The Cape wolf snake (''Lycophidion capense'') 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
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
,
non
venomous snake
''Venomous snakes'' are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow ...
which occurs over a wide area of Southern, Central, and East
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.
Though docile and harmless, it may be confused with the very venomous
stiletto snake.
Subspecies
The species contains three
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
, including the
nominotypical subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...
, ''L. c. capense'':
*''
Lycophidion capense capense''
*''
Lycophidion capense jacksoni''
*''
Lycophidion capense loveridgei''
''
Nota bene
( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''.
In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...
'': A
trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
other than ''Lycophidion''.
Description
Adults regularly reach 40 cm in length,
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,
while the ventral scales are all-white. Long recurved fangs are present on the upper as well as lower jaws,
for which they are named.
Diet and behaviour
They are widely distributed but prefer damp locations,
with lowland forest and fynbos being preferred habitats. They feed mostly on
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from .
Geckos are unique among lizards ...
s and
skink
Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...
s which they bite and kill by
constriction
Constriction is a method used by several snake species to kill or subdue their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom. The snake ...
.
They are believed to reach an age of 15 to 20 years.
References
Further reading
*
Boulenger GA. 1893. ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Colubridæ Aglyphæ, part.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (''Lycophidium capense'', pp. 339–340; ''Lycophidium jacksoni'', new species, p. 340 + Plate XXI, figure 3).
*
Branch, Bill. 2004. ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Lycophidion capense'', p. 76 + Plate 36).
*
Smith A. 1831. "Contributions to the Natural History of South Africa, &c". ''South African Quarterly Journal'' 1 (5): 9-24. (''Lycodon capensis'', new species, p. 18). (in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and English).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2411819
Colubridae
Snakes of Africa
Reptiles described in 1831
Taxa named by Andrew Smith (zoologist)