Long-tailed Garter Snake
One of the larger Garter snakes that averages 50 cm but may reach 1 m in length. It is confined to the wetter central eastern parts of southern Africa and is active at night.
Southern Africa has just over 170 different types of snakes with around 11% considered potentially deadly. Adults may differ dramatically in colour and markings and juveniles usually resemble the adults but again may differ in colour, making identification problematic.
One of the larger Garter snakes that averages 50 cm but may reach 1 m in length. It is confined to the wetter central eastern parts of southern Africa and is active at night.
One of the larger thread snakes averaging 15–20 cm with a maximum length of 25.5 cm. It is lilac grey to flesh pink in colour with a uniform grey to pink belly.
A small adder that averages 30 – 40 cm, but may reach up to 75 cm, with characteristic clusters of horns above each eye. This is a common snake in Namaqualand and extends into southern Namibia. Though largely active at night, it is fond of basking during the day. It favours rocky areas and gravel flats. This little adder is often seen crossing roads in summer and many individuals are killed by passing vehicles.
A slow-moving somewhat secretive snake but locally common and may be mistaken for a Spotted Skaapsteker. Adults average around 40 cm, but may reach a length of 63 cm. This snake is often found in reed beds and riverine vegetation but also found in fynbos and montane grassland.
This attractive nocturnal snake averages 50 – 60 cm but may reach 85 cm in length. Adults are red-brown to light brown with faint whitish crossbars, but juveniles may have very dark crossbars. It is an excellent climber that often shelters in hollow trees or under loose bark, as well as in thatched roofs. It hunts for lizards, especially geckos, and frogs at night.
The Mole snake is a muscular day-active snake that spends much of its time down rodent burrows in search of food. It is widespread and occurs throughout most of Southern Africa. It is often encountered in the Cape, but not seen commonly elsewhere in the country.
The Mozambique Spitting Cobra occurs on the eastern side of South Africa, most of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, north-eastern Botswana, northern Namibia and further north in Africa. Its diet consists largely of frogs, small mammals, birds and snakes, including the Puff Adder. It is active on overcast days, but more active at night, often ending up in houses where people are bitten while asleep.
This is the smallest adder in the world, averaging around 15-20 cm in length. It occurs in coastal dunes in Namaqualand and southern Namibia where it feeds on lizards and rain frogs. It is preyed upon by a variety of small carnivores and predatory birds as well as other snakes, but the biggest threat comes from habitat destruction, crossing roads and illegal collecting for the pet trade.
A long and slender snake that averages 50-80 cm with a maximum length of 1.4 m. It has a light W pattern on the side of the head behind the eye. It occurs in arid Namib Desert and Karoo vegetation at low altitudes on the west coast of Namibia. The Namib Sand Snake hunts for lizards, rodents and snakes during the day, often with the front third of the body well off the ground.
A secretive snake that spends most of its life underground in the cooler regions of coastal KZN and the Eastern Cape. This snake may be found under rotting logs or when doing excavations, otherwise it moves about slowly on warm, overcast days. It is also a good swimmer. The Natal Black Snake feeds on frogs, legless lizards and small rodents and is known to take carrion.