Boomslang

DESCRIPTION:

The boomslang averages 100–160 centimeters length with large specimens reaching 180 cm. The eyes are exceptionally large, and the head has a characteristic egg-like shape. Coloration varies but females are usually brown and males are usually green or green with black-edged scales or black with green or yellow-edged scales.

HABITS & HABITAT:

The boomslang is an excellent climber and is highly arboreal, living mainly in forested areas. The boomslang lives in shrub-land, savannahs, lowland forests, and in grasslands. The boomslang is not restricted to trees and can often be found on the ground hunting, feeding, or taking shelter. It will occasionally hide underground when the weather is unfavorable. The boomslang is diurnal and almost exclusively arboreal. It is reclusive, and moves from branch to branch when pursued by anything too large to eat.

DISTRIBUTION:

The boomslang is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, from The Gambia, Guinea, Senegal and most of Western Africa (including Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo) through Central and Eastern Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda). It is found across much of Southern Africa, in a wide array of habitats, with some of the species’ densest populations being in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

VENOM:

Haemotoxic; The boomslang possesses a highly potent and deadly venom; The venom of the boomslang is primarily a haemotoxin; it works via a process in which many small clots form in the blood, causing the victim’s circulatory system to improperly coagulate, resulting in excessive bleeding and death. Causes haemorrhaging in tissues such as muscle and the brain (among other organs), while, at the same time, clogging capillaries with tiny blood clots. Venom is slow-acting, symptoms may not become apparent until many hours after a bite. Although the absence of symptoms provides sufficient time for procuring antivenom, it can also provide victims with false reassurances, leading to underestimation of the seriousness of the bite.

SYMPTOMS:

Bleeding at the bite site; Headache; Nausea; Colicky abdominal pain; Sleepiness; Confusion; Bleeding from old and recent wounds such as venepuncture; Bleeding from the gums and nose; Hot and cold fever; Increased sweating; Nosebleed; Vomiting blood; Black “tarry” faeces; Dark urine due to blood in the urine.

FIRST AID:

Pressure Bandage.

ANTIVENOM:

SAVP – MONOVALENT; 2-4 vials.