WARNING: Never pick up this snake!
Well, you should never pick up any snake that you come across. However, this snake, the Bibron's Stiletto Snake, is one you would seriously regret picking up.
Every summer, snake rescuer Nick Evans gets many phone calls from people who have picked up a Stiletto Snake, thinking that it's harmless, and then wanting to know what it is. Shortly after, those who picked up the snake and received a bite, are in a lot of pain and end up in hospital.
This small, inoffensive looking snake may not look like much, but it can certainly pack a punch!
"People see it and think 'oh, this must be a little house snake' and they pick it up," Nick Evans explains.
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"Like with all snakes, treat them with respect, and leave them alone!" he urges.
Listen to Nick talk about the Stiletto Snake in this latest edition of the Snake Rescue Extra podcast.
"Like with all snakes, treat them with respect, and leave them alone!" he urges.
READ: South Africa's most venomous snake!
IMAGE CREDIT: Nick Evans
Listen to past episodes from Snake Rescue below.
Nick's organisation, KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, is a chapter of The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806 for information about snake removals. Email him if you'd like to find out about his educational talks.