Fossorial snakes
Text and photographs Nick Evans
In this edition of The Leopard’s Echo, we’re taking a look at fossorial species snakes found in the Kloof and surrounding areas.
Natal Black Snake moving through leaf litter
Fossorial species of snakes are snakes which spend most, but not all, of their time underground. They do not dig burrows or make dens to they live in. I know many people worry when they find a hole in the garden, assuming it is a snake. Snakes aren’t built too well for digging, lacking the crucial limbs to do so. Holes in the lawn, or elsewhere in the garden, are usually home to freshwater crabs or even toads. Fossorial snake species usually shove their way through soft soils, or under leaf litter. They will also spend a lot of time taking refuge under rocks and logs.
These snakes generally have small or the tiniest of eyes. There’s not much use for them underground. However, like with all snakes, their sense of smell is excellent.
Let’s start with a large, commonly seen species in the Upper Highway Area…
Natal Black Snake (Macrelaps microlepidotus)
With the rainy season upon us, the Natal Black Snake becomes an increasingly common snake in the summer months.
They spend a lot of their time underground, and are rarely seen in the winter months. However, after the spring rains, these snakes become very active as the ground becomes waterlogged, and are often seen crossing roads, or passing through gardens.
Natal Black Snakes get quite large, over a meter in length, and they get rather chunky. They are very often confused for Black Mambas due to their size, as they’re certainly larger than the ‘average garden snake’. However, an adult Black Mamba, over 2m in length, makes a Natal Black Snake look very small.
Natal Black Snakes are pitch black, on top and on the belly, with a bit of a shiny appearance. Black Mambas are more of a grey colour, with a white belly, and a matt appearance.
Natal Black Snakes are quite slow-moving snakes. As they move, their pinkish/red tongue, which they flicker out as they move, is quite noticeable. They cruise around hunting other snakes (I’ve received a few photos of them eating Brown House Snakes), Rain Frogs (Breviceps spp.) and rodents.
The Kloof and Highway area is Durban’s hot spot for this species. They’re seen occasionally in Westville, Cowies Hill, Pinetown, but not too often anywhere else. They seem to like the slightly cooler and damp environments around Kloof.
Regarding the venom of the Natal Black Snake…
Very little is known about this species venom, apart from the fact that they do have some. The good news is, one reason why so little is known about its venom, is because it almost never bites – not that you should ever pick one up. There is one recorded case, but the details are a bit sketchy. These snakes are extremely docile. Snake-handlers regularly pick them up and handle them without consequence, although again, please don’t try this. I have never heard of a dog or cat being bitten either. These snakes can, however, give off a bad smell to try and deter people/predators, but it’s nothing of major concern.
A juvenile Natal Black Snake
The next snake is quite an infamous one…
Bibron’s Stiletto Snake (Atractaspis bibronii)
From my personal experience, through the snake removal industry and the identification requests I get, I can’t recall ever getting a picture of a Stiletto Snake sent to me from Kloof. I’m sure they’re around, but they do not seem too common. However, they are common in surrounding areas, further west and east. They too become active in the warmer, wetter months.
The Stiletto Snake bites more people in Durban than any other. This most certainly does not mean that it is an aggressive species, nor do they attack people. The reason it bites so many people, is because so many people pick it up! Stiletto Snakes do not look dangerous. They don’t have an intimidating defensive display, and adults are only around 30-40cm in length. So, often, when people see this species, they assume it can’t possibly be venomous, and they pick it up. They pick it up either out of curiosity, confuse it with a harmless species, or due to excessive alcohol intake, or because they want to help the snake, and move it to safety. Unfortunately, no snake knows when a human is trying to help or not. If you pick up this snake, it will bite you. I do document accidental bite cases, such as when a person steps on this snake. But the vast majority are people picking them up.
The venom of the Stiletto Snake is thankfully not life-threatening. However, its cytotoxic venom causes a lot of pain, mild (usually) swelling, and necrosis (tissue damage). It can result in the loss of the tip of a finger, or even half a finger in severe cases. Anti-venom is not used to treat this snakes venom, as it is not needed nor effective. Should anyone get bitten by this snake, it is imperative the patient gets medical attention. Strong painkillers will be welcomed, and you do not want the venom to cause more damage than necessary, as it would if left untreated.
Dogs get bitten often, while killing the snake. Bites on dogs don’t usually result in more than swelling and pain, which they recover from just fine after a visit or two to the vet.
Another mistake people make with the Stiletto Snake, is that they can hold it behind the head, as snake-catchers do with mambas etc. You cannot! The Stiletto Snakes fangs protrude out the sides of their mouths (see above image), making it easy for them to puncture pressing fingers at the back of their heads. Picking this small snake up by the tail will also likely result in a bite.
Stiletto Snakes resemble Natal Black Snakes, although they’re not quite as dark as them. They’re more of a brownish-black, and the belly is paler.
One characteristic to look out for, is the Stiletto’s defensive behaviour. Should it feel threatened, this snake will arch its neck up, with its snout in the ground. It thrashes from side to side, which is how they bite.
Stiletto Snakes feed on other snakes, especially Thread/Worm Snakes, but I’ve seen one regurgitate a hatchling Night Adder. They’ll also eat legless lizards. In captivity they’ll even take juvenile mice.
Arching the neck, the defensive behaviour of the Stiletto Snake.
*Should you hear of any bites from this species in KZN, or any venomous snake, I’d be interested to hear about it. I try to keep a database of snakebite records here. No personal information needed. I just look for details such as the area it happened, date, approximate time, and how it happened. I also record clashes between venomous snakes and dogs in the Greater Durban Area. Please feel free to email me details at nickevanskzn@gmail.com.
The following snake causes a surprising amount of fear among many people in Durban, but it is totally harmless…
Peter’s Thread/Worm Snake (Leptotyphlops scutifrons)
An adult Thread Snake- they’re absolutely tiny!
Thread Snakes are the smallest species of snakes in South Africa. They’re usually around 10-15cm in length- they really are tiny. Many people confuse them for worms, fairly so. However, some people are absolutely terrified of them. I remember one man locking his family in the bathroom because one of these were in the house!
These snakes are so small, it is difficult for a snake handler to pick them up. The best thing to do is to sweep them gently out into the garden with a broom.
One characteristic people often notice, is the wriggly way in which these snakes move. They’re black in colour, and shiny too. These snakes are non-venomous, and are incapable of biting.
These tiny snakes are useful to have around, as they feed on ants and termites, as well as their larvae. Although they spend the vast majority of their time underground, they frequently enter homes. I’m often puzzled as to how, or even why. Perhaps they’re following their food.
The Thread Snake may look like a worm, but the following looks similar to a giant earthworm.
Bibron’s Blind Snake (Afrotyphlops bibronii)
As their name suggests, they’re almost completely blind. Their eyes are covered by scales and are barely visible. Their snouts are solid, perfectly adapted for shoving their way through soil.
This species is a lot larger than the Thread Snake, with adults averaging 30-40cm in length. They too spend most of their time underground, but are often flushed out after heavy rains. They’re also often found under rocks. Like the Thread Snake, it is non-venomous and incapable of biting. Their diet is the same as that of the Thread Snakes.
I contemplated whether including the following snake or not, as I wouldn’t say it is truly fossorial, but its behaviour is close-enough to gain its inclusion.
Black-headed Centipede-eater (Aparallactus capensis)
Black-headed Centipede-eaters aren’t burrowers, but they spend most of their time under rotting logs, rocks, in leaf-litter and in termite mounds. They are commonly encountered throughout the Greater Durban Area.
The Centipede-eater is another small snake, usually 20-30cm in length. They’re quite easy to identify. Their head is not distinctive in shape, but certainly in colour. The body is brown, but the top of the head is black, with a patch on the back of the neck too.
There’s no guessing what this snake feeds on…
This species of snake has a very mild venom, which poses no threat at all to people. It is instead used to kill their prey, which they chew on, and eventually eat head first. I have heard, though, that this snake can get eaten by the centipede! Strange.
So now you know a little bit more about the fossorial snakes of the area. All I can ask is, please, avoid picking any up by hand, in case you pick up ‘the wrong one’. I suspect many won’t need such a warning. So far, at the time of writing this article (late October), Stiletto bites have yet to properly start, as they do so seasonally. I don’t want any readers being a statistic! If you’re unsure of the snake you encounter, feel free to take a photo and send it to a snake remover for identification.
About the author
Nick Evans runs KZN Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. He spends most of his time teaching people about snakes across the province, and removing unwanted snakes from homes in the Greater Durban Area. But he has always had a love for chameleons, and spends many evenings looking for them, whether it’s just for ‘fun’ or whether its to survey populations. You can also watch Nick in the series “Snake Season” on People’s Weather (DStv 180 and Openview 115).
Facebook: @KZNHerpConservation
Instagram: @nickevanskzn
Youtube: Nick Evans – Snake rescuer