It has been raining for days now in Minas Gerais, which significantly reduces the changes of me being accidentally set fire to by our gardener. But there are other dangers still, lurking from their shelters. Snakes.
Eversince I first read the bible, I started distrusting them. But believe me, tricking the first naked female hippie into eating an apple is the least of their crimes. Worldwide they kill 125.000 people annually, in Brazil on average 272 people are bitten daily by a venemous one. The three most dangerous snakes, living in our garden:
Jararaca (See picture)
This statistically is the most dangerous of them all. Not because it is very venomous, but because bites are most common. It’s colours, according to wikipedia, apparantly range from tan to olive to maroon. So it helpful to use a pocket size colour chart whilst identifying it.
A year ago a meter long jararaca was found on the property of my father-in-law, lying in front of my new grandma’s room. Graças à Deus she did not find it herself, as she would have probably invited it in to make it three different types of coffee.
Cascavel
The Brazilian version of the rattlesnake. Which means it lies in hibernation all year underneath stones, waiting for carnaval to finally release it from its daily sorrow.
Coral Verdadeira
Most Jurassic Park of them all. Beautiful as it is dangerous. 3 mg of poison is already deadly (Cascavel 50 mg) making it the only poison stronger than cachaça known to men.
