Snakes and Snake Bite in Southern Africa

A guide to snakes in Southern Africa. It isolates all of the region's most "common harmless" snakes, all the "dangerous" snakes and all those (non-dangerous) snakes that are likely to be confused with the dangerous species - a total of 48 snake species which people fear most or are most likely to encounter. The approach is simple and uncomplicated and the emphasis is on identification, and on first aid treatment in the event of a snake bite. All possible confusion of one species from another is eliminated by featuring photographs of snakes at different stages of development and of different colour forms. Where necessary photographs of snakes most likely to be confused with the one under discussion are included. A double page spread is allocated to each snake species and in each case features a distribution map, six to eight photographs and a simple description of the snake, highlighting distinguishing characters and typical behaviour. A section on snake bite (where necessary) deals with symptoms and treatment.