Snake charming charmers may also use Russell's vipers. Indian and Burmese pythons, and even mangrove snakes are also encountered, though they are not as popular. In North Africa, the Egyptian cobra, puff adder, carpet viper and horned desert viper are commonly featured in performances. Except for the pythons and mangrove snakes, all of these species are highly venomous. At home, snake charmers keep their animals in containers such as baskets, boxes, pots, or sacks. For safety, some North African snake charmers stitch closed the mouth of their performing snakes, leaving just enough opening for the animal to be able to move its
Many-banded snake Many-banded snake The many-banded snake ("Naja multifasciata") is a species of venomous elapid snake. The species is found in the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in Africa. Despite the common name, the species is not actually banded, but overall iridescent black, with cream colored blotching on each scale. The snakes grow to approximately in length. Not much is known about their venom, but it is likely a neurotoxin, like many other elapid snakes. The genus "Paranaja" was synonymised with "Naja" in a recent molecular phylogenetic study, as this species is closely related to the forest