Savanna Vine Snake
- Thelotornis capensis
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Threat: unconfirmed
- Venom/Toxin: none
- Trend: stable
General Information
The savanna vine snake or southern vine snake (Thelotornis capensis) is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Colubridae.
Description
Thelotornis capensis is slender and has a long tail. The longest museum specimen is a male with a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 106 cm, a tail 62 cm long, and a combined total length of 168 cm.
Ecology & Behaviour
This species inhabits savanna, coastal thicket and forest fringe (Branch 1998). It prefers low shrubs, bushes and dead trees upon which to rest (Marais 1992). The common name ‘bird snake’ is probably an inaccurate description of its feeding habits, as it appears to hunt both at ground level and in trees, and is therefore not restricted to only arboreal foraging (Shine et al. 1996). This species is diurnal and oviparous, with clutch sizes of 4–13 eggs (Spawls et al. 2002).
Reproduction
Thelotornis capensis is oviparous. The eggs are elongated and rather small, each measuring on average 36 mm long and 16 mm wide.
Distribtion & Habitat
Thelotornis capensis is found in southern Africa.
References
Share:
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Squamata
- Suborder: Serpentes
- Family: Colubridae
- Genus: Thelotornis
- Length: up to 170 cm
