BOOMSLANG

The boomslang is an extremely dangerous, venomous snake found south of the Sahara Desert. Its name means “tree snake” in Afrikaans and Dutch. This quick-moving snake is diurnal (active during the day). It lives and hunts mostly in trees.

Dangerous Venom

Researchers estimate that between one and five million people are bitten by snakes who worked for the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Field Museum in Chicago. He was used to handling deadly snakes. In 1957, a zoo director gave him a snake to identify. It was a young boomslang. Schmidt was not afraid to take the snake from the bag because snakes with fangs in the rear of their jaws were not considered dangerous at that time. Although he was bitten on the thumb with one fang during the examination, Schmidt was not worried. He went about his daily routine. The next day, when Schmidt returned to work, he felt fine in the morning. By afternoon, he was dead from respiratory arrest and internal bleeding. Because of Schmidt’s experience, we now know that a young boomslang is not like other members of its snake family, . It can open its mouth to almost 180° and has very long fangs. Its venom is slow acting, but causes bleeding inside and outside of the body. Zoos and research centers that keep venomous snakes have antivenom ready, just in case.