Scary Snakes and How to Deal With Them

If there's one thing that scares and fascinates me at the same time, it's a snake. I can't help it - snakes just give me the heebie-jeebies.

Take for instance, the black mamba snake:

Know Thine Enemy: The black mamba is the largest and most deadly snake in Africa. It also happens to be the fastest moving snake in the world. In short, this snake is a killing machine. The Black Mamba gets its name not from the fact that it has black skin, but because it is black on the inside of its mouth. The skin of a black mamba is actually gray to olive green. [...]

How mean are they? Black Mambas are mean mothers. They will readily attack when threatened. They’ll make multiple attacks, aiming at the head and body. With each bite, they inject their super deadly venom. One bite from a black mamba has enough venom to kill 120-140 men. The venom paralyzes the muscles used for breathing and the victim consequently dies from suffocation.

How could you not be scared? I'd pee in my pants if I saw that snake crawling around near me.

The Art of Manliness has just published a two-part guide to snakes (because 1. dealing with snakes and snake bites is an essential man knowledge and 2. they like to scare us weenies.) The first part identifies some of the world's most poisonous snakes, whereas the second part tells you how to avoid and treat a snake bite.

I suppose reading about 'em is better than finding out the hard way: Link - Thanks Mu!

(Photo: black mamba by mcwetboy [Flickr])