Beware the stiletto snake
Forget about mambas and cobras for a minute: There’s a less vicious-looking snake that all South Africans should know about. Bibron’s stiletto snake seems harmless, but be warned: This little guy has a nasty bite.
It’s a smallish snake, averaging between 30 and 40 cm long, although specimens of more than 70 cm have been recorded. Through most of its range, it is dark brown to blackish with a similarcoloured belly, except in the northern parts of its range where its belly is white. Speaking of range, you’ll find this snake almost everywhere in the northern and eastern parts of the country: in the far north-eastern Eastern Cape, KZN, Swaziland, eastern Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, the North West and in parts of the Northern Cape.
The stiletto snake is fossorial, which means that it burrows and spends most of its life underground in tunnels, where it hunts for sleeping lizards and other snakes. Herein lies the rub! To kill its prey in the confines of underground tunnels, the stiletto snake has developed large fangs that can protrude from the sides of its closed mouth, which allow it to “stab” its prey. The venom is potently cytotoxic, causing immediate pain, swelling and blistering.
On hot nights, especially after heavy summer rain, this snake often comes to the surface. This is how it ends up in swimming pools, where people mistake it for a harmless snake and attempt to rescue it. In picking it up, they might try to grip it behind the head, which is not safe because the snake merely twists it head sideways and one of its long fangs might nick the victim on the finger or thumb. It also has a sharp spike at the end of its tail, which can dig into a person’s skin, simulating a bite.
Many people are bitten by stiletto snakes every year, almost always when they’re trying to handle one. The bite is extremely painful and no effective antivenom exists. The only thing that doctors can do is treat the pain, rehydrate the victim and wait for several days to see what happens. In most cases, a very large blister forms and the afflicted finger or thumb goes dark. After about six or seven days, the doctor will be able to assess the extent of the damage and remove necrotic tissue if necessary. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories do not help. In the worst cases, a victim might lose a digit or two.
Because of the risks, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and call a professional snake handler before rescuing what may or may not be a mole snake from your pool!