My first introduction to D. typus came while working with the zoological collection at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey, England. I visited a dealer to pick up snakes we had ordered, and he asked me if I could drop three boomslangs off at another customer's house on my way back. During the drive, I prayed that I wouldn't have an accident because the car was full ofvenomous snakes. In addition to the boomslangs, there were two king cobras, a green mamba, three rhino vipers and a couple of Gaboon vipers. At my destination, when we released the boomslangs into their cage, I was surprised by their placidity. I expected them to fly around the cage like mambas do when first released. The boomslangs throat-displayed for a while, then settled down. It was after that experience, sometime later, that I managed to buy a couple boomslangs for myself, and my affinity for this misunderstood snake truly began.

 

Lurking Fear :

 

Since Schmidt's untimely death, the boomslang is on record as having caused the deaths of seven people. Seven in 54 years is not a high figure when compared to deaths caused by other venomous snakes. One reason boomslang-related deaths are few and far between is likely because, contrary to much speculation, the boomslang is a shy snake and bites only when threatened.

 

I live in Botswana, and I am married to a local girl. The fear locals have for this snake nearly outweighs all others. They believe that if you walk past a bush or beneath a tree harboring a boomslang, the snake will either bite you in the face or drop onto your head to bite you. If you park your car near a bush containing a boomslang, and if you leave any windows open, the snake will crawl inside.

 

I lecture about snakes at various educational and government facilities throughout Botswana, and even though there have been no reported deaths attributed to boomslangs in that country, it is extremely difficult to change the locals' deep-set beliefs surrounding this snake. They remain fearful even when I tell them that virtually all boomslang bites were inflicted on inexperienced snake handlers, and not locals as they went about their business. In fact, this is a snake that once it detects your presence, it will be long gone before you even knew it was there. Problems arise when people - particularly children - see a boomslang and try to kill it.

 

Having the good fortune to have been able to search for boomslangs in the wild, the one thing I have learned is that it is a shy, elusive snake that is extremely difficult to locate, let alone catch. It is a very mobile snake, always on the move, and very agile. I also rescue snakes from people's homes before they are battered to death with a shovel, and I've been called out to remove the odd boomslang from someone's yard. I have never found it to be an aggressive snake, and when approached it will move away to avoid confrontation. One minute you are looking at it square in the face, but if you blink, you've lost it. However, as soon as you show any inclination to capture it, it will put up an impressive warning display to get you to back off. It is a challenging snake to capture.

 

Boomslang Description :

 

The boomslang is not a large snake; it averages between 3 and 5 feet, though in exceptional cases in some parts of its range, it may exceed 6 feet. It has a rather slender, laterally compressed body with large, heavily keeled, overlapping scales. It is arboreal and widely distributed over much of sub-Saharan Africa, where it occurs in a range of habitats from coastal thickets to dry savannah, and even semi-desert areas. It is not typically found in densely wooded areas, preferring instead more open areas. In fact, boomslangs can frequently be encountered in isolated trees within open clearings.

 

Depending on age, sex and locality, the boomslang exhibits a broad range of color forms. Adult dorsal coloration may be gray, green, black or yellow. Mottling is sometimes present, and occasionally, pinkish-red boomslangs are also seen. The underbelly is off-white, yellowish or pale brown with or without spots. Young individuals are usually gray or brown with dark and light spots of bluish hue, and a yellowish or pinkish underbelly with varying shades of brown spots.

 

Boomslangs are one of the few snake species where sexual dimorphism is evident. Females are almost always brown, whereas males exhibit more vibrant coloration. It is difficult to understand why this sexual dimorphism should occur, as it is not seen in other arboreal snakes, such as bush snakes (Philothamnus) or mambas (Dendroaspis), that frequent similar habitat across some of the boomslang's range.

 

The interstitial skin (the skin between the scales) of the neck is black and most apparent when the snake inflates the neck region during warning displays. Young green-phase boomslangs may often be mistaken by the layman for green mambas (although these do not occur in Botswana) or harmless bush snakes. The foremost identification feature distinguishing the boomslang from other arboreal snakes is the large, prominent eyes (which are iridescent green in young snakes), and a rather squat, somewhat chisel-shaped head.

 

The boomslang's eyes account for a great proportion of the head's overall dimensions. The pupils are neither circular nor catlike, as seen in other arboreal snakes. They more closely resemble a keyhole or dumb-bell shape with a yellow iris. The large eyes of the boomslang indicate superior vision, believed to be binocular, and they can spot their prey before it moves. The large eyes would also lead one to believe the snake to be a nocturnal species, but it is diurnal, being most active during the early afternoon.

 

Feeding and Threat Behaviors:

 

To watch a boomslang stalk its prey is riveting. It feeds on tree-dwelling lizards, especially chameleons (in Botswana, this includes the flap-necked chameleon,Chamaeleo dilepis), as well as birds and small rodents. When the snake detects its quarry, it moves slowly toward it, stopping periodically, presumably if it thinks it's been spotted. During these brief pauses, the boomslang may sway gently to appear as though it were a branch wafting in the breeze. It moves slowly forward until it's within striking range of its prey.

 

Like mambas, boomslangs frequent trees where weaverbirds construct congregational nests, so that they may raid the nests and snatch their tenants. I am not sure if it is common among boomslangs - it is not mentioned in the literature - but I know of one specimen that would eat the eggs of the weaverbirds. I captured this particular snake, and it regurgitated two eggs as I removed it from a weaverbird nest.