Eastern Purple-glossed Snake
A rare burrowing species that is seldom encountered except after heavy rains or when soil is excavated. This snake averages around 30 cm in length, but may reach a length of 33 cm. It is usually uniform black with a purplish sheen and white to yellow flanks.
Eastern Stripe-bellied Sand Snake
Like the other sand snakes this snake is very quick and active during the day, usually disappearing into the closest shrub when disturbed. It may be locally abundant.
Eastern Tiger Snake
A slow-moving nocturnal snake that hunts for lizards, especially geckos, nestling birds, bats and small rodents. It is an excellent climber and spends its days hiding under the bark of trees or under rocks. It can often be seen crossing roads at night.
Eastern Vine Snake
This perfectly-camouflaged tree-living snake is seldom seen because of its excellent camouflage and habit of remaining very still in low shrubs, observing the ground below for passing lizards and snakes.
Fisk’s House Snake
An uncommon and secretive snake that is active at night. Most known individuals have been found crossing roads or killed by vehicles. It was first described in 1887 from Touws River and Matjiesfontein but two individuals were found near Springbok back in 1982.
Flowerpot Snake
One of few successful invasive snakes that came in with the soil of ornamental flowers, hence the common name.
Fork-marked Sand Snake
A slender, fast-moving diurnal snake that averages 50-80 cm, but may reach a length of 1.1 meters. It occurs largely in Kalahari thornveld and arid grasslands of the western Free State, Northern Cape and further north extending into Botswana and Namibia. Like many of the sand snakes, this species has stripes running down the length of the body.
Fornasini’s Beaked Blind Snake
A uniform grey to dark brown or blackish snake that may have irregular yellow blotches, especially on the throat and in the anal region. It is a small snake averaging 15 cm with a maximum length of 18 cm. This snake inhabits coastal forest and moist savanna in northern Zululand, Mozambique and south-eastern Zimbabwe.
Gaboon Adder
A large, robust adder that averages 90 – 120 cm in southern Africa. This beautifully coloured snake occurs from Mtunzini northwards into Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe and elsewhere further north.