Snake files: Which greenies are dangerous?

There are as many as nine different green-coloured snakes in southern Africa and they’re sometimes tricky to tell apart. But only two are highly venomous: the green mamba and the boomslang.

When someone sees a green snake, he or she is quick to assume the worst. But it’s not necessarily these two culprits every time. Here’s how to tell if you’re dealing with a dangerous greenie or not.

The green mamba is arboreal (it lives in trees) and mainly occurs along the KZN coast, usually within 4 km from the sea itself. On rare occasions, it has been spotted up to 40 km inland, north of the small town of Mkuze.