Puffadders are common through South Africa

KAROO NEWS - Puffadders are found throughout South Africa and are prominent residents of the Western Cape.

Here are some details about it.

Size:
Length of adult snake is 80cm – 1.2m and it has a large stout body.

Colour:
The back could be from a bright yellow to light yellow, yellow brown, light brown or grey. There are clear chevron like dark markings (pointing backwards) over the back with dark stripes or rings over the tail.

On the head there is a light stripe dividing a dark marking on the crown of the head and another one on the snout. There are two dark skew bands on the side of the head, one under and one behind the eye.

Underneath it is yellow white to grey with black spots. The puff adders in the Western and Southern Cape tend to be more colourful. The most common colour around here is a reddish brown with yellow/black edged forward facing chevron shaped markings.

Habits:
Active in the day during the cooler part of the year. In the summer months it is nocturnal. Common all over this region. Rubbish dumps on your property attracts mice and rats which are the common food for puff adders.

They could also be found near fish ponds to feed on frogs. The only places where you will not find a puff adder are on high mountain tops, deserts and thick forests.

Behaviour:
Slow moving in a straight line like a worm. However, if need be it can move faster by using the "s" movement. It is ill-tempered. If provoked it can be feisty and will hiss at you. It curls in a "s" before it strikes. Not an excellent climber. Normally it will be found on the ground but it will climb on a bush or tree to bask in the sun.

Like all other snakes it is an excellent swimmer. It is also a master in disguise and is an ambush predator. It will hide in thick grass, under bushes, in holes and any other form of ground cover where it will be motionless for hours.

If prey gets close it will strike fast (fastest striker of all snakes in this region) and leave the larger prey to die before following the scent and eat it (head first).

Venom - Cytotoxic:
Necrosis of the bitten limb or hand is a common post-symptom. The bite is very painful and is a medical emergency. Recovery is slow and will often need physiotherapy in the post-stages.

Treatment:
Immediately remove all rings, watch, shoes and belt. Cut all clothing away around the wound. Clean it with water to get rid of any excess venom. No sucking on the wound or cutting it to get rid of venom. No bandages.

Keep the victim as still as possible and carry him/her to the vehicle. Put the vehicle's hazards on and drive as fast and safely as you can to the emergency division at the nearest hospital.

The victim may require large quantities of polyvalente anti venom. Normally it will take 24 hours before a victim passes away, but cases have been documented where it happened within 30 minutes.

Reproduction:
Viviparous. In summer the female puff adder will give birth to 20 to 40 live juveniles. Cases of 80 juveniles at one birth have been recorded. They are 15 to 20cm long and venomous from day one.