Kenya has over 120 different species of snakes. That is too many to talk about in such a short period of time, so we'll focus on some of the more unique and interesting ones.
One of the most common snakes we even find at pet stores in Ottawa is the Kenyan Sand Boa. These boas do not get any longer than 60cm, which is the record. They usually get about 30cm. It looks like it has double heads, so that predators bite its tail instead of it's head. They eat lizards in the wild.
The african rock python is the third largest snake in the world and the largest in africa. It reaches over 30 feet. These rather large pythons have been sighted eating antolopes in the wild. A meal like that would last it over a year.
Kenya is also home to the amazing Egg-eating snake. Of couse as you know by the name of the snake, it eats eggs. The process of consuming an egg involves wrapping their mouth around it and drawing it into the throat and then flexing their muscles pushing the egg into the bony protrusions on their spine, which causes the egg to collapse in on itself. Then the snake carefully squeezes every last bit of liquid out of the inside of the egg, ending with regurgitation of the completely crushed egg shell.
The infamous black mamba is the most feared and universally known snake in the world. These are quite aggressive and very venomous. When they are defending themselves to a person they raise part of their bodies in the air and meet you face to face. It is the second longest venomous snake in the world rivaling the king cobra they get to about 4.5 meters. It also holds the number 1 spot for the fastest snake in the world. People claim the snake can move around 20km/h. This snake is what we are suppost to be fearing, not harmless garter snakes at the cottage.
Kenya has it's fair share of cobras aswell. Everything from the infamous egyptian cobra to the red spitting cobra. Cobras are famous for being rather hyper snakes which would explain why they are quick to act in the face of danger. Cobras are the masters at spreading their famous hoods, which is done by the spreading apart of their ribs.
Perhaps the nicest venomous snake in the world is the Yellow-bellied sea snake. It is so placid to people that you would think it was a harmless snake, but in fact it is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Thank goodness they are so nice then and when they bite for defense they don't waste any venom.
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