Durban – After a quiet month of May, Durban snake catcher Nick Evans was treated to two back-fanged snakes on Friday.
Evans said: “It’s been a pretty quiet month of May, but today (Friday) I got these two beautiful snakes. Both back-fanged snakes with a potent haemotoxic venom, but both shy and reluctant to bite if left alone.”
Evans said that the vine snake was just over a metre in length and it was found relaxing on a driveway gate in Northdene.
He said that from that rescue, he went to Reservoir Hills for a juvenile boomslang that was hiding in a garage.
“It's probably a year or so old judging by the size,” Evans said.
He said most of his boomslang calls are in the Upper Highway area but he gets the odd one in Reservoir Hills.
“Juveniles are stunning. Big, emerald-green eyes, a yellow throat, and blue between the scales. When they get to a metre +-, they start turning green (usually indicating a male, but not always) or remain a light-olive brown colour, indicating it's likely a female,” Evans described.
He said that when a boomslang or a vine snake puffs up their neck, it means it wants you to go away.
“This specimen had been harassed by a cat, which gave it a tiny scratch, but it will be fine. Cat should be fine too,” Evans said.
He said that both snakes feed on nestling birds, lizards and the occasional small rodent, even snakes too (vine snakes love bush snakes and natal greens).
Evans thanked the families for calling him for the rescues.
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