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Names of Zambian Snakes in Bemba

Snakes are not a very common sight in Zambian towns. I grew up in Kitwe and was a Boy Scout. We used to regularly go out into the forest on camping trips. We heard a lot of stories about snakes but saw relatively few.

Your location and the type of activity you are involved in also determines how likely you are to see a snake. In the sixties, there were new schools built around Kitwe, as in other towns. Demolishing anthills to make way for sports grounds was a common activity for students. Once in a while, we would come across a snake as we worked on these anthills with hoes, picks and shovels. My mother spent a lot of time working in fields growing maize, ground nuts and other crops. She came across more snakes than anyone I know. In the eighties, we lived in Chililabombwe. Every rain season we saw a few baby snakes crawling from the rocky hills to lower ground.

Snakes generally tend to shy away from people. Most of them do not make any animal sounds and they usually quietly blend in with the surroundings due to their highly effective camouflage. This is part of why they are not very commonly seen.

Some snakes are venomous while others are not. Even the venomous ones tend to strike only when they are cornered or threatened. Most of the time, snakes do not pose a risk to people.

A knowledge of which snakes are venomous is useful in case of a snake bite as this will determine the type of anti-venom treatment at the hospital where necessary.

The following are some of the common snakes around Zambia with their Bemba names. If you know the names in other Zambian languages, please feel free to leave your comments below so that we can add your knowledge to ours for the benefit of other readers.

Have you had any experiences with snakes or do you know any traditional myths about snakes? We would like to hear from you too.

P/S:

Snakes should be referred to as “Venomous” when they bite and inject their poison into your body. “Poisonous” should be reserved for the rare ones where the subject is poisoned by exposure to the poison that is in the snake’s body (e.g. eating the meat of the snake).

Python:

Python_sebae - Lusato

Common Name: Python

Bemba Name: Lusato

Scientific Name: Python sebae

Poison status: Non-venomous(Constricts its prey to death)

Blind (Two-headed) Snake:

Typhlops_gracilis - Luminuminu
Typhlops_gracilis – Luminuminu

Common Name: Blind Snake

Bemba Name:  Luminuminu

Scientific Name: Typhlops_gracilis

Poison status: Non-venomous

Twig Snake: Thelotornis_capensis_mossambicanus - Nalukunilumo

Common Name: Twig Snake

Bemba Name: Nalukunilumo

Scientific Name: Thelotornis capensis mossambicanus

Poison status: Highly venomous and can kill.

Blind Snake:Rhinotyphlops_schlegelii - Mbulushi

Common Name: Blind snake

Bemba Name: Mbulushi

Scientific Name: Rhinotyphlops schlegelii

Notes: Non-venomous. Image shows the belly of the snake.

Spitting Cobra:

Naja_nigricollis - Kafi

Common Name: Spitting Cobra

Bemba Name: Kafi

Scientific Name: Naja nigricollis

Notes: Venomous

Forest Cobra:

Naja_melanoleuca -Maamba

Common Name: Forest Cobra

Bemba Name: Maamba

Scientific Name: Naja melanoleuca

Poison status: Venomous

File Snake:

Mehelya_capensis - Mwendalwali

Common Name: File Snake

Bemba Name: Mwendalwali

Scientific Name: Mehelya capensis

Poison status: Not venomous

Boomslang:

Dispholidus_typus - Ibalabala

Common Name: Boomslang

Bemba Name: Ibalabala

Scientific Name: Dispholidus typus

Poison status: Venomous

Black Mamba / “Common Cobra”:

Dendroaspis_polylepis - Ngoshe

Common Name: Black Mamba / “Common Cobra”

Bemba Name: Ngoshe

Scientific Name: Dendroaspis polylepsis

Poison status: Venomous

Notes: The inside of the mouth is black, hence the name “Black Mamba.”

Egg-eating Snake:

Dasypeltis_scabra - Namutukuta

Common Name: Egg-eating Snake 

Bemba Name: Namutukuta

Scientific Name: Dasypeltis scabra

Poison status: Non-venomous

Night Adder:

Causus_rhombeatus-Cilambanshila

Common Name: Night Adder

Bemba Name: Cilambanshila

Scientific Name: Causus rhombeatus

Poison status: Venomous

House Snake:

Bosedon_fuliginosus - Ndele

Common Name: House Snake

Bemba Name: Ndele

Scientific Name: Boaedon fuliginosus

Poison status: Not venomous

Puff Adder:

Puff Adder (Bitis_arietans) - Ifwafwa
Puff Adder (Bitis_arietans) – Ifwafwa

Common Name: Puff Adder

Bemba Name: Ifwafwa

Scientific Name: Bitis arietans

Poison status: Very venomous

 Gaboon Viper:

Gaboon Viper (Bitis_gabonica) - Mbooma
Gaboon Viper (Bitis_gabonica) – Mbooma

Common Name: Gaboon Viper

Bemba Name: Mbooma

Scientific Name: Bitis gabonica

Poison status: Venomous

Hissing Sand Snake:

Hissing Sand Snake (Psammophis sibilans) - Mulalu
Hissing Sand Snake (Psammophis sibilans) – Mulalu

Common Name: Hissing Sand Snake

Bemba Name:  Mulalu

Scientific Name:  Psammophis sibilans

Poison status: Can be venomous

(All images are from Wikipedia, except that of the House Snake – from http://reptilweb.xf.cz)

 xXx

42 Thoughts on Names of Zambian Snakes in Bemba
    Ernest
    29 Aug 2015
    7:44am

    Which snake is referred to as itiya? It is believed to be mythical snake that is very sensitive and poisonous. it makes webs like those of spiders & that is sensor for its prey. It is rarely seen

    3
    2
    David
    17 Feb 2016
    4:47am

    You should double check the placement of your pictures. You have a picture of a blind snake in the place of a spitting cobra, a twig snake in the place of a blind snake, and a cobra in the place of a twig snake. These are some snakes you really wouldn’t want to mis-identify. Also a mamba is in no way a cobra. The “common cobra” should be removed from the description.

    3
    0
      JS
      17 Feb 2016
      3:41pm

      Hi David.
      Thank you for your feedback.
      We have checked the placement of the photos. They are correct. The name of each snake, punctuated by a colon, comes before each photo and description, rather than the other way round.
      The Black Mamba is certainly not a cobra, but they are related. They both belong to the Elapidae family of snakes (Venomous snakes with upright hollow front teeth – fangs – that can inject venom into their prey). When threatened, the Mamba can also raise its front end and flatten its neck to form a smaller hood than the cobra.
      We see your point, however, and have decided to put the words “Common Cobra” in inverted commas to emphasize that they have been referred to that way in some descriptions.
      Once again, thank you for your contribution.

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        CS
        29 Mar 2022
        2:21am

        Yes, the “common cobra” might be a cobra, depending on the criteria for calling a snake a cobra. Imagine, the ancient Egyptian word for “snake,” supposedly, any snake, is k-f or kaafi (also Chibemba and Chinamwanga), yet the relevant word for the defense of the king and the realm associated with a snake should be ngooshe, which also, as Nkosi means king in siZulu (cf. biblical Goshen = Ngoshe, “land of the kings”; also Nkoshi, “hawk,” an emblem of kingship). The White fathers dictionary says ngoshe is the green mamba and does not mention “cobra.” Yet, I have always thought the cobra was ngooshe.

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      Mwanaumo Osward
      5 Jan 2022
      10:50pm

      I can’t agree with David more especially on Mamba.

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    peter M Chisela
    4 Jun 2016
    7:21pm

    Man am so proud of you. Whoever is the protagonist of this File deserves kudos. This is our zambian Heritage. Keep the fire burning.

    1
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      JS
      7 Jun 2016
      5:43am

      Hi Peter,
      Thanks for your encouragement. We do have a very rich heritage.

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      Tresford Chota
      19 Nov 2022
      9:04pm

      Yes sir, this is keeping our flag higher and higher

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    Petroda
    8 Dec 2019
    11:05am

    Nice writting,very educative

    0
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    morgan salin
    12 Jan 2017
    6:13pm

    what the name of the snake that poeple beleive ht you on the head and is it real?

    0
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    Emmanuel
    15 Nov 2019
    1:49pm

    whats the English name for uMuswema?

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    KUNDA
    6 Dec 2019
    10:17am

    I WILL USE THIS TO TEAM MY TEAM ON SAFETY THANKS

    0
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    Mambwe Kunda
    11 Dec 2019
    6:14am

    The brown house snake is not called Ndele in Bemba. Indele is totally a different snake and it is poisonous though not know to kill. Indele is a small black snake common during the rainy season. It bites with little provocation.

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      Musonda John
      11 Apr 2020
      8:48pm

      True, a house snake is called umuswema in bemba. It is a very fast snake and not poisonous.

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      Magarete
      29 Jun 2021
      10:03am

      Very true because I was bitten by a ndele and the effects were almost deadly, causing the heart to feel heavy and the swelling can last for a very long time if not treated well. The color of the skin literally changes to black. So I would also want to know the English name for ndele.

      0
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    Eric B Sichamba
    27 Jun 2020
    12:09pm

    What’s the English name for Itiya

    0
    0
    Morgan
    8 Dec 2020
    8:05am

    What about the snake people call mbobo… What snake is that ?

    0
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      west chita
      18 Dec 2021
      7:51am

      Mbobo is black mamba in the Tonga and njanja languages.

      1
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        JS
        18 Dec 2021
        11:17am

        Hi Morgan. Thanks for your contribution. It would be nice to have more names in more languages.

        1
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    Joseph
    2 Jan 2021
    5:48pm

    What about the snake by the name of ITIYA how does it look?

    0
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    Majawo Joseph phiri
    2 Aug 2022
    10:04pm

    Black mamba in nyanja or chewa is called mbobo.

    0
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      JS
      2 Aug 2022
      10:23pm

      Thanks for the update.

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    albe wiza
    12 Mar 2021
    12:18pm

    Ifwafwa its a viper not adder

    0
    0
      Chinyerezi Chintu
      24 Jun 2023
      12:13pm

      The adder is in the viper family puff adder? is ifwafwa

      I want to know if ing’umfwilila is mythical and not real. When I was growing up in Chinsali I heard about this snake but no one I know ever said they had seen it

      I have forgotten what snake vernom is called in Bemba.

      0
      0
    Joseph Mwanza
    11 Jun 2021
    5:57pm

    I like the post now i want to know the English name fo namabula, is it also green mamba?because its also green in colour and likes living in trees.

    0
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      Bwalya Kangwa
      18 Jun 2021
      4:49am

      I watched a documentary where I remember hearing that there are no green mambas in Africa.

      0
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    Gerhard Briel
    18 May 2021
    4:09pm

    What is the Bemba name for the Zambezi Garter snake? Saw a juvenile in Mpongwe.

    0
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    Magarete
    29 Jun 2021
    9:58am

    I suspect that I was bitten by a ‘ndele’ (House snake) though it was completely silver, short and fat but I am surprised that it has been classified as ‘not poisonous’. That is strange because it took me 3 months to recover completely. Charcoal and drips at the hospital saved my life. Nevertheless, thank you for the information.

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    Bwalya Kangwa
    18 Jun 2021
    4:42am

    Hi thanks for this rich information, it’s really good for our preservation of culture especially that we are living in a global village where culture has lost value.

    I wanted to get clarity on two terms, that is poisonous and venomous. Whats your take on the two terms very recently I was meant to believe the term poisonous doesn’t actually apply to snakes instead venomous does.

    1
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      Dominic Changa
      26 Nov 2021
      7:59pm

      Venom can be only be effective once it’s in blood 🩸 as for poison it is almost in different ways…
      In a nutshell Snakes are venomous and not poisonous.

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        JS
        26 Nov 2021
        11:56pm

        Thanks for pointing out this important distinction. The correct term should be “Venomous” in talking about snakes that are able to bite and inject a poison through their fangs. “Poisonous” should be reserved for the rare ones which if you eat their meat, you ingest the poison that is in its body. We have amended the text to address the point you have both raised. Thanks once again for your contributions.

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          mick
          15 Nov 2022
          12:06pm

          if you bite it and die, it is poisonous, if it bites you and you die, it is venomous… 🙂

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            JS
            15 Nov 2022
            12:38pm

            I like the sound bites.

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    Elijah
    15 Apr 2021
    4:30am

    Nice

    0
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    Big Jim
    28 Oct 2022
    5:38pm

    In Lamba, the black mamba is called ” lukungwe”. This snake has a reputation because if the potency of its venom.

    0
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    Abby
    24 Feb 2022
    12:54pm

    Thanks for the information,very educative.Is a black mamba able to raise it whole body using just the tail (tip)?

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    Heman
    27 Oct 2021
    7:21pm

    This is awesome.

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    Jody Soboya
    19 May 2022
    10:15am

    Black mamba is different from a ngoshe u got that one wrong

    0
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      Chanda
      12 Mar 2023
      7:25am

      Ok tell us, what’s the name in english?

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    Morgan Lungu
    30 Jan 2024
    1:26pm

    Wow this is so interesting.

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      JS
      10 Feb 2024
      4:28pm

      Joseph, we appreciate your feedback.

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      JS
      10 Feb 2024
      4:28pm

      Morgan, Thanks for your feedback.

      0
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