THE MOST REMARKABLE REPTILES IN UGANDA

Uganda is described as the pearl of Africa for a reason. Uganda is one of the destinations which is blessed with variety of distinct wildlife, big cats, reptiles, herbivores, amphibians, Great apes as well as avian species. Depending on what your interests are, Uganda is naturally gifted and your dreams will certainly come true once you land into this stunning country for vacation; Below are some of the most outstanding reptile species that you shouldn't miss to include in your travel plan.

The puff adder; this is one of the commonest snakes in the savanna grassland national parks in Uganda. It feeds on rodents and can strike at humans when threatened.

The rock python; this is the biggest snake in Africa. It stretches up to five meters in length and has gold on black mottled kind of skin. Pythons can kill although they are regarded as non venomous. They wrap their bodies around the prey and after swallow it all. After, they leave and nap for about 2 (two) months. They depend on rodents, small antelopes and they can kill small children. These incredible snakes can be sighted in bat cave in Maramangambo forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Black mambas; these are very poisonous and they can kill human beings. They are faster in movement and only strike once they are attacked. The black mambas are not black as the names may suggest but the inside part of their mouth is black. They are largely sighted around eastern side of Uganda.

Green mambas; these are not as aggressive as the black mambas but they are poisonous. They are commonly sighted in trees, shrubs, bushes and at times in the roofs of people’s home.

Gabon viper; this features as the biggest African viper. It stretches up to two meters long, has heavy build, black and brown skin pattern with some gold on it.

Boom slang; this is a tree snake that is non fangs and it is not aggressive and yet very toxic. Others include green tree snake, mole snake, and egg eating snakes, cobras and many more.

Crocodiles; Uganda refuges the largest number of Nile crocodiles. They can be best sighted while on boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park, Kazinga channel and on Lake Mburo National Park. Nile crocodiles largely depend on fish and can also feed on mammals.

Uganda also refuges a number of lizards that come in various types. There are both water monitor and savanna monitor lizards. The water monitor lizards can be sighted along the Kazinga channel and the savanna monitor savanna.

Besides, there are also Chameleons which are credited for their camouflage. Chameleons come in various kinds and some of them include the flap necked chameleon and this is normally seen in savanna and wooded places. It stretches for around 15 cm long, bright and green in color and they can also grow twice their usual body size and can change brown under given conditions. There is also Graceful chameleon-yellow and green in color, white stripe along the flanks of it, giant chameleon.

In conclusion, the most commonly sighted reptiles in Uganda include the Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, snakes, chameleons and at times turtles.