Another Snake Tale

Martha (our housegirl) killed it in the back yard with her broom handle.

Security guard, Nhlanhla, brought the dead critter to my kitchen doorstep to show me.

It was about 25 inches long and about as big around as my pointer finger. Black back. Salmony-yellow colored belly.

Martha and Nhlanhla declared it to be a black mamba. Deadliest snake in Swaziland. (Martha and Nhlanhla think all snakes are mambas.)

Dave agreed. He hates snakes. Says they are all poisonous.

I had Nhlanhla lay it out by my 18" ruler and I took photos. (No, I didn't touch it. Nhlanhla used a stick to move it around for me.)

Then I got on the internet. I looked in Susan's critters-of-southern-Africa reference book.

This is what I found out: It is a brown water snake (that comes in both brown and black). Completely harmless except for frogs. They are constrictors. They don't bite. They squeeze the breath out of those little frogs and then swallow 'em whole. And we have plenty for them to feed on here!

Black mambas on the other hand, are grey or olive. They are called "black" to describe the inside of their mouths which is weirdly black. They bite. They are killers.

But we now know our visitor was not a black mamba. Just a harmless little 'ole brown water snake.

(Dave still doesn't like 'em.)