Black Mambas and Spitting Cobras

It was in 1997 when my grandmother and I were traveling with a group on the Botswana/Zimbabwe border. This was before Mugabe entered the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, before he confiscated land from the whites, and before the country became of land of "political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse" according to the CIA World Factbook as well as most publications.

Despite the occasional highway check points with machine-gun wielding soldiers, I knew that Zimbabwe was one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I was sure that my adventurous grandma agreed. Then our guide started telling stories. Politics aside, he was beginning to convince us that Africa had to be the scariest places to live or travel, especially if you have a fear of snakes.

Of all the dangers, he focused on one in particular: the Black Mamba. It was the most dangerous snake in the region, he told us. It is the longest snake in Africa and can reach a length of 14 feet. The snake can lift one third of its body from the ground and blend in with surrounding tall grasses but once it gets a whiff of potential prey, it can move up to 20 mph toward it. It one of the fastest snakes in the world.

(Grabbed off of Wikipedia.)

Our guide described the time he was riding his horse on a blissful sunny day when suddenly, the infamous snake attacked. It stood up as tall as the animal's neck and injected its venom more than 50 times before it gave up and slithered away. The horse dropped to the ground and died within seconds. The guide watched us react with some amusement. Some of our fellow travelers refused to believe the story but most of us started to search near and far for any unusual movement. We were certain we were being watched by one of these reptilian beasts.

Although we were excited to be in the midst of real wilderness, both my grandmother and I were relieved to get back to the hotel.

News: Largest Spitting Cobra

Have you heard of the newly named species of cobra, the largest in the world? The naja ashei was once a member of the black-necked spitting cobra species but it was recently confirmed to be a wholly new species of cobra. It is native to Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia so one can suppose that some locals already knew about the creature before the scientists gave it a brand new name and place in the taxonomy.

However, scientists aren't exactly wasting time when they study and reclassify species. According to National Geographic News, this species actually delivers twice the venom than previously thought—enough for 20 people in one bite. This will affect the dosage of antivenin administered to bite victims.

Yes, snakes are scary but they are part of our natural ecosystem. Unlike some urban-dwelling insects, which I truly believe in destroying, I believe that the snake has an important place in
the world, as long as it isn't in anyone's back garden. If the snake stories are too much to bear, scroll down and look for the previous entry on the adorable kitten. Yes, put your mind at ease with thoughts of kittens...

For more information on the largest spitting cobra, visit:
Physorg.com
and
National Geographic News