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Boomslang or
Dispholidus typus
I took this photo of a captive African Boomslang at the Tygerberg zoo near Cape Town. The shot was actually taken through glass, and I had to be very careful not to get any unwanted reflections in the photograph. This snake is often found in trees and shrubs, and consequently the "boom" part of its name is the Afrikaans word for tree. It prefers savannah grassland, and are absent from very dry areas. It is a deadly snake, and its venom causes death from internal bleeding in one to five days after the bite.
Tygerberg zoo offers visitors to Cape Town, and local photographers requiring some practice, some good opportunities to get close to rare species. From a zoo point of view, I found it primitive in comparison to the big, modern zoos of Pretoria and Johannesburg (two other big cities of South Africa).
If you also want opportunities to take pictures like this one, why don't you visit my
Africa Safaris
section...
Please note that my pictures are not public domain, and are all copyright protected.
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