EVERY day in nature is a lesson, and while wading through books, we learn a lot, actually being able to experience some natural event will embed the knowledge forever. Yesterday I was privileged to be present for a search and release of some snakes that had been rescued from a proposed construction area. The snake that grabbed my attention was the Rinkhals. I have always thought of then as monster snakes and very long. As it was released it did the expected hooding as a warning. Then, it flattened itself to a mere 5mm looking as if it had been run over by a huge truck. Then it did its species party trick (the bit I did not know about) and rolled over onto its back and played dead. It remained in this state for 20 minutes before re-inflating itself and slithering away to a safety under a rock. Each time that I approached with the camera it would flatten itself and prepare to die again, remain still for a few minutes before continuing on its way in pursuit of safety. Amazing behaviour and a lesson well learnt for when next I encounter one in the wild or in someones house. Oh, and they are not as big as I thought, a mere 1m long. Its party trick of flattening itself is what makes it so successful of getting into the thinnest of cracks, a reason why in spring so many are found in houses in the eastern Cape after they literally squeeze under a door. so if you encounter one this summer (or any other time), stand back, let it hood (it wont spit), and gently nudge it with a broom handle for 30 seconds - it will flatten, roll over and play dead allowing you to lift it (with the bloom handle) into a bucket so that it can be relocated before reviving itself.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 07:59:15 +0000
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