If you have been there you will agree with me that the thatched area at the Babalala picnic site in the Kruger National Park merits a special mention. Built around a large fig tree it offers great shade to have your food sheltered from sun and rain.

There was however a surprise lurking above the roof… See if you can spot it.

It is not difficult but here it is in greater detail:

We did not spot it ourselves but there were other people watching the tree intensively.

We were told that it was a boomslang and the camp attendant mentioned that there were three snakes living in that hole. We only saw one.

Just to have a bit of fun, I asked AI to give me a short description and this is what it produced. In bold below:

The scientific name of the boomslang is Dispholidus typus. It is a highly venomous snake found in sub-Saharan Africa. It usually lives in trees and bushes, where its green or brown colour helps it hide. The boomslang is a slender snake with large eyes and excellent eyesight. It is generally shy and prefers to escape rather than attack humans. It is active during the day and feeds mainly on birds, chameleons, frogs, lizards and small mammals. When threatened, it may inflate its neck to appear larger (the picture shows this). Its venom affects the blood’s ability to clot and can cause serious internal and external bleeding. The symptoms of a bite may take several hours to appear. Although bites are rare, a boomslang bite is extremely dangerous and requires immediate medical attention.