| Common slug eater | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Pseudoxyrhophiidae |
| Subfamily: | Amplorhininae |
| Genus: | Duberria |
| Species: | D. lutrix |
| Binomial name | |
| Duberria lutrix | |
| Synonyms | |
Duberria lutrix, or the common slug eater, is a small, ovoviviparous, [4] molluscivorous, non-venomous snake, which is endemic to Africa.
Adults can be up to thirty to forty cm (approximately twelve to sixteen inches). [5]
The common slug eater's colour can vary, but they typically have an olive green to brown or russet back, grey flanks, a yellowish or cream belly, and a black, more or less complete, vertebral stripe.
This species is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. [6]
Six subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.
As the name implies, the common slug eater is a specialised predator and feeds on snails and slugs, mostly finding its prey through chemoreception, using its tongue. It swallows its prey quickly before too much defensive mucus is produced, extracting snails from their shells through the shell opening, or by smashing the shell against a rock while grasping the soft body in its jaws. [7]
The common slug eater usually gives birth to litters of three to twelve young. [8] [9] However, broods from large females may consist of as many as 22 newborns, each measuring eight to eleven cm (3⅛-4¼ inches). The total combined weight of the young may exceed the weight of the female after giving birth. Birthing season is January and February (late summer in southern Africa). [10]
The snake is a popular pet, which feeds and breeds readily, and because of the nature of its prey item, it is easy to keep. [11]
When alarmed, the snake secretes a noxious substance from glands near the base of the tail and rolls up into a defensive spiral with the head in the middle, leading to the Afrikaans common name tabakrolletjie ("tobacco roll"). [12]
Ptenopus is a small genus of lizards, known commonly as barking geckos, in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa. There are only three described species in this genus.
Dasypeltis is a genus of colubrid snakes. It is one of only two taxonomic groups of snakes known to have adapted to feed exclusively on eggs. Dasypeltis are non-venomous and found throughout the continent of Africa, primarily in forested or wooded habitats that are also home to numerous species of birds.
Atractaspis bibronii is a species of venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is endemic to Africa. There are no subspecies that are recognised as being valid. Its common names are the Southern stiletto snake, Bibron's stiletto snake, Side-stabbing snake; previously it was known as Bibron's burrowing asp, Bibron's mole viper, and the mole adder.
Dasypeltis scabra, known as the common egg eater, egg-eating snake or rhombic egg eater, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to Africa.
Storeria dekayi, commonly known as De Kay's brown snake, De Kay's snake, and simply the brown snake, is a small non-venomous species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America and Central America.
The berg adder is a venomous viper species endemic to mountainous regions in southern Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.
The rinkhals, also known as the ringhals or ring-necked spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found in parts of southern Africa. It is not a true cobra in that it does not belong to the genus Naja, but instead belongs to the monotypic genus Hemachatus. While rinkhals bear a great resemblance to true cobras they also possess some remarkable differences from these, resulting in their placement outside the genus Naja. In 2023, the Zimbabwe population was described as a new species, H. nyangensis.
Aparallactus is a genus of rear-fanged mildly venomous snakes found in Africa. Currently, 11 species are recognized.
Lycophidion is a genus of nonvenomous lamprophiid snakes commonly referred to as the wolf snakes.
The Cape wolf snake is a species of oviparous, nonvenomous snake which occurs over a wide area of Southern, Central, and East Africa. Though docile and harmless, it may be confused with the very venomous stiletto snake.
The rufous beaked snake is a species of mildly venomous snake in the family Psammophiidae. The species is native to East Africa. Its common name refers to its hooked snout, which it uses to dig burrows, and to its reddish-brown dorsal coloration. It hunts small animals during the day with the help of its venomous bite.
The flap-necked chameleon is a species of arboreal chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. There are eight recognized subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Aparallactus guentheri, or the black centipede-eater, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is endemic to Africa.
The serrated hinged terrapin is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. The species is native to East Africa and Southern Africa. There are two recognised subspecies.
Anchieta's cobra, sometimes referred to as the Angolan cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.
Chirindia is a genus of amphisbaenians in the family Amphisbaenidae. Commonly known as pink round-headed worm lizards, species in the genus Chirindia are native to East Africa and southern Africa, from Tanzania to South Africa. They are unpigmented worm lizards with rounded heads, and extensive fusion of the head shields.
Lycodonomorphus inornatus, commonly known as the olive house snake, the black house snake, and the olive ground snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa. It is a nocturnal snake with terrestrial habits.
Elapsoidea sundevallii, also known commonly as Sundevall's garter snake or African garter snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Southern Africa. There are five recognised subspecies.
