Snakes possess terrible poison that swallows chameleons

The toxin of the Boomslang viper not only causes external symptoms such as headaches, nausea, drowsiness, anxiety and restlessness, but it also causes blood clotting disorders.

Ms. Adele Sneyd, a wildlife photography enthusiast, had a wonderful experience when she witnessed two members of the reptile class fighting each other in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

That day, looking for something different, Adele chose to drive from Malelane to the Berg En Dal campsite. By chance, on the way she saw a chameleon so she stopped to take pictures.

Chameleons are mainly found in Africa and Madagascar. About 50% of the world’s chameleons are endemic to Madagascar. There are currently only 66 species identified. Perhaps the chameleon is the most special of all lizards, because it is perfectly “designed” to live in trees.

Their bodies are flattened, allowing them to move easily through tree branches and allowing them to absorb heat effectively during the morning and evening by orienting their bodies toward the Sun.

Geckos are very good swimmers, inflating their bodies with air. Their pupils can rotate independently, so geckos can look in two directions at once without moving their heads. This ability is especially useful for an animal that must camouflage to avoid predators: Geckos can lie absolutely still to watch for danger and prey in all directions. Once it has located its prey, usually an insect, the chameleon launches its tongue to capture it, the ability to launch its long, sticky tongue at breakneck speed to catch fast-moving prey.

At first glance, Adele thought the chameleon was the victim of a traffic accident, however something more strange was happening.

Boomslang snake approaches a gecko stuck on the road.

From the grass, a snake stealthily appeared and rushed straight towards the trapped gecko. She was even more panicked when she saw the gecko being bitten by a snake. Upon closer inspection, Adele was frightened to discover the special identity of the snake. It is a Boomslang viper (scientific name Dispholidus typus). This is a venomous snake with an average length of about 100-160 cm, with some up to 183 cm long.

Boomslang snakes are found in a variety of locations across grasslands, wooded areas, and lowland forests across sub-Saharan Africa. Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They spend most of their time moving among tree branches to hunt, rest and sleep.

The snake ran into the bushes when it saw a car approaching.

Boomslang possesses the strongest venom of the entire group of hind-fanged snakes. Today, the Boomslang is ranked as one of the most venomous snakes in Africa. Venom, when injected into the victim’s body, can attack the circulatory system and prevent blood clotting. The victim may bleed outside and inside the body until death. Because it acts so slowly on humans, the venom is used as an attack against smaller animals rather than as a defense against larger ones.

However, it then turned back to grab its prey.

Notably, the Boomslang viper’s toxin not only causes external symptoms such as headaches, nausea, drowsiness, anxiety, and restlessness, but it also causes blood clotting disorders. The cause is that snake venom contains hemotoxin, a chemical that can destroy red cells, cause blood clotting disorders, decreased organ function and tissue degeneration.

And drag the prey into the bushes for convenient “behavior”.

Besides, when threatened by predators, they can expand their necks and open their mouths to make themselves more scary. In addition, they also secrete a foul-smelling substance to repel enemies.

The suspense was pushed to its peak when the snake pulled its prey into the grass and began to swallow it whole.