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:

Common Name: Python

Bemba Name: Lusato

Scientific Name: Python sebae

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

Blind (Two-headed) Snake:

Common Name: Blind Snake

Bemba Name:  Luminuminu

Scientific Name: Typhlops_gracilis

Poison status: Non-venomous

Twig Snake: 

Common Name: Twig Snake

Bemba Name: Nalukunilumo

Scientific Name: Thelotornis capensis mossambicanus

Poison status: Highly venomous and can kill.

Blind Snake:

Common Name: Blind snake

Bemba Name: Mbulushi

Scientific Name: Rhinotyphlops schlegelii

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

Spitting Cobra:

Common Name: Spitting Cobra

Bemba Name: Kafi

Scientific Name: Naja nigricollis

Notes: Venomous

Forest Cobra:

Common Name: Forest Cobra

Bemba Name: Maamba

Scientific Name: Naja melanoleuca

Poison status: Venomous

File Snake:

Common Name: File Snake

Bemba Name: Mwendalwali

Scientific Name: Mehelya capensis

Poison status: Not venomous

Boomslang:

Common Name: Boomslang

Bemba Name: Ibalabala

Scientific Name: Dispholidus typus

Poison status: Venomous

Black Mamba / “Common Cobra”:

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:

Common Name: Egg-eating Snake 

Bemba Name: Namutukuta

Scientific Name: Dasypeltis scabra

Poison status: Non-venomous

Night Adder:

Common Name: Night Adder

Bemba Name: Cilambanshila

Scientific Name: Causus rhombeatus

Poison status: Venomous

House Snake:

Common Name: House Snake

Bemba Name: Ndele

Scientific Name: Boaedon fuliginosus

Poison status: Not venomous

Puff Adder:

Common Name: Puff Adder

Bemba Name: Ifwafwa

Scientific Name: Bitis arietans

Poison status: Very venomous

 Gaboon Viper:

Common Name: Gaboon Viper

Bemba Name: Mbooma

Scientific Name: Bitis gabonica

Poison status: Venomous

Hissing Sand Snake:

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)

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