Includes first aid information, snake identification features, snake removals information, free information posters, and more.
PLEASE NOTE: This is an ONLINE course on Southern African snakes, that you complete via the Internet, and results in a digital certificate. To see our list of upcoming in-person courses, please go here.
Once you have signed up, you have lifetime access to the course, and are able to complete the course in your own time. (The only time constraints are on the quizzes after each module, which need to be completed in the allotted time once started.)
Snake identification can be a tricky task for beginners and even for snake enthusiasts or experts. Of the 172-odd species and subspecies that occur in Southern Africa, there are a few groups that seem to confuse people frequently.
For medical personnel, the section on the Deadly Dozen may be of particular interest. This includes key identification features for the 12 snakes whose bites are life-threatening and of medical importance. There are around 20 snake species and subspecies that may fall into this category, but their bites are not necessarily considered life-threatening.
The rest of the course covers easily confused snakes and commonly misidentified species. We include distribution maps, scale counts and a key to identification within each group. For an in-depth understanding of all the species in Southern Africa, one must dive into field guides such as A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa by Johan Marais. However, for improved general knowledge amongst enthusiasts, this course covers the important dangerous species as well as easily-confused and commonly misidentified species.
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Introduction
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Part 1 - Garden Snakes
- Introduction to Garden Snakes
- Herald Snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia)
- Common Slug-eater (Duberria lutrix)
- Brown House Snake (Boaedon capensis)
- Olive Snake (Lycodonomorphus inornatus)
- Brown Water Snake (Lycodonomorphus rufulus)
- Other Common Garden Snakes
- Advanced Snake Identification – Garden Snakes – Quiz
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Part 2 - The Deadly Dozen
- Introduction to The Deadly Dozen
- Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
- Green Mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps)
- Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)
- Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
- Forest Cobra (Naja subfulva)
- Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica)
- Black Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricincta woodi)
- Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus)
- Vine Snake (Thelotornis capensis)
- Boomslang (Dispholidus typus)
- Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)
- Gaboon Adder (Bitis gabonica)
- Advanced Snake Identification – The Deadly Dozen – Quiz
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Part 3 - Black Snakes
- Introduction to Black Snakes
- Natal Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas concolor)
- Common Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas polylepis)
- Bibron’s Stiletto Snake (Atractaspis bibronii)
- Black File Snake (Gracililima nyassae)
- Common Wolf Snake (Lycophidion capense)
- Natal Black Snake (Macrelaps microlepidotus)
- Dichotomous key to the identification of the black snakes of Southern Africa
- Advanced Snake Identification – Black Snakes – Quiz
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Part 4 - Small Patterned Snakes
- Introduction to Small Patterned Snakes
- Night Adder (Causus rhombeatus)
- Rhombic Egg-eater (Dasypeltis scabra)
- Dwarf Beaked Snake (Dipsina multimaculata)
- Spotted Skaapsteker (Psammophylax rhombeatus)
- Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana)
- Many-spotted Reed Snake (Amplorhinus multimaculatus)
- Comparison of Small Patterned Snakes
- Advanced Snake Identification – Small Patterned Snakes – Quiz
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Part 5 - Sand and Grass Snakes
- Introduction to Sand and Grass Snakes
- Karoo Sand Snake (Psammophis notostictus)
- Cape Sand Snake (Psammophis leightoni)
- Cross-marked Grass Snake (Psammophis crucifer)
- Fork-marked Sand Snake (Psammophis trinasalis)
- Olive Grass Snake (Psammophis mossambicus)
- Short-snouted Grass Snake (Psammophis brevirostris)
- Western Yellow-bellied Sand Snake (Psammophis subtaeniatus)
- Dwarf Sand Snake (Psammophis angolensis)
- Namib Sand Snake (Psammophis namibensis)
- Leopard Sand Snake (Psammophis leopardinus)
- Skaapstekers (Psammophylax spp.)
- Advanced Snake Identification – Sand and Grass Snakes – Quiz
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Part 6 - Green Snakes
- Introduction to Green Snakes
- Many-spotted Reed Snake (Amplorhinus multimaculatus)
- Ornate Green Snake (Philothamnus ornatus)
- Angolan Green Snake (Philothamnus angolensis)
- Green Water Snake (Philothamnus hoplogaster)
- Eastern Natal Green Snake (Philothamnus natalensis)
- Western Natal Green Snake (Philothamnus occidentalis)
- Spotted Bush Snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus)
- Dichotomous key to the identification of the Philothamnus species of Southern Africa
- Advanced Snake Identification – Green Snakes – Quiz
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Part 7 - The Coral Clash
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Part 8 - Dwarf Adders
- Introduction to Dwarf Adders
- Albany Adder (Bitis albanica)
- Southern Adder (Bitis armata)
- Berg Adder (Bitis atropos)
- Horned Adder (Bitis caudalis)
- Many-horned Adder (Bitis cornuta)
- Plain Mountain Adder (Bitis inornata)
- Péringuey’s Adder (Bitis peringueyi)
- Red Adder (Bitis rubida)
- Namaqua Dwarf Adder (Bitis schneideri)
- Desert Mountain Adder (Bitis xeropaga)
- Advanced Snake Identification – Dwarf Adders – Quiz
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