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I am lucky enough to work on a wetland and one of the workers brought me a beautiful snake that I'm unable to identify. It was approximately 30cm long, rich olive grey-green dorsally with a creamy yellow belly. No distinctive markings but a very bright orange tongue!

I wanted to fetch my camera but the snake seemed traumatised - I'm not sure how gently it was treated during capture but I figured a speedy release would be best!

Any ideas what we found? I imagine a common type of grass snake? I find so many amazing creatures all the time and I'd love to start cataloguing them.

Hi and welcome Laurenb.
No picture hey?

House snakes?

I think we have a winner! Olive house snake - thank you so much for your help!

@ Elsa Not a black mamba ... young mambas are spittiing images of their parents...

@ Magaff Not a Mozabique spitting cobra but either a short snouted whip or olive whip snake

@ Tilandi Southern African python

Thanks Pilane

RosemaryH & Elsa. This is definitely a Black Mamba. I have seen many up close. They are more vividly coloured when young, especially after sloughing.

Needless to say, mambas should always be treated with respect, because it does not take much to provoke them to defend themselves.

Agama

Hi all,

I discovered two feisty snakes on my wetland this morning and I would really appreciate some help in identifying them.

The first snake was dark brown with 2 light brown lines running the length of the body, the second was olive grey with red-brown diamond-like patterns down the sides. Both were aggressive, approximately 30-40cm in length, prominent eyes and mottled cream underbellies.

I read that night adders have a distinctive 'V' on their neck but it was low behind the head of the first and absent on the second. I must be mistaken on the ID, can anyone assist?

I did manage to get a picture but I can only download tomorrow. I'm too curious to wait until then though!

laurenb, Please post the photographs. It is difficult to interpret someones description as can be seen on the first post in this thread. Sincerely, Agama

could somebody help me identify this junior snake?

http://www.sendspace.com/file/c9wih0

about three weeks ago it was picked up by one of the KGA staff in Nossob camp because allegedly little kids were playing with it. while I was on a game drive the junior ranger who was on her way back to Twee handed the snake over the senior ranger who then gave us a nice little lecture about it. he did mention its name and that it was venomous but I must say I forgot it (it was not a puff adder or any other familiar name, that I would have remembered)

thanks

A juvenile molesnake. A non-venomous species.

Agama

I don't know...if it was a non-venomous snake why bother and send a ranger up from Twee to pick it up? I know as a fact that the ranger on the video said it was a venomous snake (though probably not very dangerous for humans) - and opposite to some other rangers I've come across during my visits to ZA this guy seemed to know what he was talking about

The snake in a way resembles the Dwarf Beaked Snake (Dipsina multimaculata), mildly venomous, that is found in the same region. On the following link you can see what the dwarf beaked snake looks like. The one on the video is a Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana) showing the typical juvenile pattern.

link

Enter the virtual museum. Under genus highlight: Colubridae Dipsina, and press search.

Agama

well, whatever he said it sounded definitly more like Dwarf Beaked Snake than mole snake...I will see if I can send the video sample to the ranger station in Twee, probably the tour guide can comment