spotted bush snake yesterday in a kitchen in Newlands.
“One of the largest I’ve seen in a while, the picture doesn’t do it justice,” said Evans.
According to Evans, the bush snake is by far the most common snake species in the greater Durban area.
“I get multiple calls for them daily. These are non-venomous gecko-hunters that can be left alone in the garden,” said Evans.
“They’re far more widespread and common in the area than Green Mambas and Boomslang, both of which grow to be far larger than the Bush Snakes,” he added.
In an article by the African Snakebite Institute which describes how to identify the different green snakes, we learn that there are nine snakes in Southern Africa that may be green in colour.
“Only two of these snakes are highly venomous, namely the Green Mamba and the Boomslang. The other six snakes are the harmless green snakes, commonly called Bush Snakes, Green Snakes and the Green Water Snake’” read the article.
In KwaZulu-Natal, one is most likely to come across the green mamba, boomslang and the spotted bush snake.
According to the article, the green mamba can be identified by their elongated coffin-shaped head and large size. They can reach up to 2.5 m in length.
The Boomslang is a large snake that can reach lengths of around 2.3 m. The Boomslang can be identified by the short stubby snout and large eye. Males are generally green, or black with yellow or greenish sides. Females are usually olive brown, but occasionally green females have been found.
The spotted bush snake is relatively easy to identify, having spots on the first half of the body and a prominent yellow to red iris. These long thin snakes average around 60-80cm but can exceed a meter in length.