(This snake was spotted at the River Lodge of Ezulwini Lodges, located in a reserve in South Africa just outside Kruger National Park)

Atractaspis bibronii

This Stiletto snake is dark above, usually purple-brown to black and below it could vary from cream colour to brown or even black. In this case we can see in one of the 3 photos that the snake has a creamy white belly. When this snake is ready to shed it's skin it might seem that the above colour has a bluish tint to it. This snake has small eyes, and can sometimes be spotted on warm wet evenings as it is mostly a nocturnal snake. Adult snakes can reach up to 70 cm.

It is found in a wide range of biomes, including lowland forest, moist savanna, dry savanna, karoo scrubland, grassland, fynbos and the Namib desert. These snakes like to inhabit termite mounds or can be found under rocks and logs. In South Africa this snake can be found mostly in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

The Stiletto Snake has a really unique way of hunting, due to the unique fangs. The fangs in the mouth lay horizontally, pointing diagonally backwards toward the back corners of the mouth. These are not hinged fangs like those of adders. These back facing fangs make it impossible to handle this snake safely, as you cannot grip it behind the head as usual. The snake can just twist it's head sideways and pierce your finger with its painful venom. It usualy hunts while underground, all it does is move next to its prey in the burrow and protrudes it's fangs, stabbing it from the side.
The stiletto mainly feeds on frogs, rodents and burrowing reptiles. Most of these taken underground in burrows.

This snake bites readily, and the venom has an effect of local pain and swelling, often necrosis and leads to loss of fingers. Mild neurotoxic symptoms also takes effect and the victim might experience nausea and dry throaght. Antivenom is not effective and bites should be treated symptomatically. Many people get bitten by this snake as it seems harmless, always be carefull with all snakes.

Scale count at midbody are in 21 to 23 rows with 196 to 260 ventral scales and 18 to 28 subcaudals. The anal shield is entire.

This snake is also known as Bibron's Stiletto Snake, or Bibron's Burrowing Asp or Side-stabbing Snake or Burrowing Adder or Mole Viper. The Afrikaans name is Suidelike Sypikslang.

Louis van Niekerk

 

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