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RUFOUS BEAKED SNAKE
Rhamphiophis rostratus It is quite easy to identify this snake by its prominent hooked beak. The second most prominent feature is the dark line on either side of the head starting from the nostril to the back of the eye. The eyes are big and they have round pupils. Not all specimens are dotted like the one in this picture. If you look closely, you will see that each scale is darkly edged. Adult snakes can reach up to 1.6 meters. This is a diurnal snake, but spends most of its time underground in mole tunnels or termite mounds. This is a terrestrial snake. It would be found in the Kruger Park and the most northern parts of South Africa into Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It prefers bushveld biomes. It feeds on rodents, lizards, birds, amphibians and occasionally insects. Although this snake is mildly venomous it poses no danger to man and hardly even attempts to bite. Scale count at midbody are 17-19 rows. 148-194 Ventral scales and 87-118 subcaudals. The anal shield is divided Louis van Niekerk For more info and pics about this snake and other snakes of South Africa, please visit my Facebook group at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=96621376042
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