An intelligent Rottweiler alerted its owner for several days after discovering a mamba snake hiding in the sofa.
The Rottweiler (right) prevents its owner from sitting on the sofa where the black mamba (left) is hiding. (Photo: Nick Evans)
On March 8, South African snake expert Nick Evans shared that a man living in Escombe, Queensburgh, approximately 16 kilometers west of Durban, felt something unusual as his Rottweiler barked at the sofa for several days and consistently nudged him away when he tried to sit down in the afternoon. After two days, the homeowner noticed the dog barking at the back of the sofa; he moved the couch and discovered a black mamba hiding underneath. Evans was called in by the homeowner to capture the venomous snake.
The black mamba is a highly venomous snake that resides in eastern and southern Africa. If not treated promptly with antivenom, their bites can have a mortality rate of up to 100%. This snake can grow over 3 meters in length and is extremely fast, moving at speeds of up to 20.1 km/h. According to Evans, the largest black mamba he has ever encountered was 3.05 meters long. They can grow slightly larger, but not exceeding 4 meters. The snake captured at the Escombe home was approximately 2.2 meters long.
Evans stated that the Rottweiler lunged at the exposed snake, but the homeowner managed to restrain it before it could enter the snake’s striking range. Evans took the snake away from the house while both the owner and the dog remained safe.
The bite of a black mamba can be fatal within 20 minutes due to its extremely potent neurotoxin. Each bite contains an average of 100-120 milligrams of venom, with the highest recorded dose being 400 milligrams. Symptoms appear quickly after a bite and include a metallic taste in the mouth, drooping eyelids, blurred vision, slurred speech, muscle spasms, difficulty moving, respiratory paralysis, and cardiac arrest. Researchers do not know the exact number of people bitten by black mambas each year, but a survey in Zimbabwe from 1991 to 1992 indicated that out of 275 snakebite cases, 15 were from black mambas, with 2 of those victims dying.
