The Spotted Bush Snake

What I like most about the spotted bush snake is that it is fang less. This is a common snake in Zimbabwe and I have had chance to collect and study a large number of them. As its name states, it is a snake that can be found in bushes, shrubs and trees. It is a long and slender snake and if cornered will puff its throat and strike aggressively. It may be fang less but I can assure you that it can make you feel that you have been attacked by a pin cushion with its sharp backward curved teeth. This is an extremely agile and fast moving snake and as it is not a constrictor, can be quite hard to free hold. Feeding on a diet of geckos and lizards makes it an easy snake to keep and its beautiful markings make it one of the most attractive snakes. The most unexpected and unique point of interest is that its tongue is a bright blue, easily visible as it is in a state of constant alert.
My best catch was a large Male that was seen going into a line of small conifers. I was about 15 and fearless so i simply started climbing the conifer. the thing about conifers is that although the bottom branches are quite sturdy, they rapidly recede to much smaller and less substantial ones. They also exude a sticky sap. I was intent on capturing this snake which did not have any problem with reaching the top and so I soon found myself holding onto the central stem of a swaying conifer and shimmying up towards the snake. Well, the tree soon decided that my weight was more than enough and like a poor comedy it bent and bent until i was quite literally hanging upside down with the snake still out of reach but now below me. With a loud crack the tree snapped and I plummeted but even in falling, my focus was such that I reached out and grabbed the bush snake mid body. I crashed down and as luck would have it was caught by the sturdy bottom branches and was left hanging upside down just inches from the ground and in plain view of a large group of students from the school. The shocked silence then burst into gales of laughter and as my eyes re focused and my mind started to acknowledge where I was, I realized that I still had a writhing and unharmed snake in by grasp. Attempting to realise some dignity from the experience (and still hanging upside down), I raised the snake in a show of accomplishment.
Well, the snake too felt that a show of dignity was necessary and it puffed itself up and with a loud hiss bit me right on the tip of my nose. My tenacious grip on the tree finally gave and I landed in a heap at its base. The students roared and for the two weeks following, the marks on my nose were a source of great mirth. I retreated, sticky with sap, bloodied, bruised and subdued, the mocking laughter ringing in my ears. Was I bothered ? No way !! The snake catcher had got his snake and my track record was intact !!