After some much-needed rain, Samara had an unusually warm couple of days for winter at the end of this week. And around here you can tell it’s warm when the snakes come out. Since they are cold-blooded, snakes spend most of the winter months more or less out of the way of the vervets and us, too. This Friday one of our PhD researchers caught a photo of this puff adder.

Puff adders are one of the most common venomous snakes that live here in the Karoo. Luckily for us, the monkeys are very good at spotting them and make a “chuttering” sound to alert the rest of the troop. Nevertheless, it’s always good to stay alert to one’s surrounding out here, whether it’s to see a group of Eland, or a potentially dangerous snake.

Until next time,

Stephen and the Verveteers