Cape wolf snake | |
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At Lower Sabie, southern Kruger National Park | |
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Ventral aspect on an individual from Pretoria, Gauteng | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Lamprophiidae |
Genus: | Lycophidion |
Species: | L. capense
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Binomial name | |
Lycophidion capense | |
| |
IUCN range
Extant (resident)
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Synonyms | |
The Cape wolf snake (Lycophidion capense) is a species of oviparous, [2] [3] non venomous snake which occurs over a wide area of Southern, Central, and East Africa. [2] [4] Though docile and harmless, it may be confused with the very venomous stiletto snake. [5]
The species contains three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, L. c. capense: [2]
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Lycophidion.
Adults regularly reach 40 cm in length, [5] but some grow to 64 cm. It has a flattened, tapering head and marbled eye. The brown or black lateral and dorsal scales are tipped white, [6] while the ventral scales are all-white. Long recurved fangs are present on the upper as well as lower jaws, [5] for which they are named.
They are widely distributed but prefer damp locations, [5] with lowland forest and fynbos being preferred habitats. They feed mostly on geckos and skinks which they bite and kill by constriction. [3] They are believed to reach an age of 15 to 20 years. [6]
Cape wolf snake | |
---|---|
![]() | |
At Lower Sabie, southern Kruger National Park | |
![]() | |
Ventral aspect on an individual from Pretoria, Gauteng | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Lamprophiidae |
Genus: | Lycophidion |
Species: | L. capense
|
Binomial name | |
Lycophidion capense | |
| |
IUCN range
Extant (resident)
| |
Synonyms | |
The Cape wolf snake (Lycophidion capense) is a species of oviparous, [2] [3] non venomous snake which occurs over a wide area of Southern, Central, and East Africa. [2] [4] Though docile and harmless, it may be confused with the very venomous stiletto snake. [5]
The species contains three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, L. c. capense: [2]
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Lycophidion.
Adults regularly reach 40 cm in length, [5] but some grow to 64 cm. It has a flattened, tapering head and marbled eye. The brown or black lateral and dorsal scales are tipped white, [6] while the ventral scales are all-white. Long recurved fangs are present on the upper as well as lower jaws, [5] for which they are named.
They are widely distributed but prefer damp locations, [5] with lowland forest and fynbos being preferred habitats. They feed mostly on geckos and skinks which they bite and kill by constriction. [3] They are believed to reach an age of 15 to 20 years. [6]