''Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia'', commonly known as the herald snake or the red-lipped snake, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of snake in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

Description

''Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia'' can be identified by its olive green or grey body, multiple white speckles, distinctive black head, and red, yellow, white, or black upper lip. It can grow to an average total length (including tail) of , but may reach up to 1 metre (39 inches) in total length.

Diet

''C. hotamboeia'' feeds on amphibians (including rain frogs), lizards, and other snakes (only in captivity).

Longevity

The red-lipped snake has been known to live for between 10 and 15 years.

Reproduction

Adult females of ''C. hotamboeia'' lay between 6 and 19 eggs in early summer."''Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia'' ". Biodiversity Explorer, the Web of Life in Southern Africa. http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/reptiles/squamata/serpentes/colubridae/crotaphopeltis_hotamboeia.htm

Geographic range

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

, the herald snake is present in

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, throughout

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

(except for the Karoo and Northern Cape) as well as

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, southern and central

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, and northern

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Habitat

The herald snake favors marshy areas in lowland forest, moist savanna, grasslands, and

fynbos Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ...

References

External links

* Crotaphopeltis Snakes of Africa Reptiles of Angola Reptiles of Botswana Reptiles of Cameroon Reptiles of the Central African Republic Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Reptiles of Eswatini Reptiles of Ethiopia Reptiles of Gabon Reptiles of Kenya Reptiles of Lesotho Reptiles of Malawi Reptiles of Mozambique Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles of the Republic of the Congo Reptiles of Somalia Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles of Tanzania Reptiles of West Africa Reptiles of Zambia Taxa named by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti Reptiles described in 1768 {{Colubrinae-stub