Mole snake | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Pseudaspididae |
Genus: | Pseudaspis Fitzinger, 1843 |
Species: | P. cana |
Binomial name | |
Pseudaspis cana | |
Distribution of the mole snake | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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The mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) is a species of snake. It has been placed in the family Lamprophiidae, and more recently in the family Pseudaspididae, along with the genus Pythonodipsas . It is native to much of southern Africa, and is the only member of the genus Pseudaspis. A study showed that P. cana is caught and consumed by the honey badger, among other species. Remains of the mole snake were found in the faeces, and suggest the consumed individuals were larger specimens. [3]
P. cana was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its original binomial name was Coluber cana. Since then, it has also been called Coronella cana by André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron and Auguste Duméril in 1854, before being reclassified as Pseudaspis cana by Edward Drinker Cope in 1864. [2] P. cana is the only species in genus Pseudaspis. The genus has been placed in the family Lamprophiidae. More recently it has been placed in the family Pseudaspididae, along with the genera Buhoma and Pythonodipsas , although a 2019 study concluded that the status of Pseudaspididae "deserves to be viewed with caution", and Buhoma may not belong in the family. [4]
The mole snake can grow to a total length (including tail) of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). [5] A small head and pointed snout are characteristics of the species. [6] It has a firm, tubular body. Like the majority of the Lamprophiidae, P. cana is not venomous.
In mature individuals, the body is mostly one colour, and may vary from yellow to brown to grey, and in some cases, solid black. [5] The young have dark markings and spots that are gradually lost as the individual ages. [6] Colour may be related to geography; in the south, most specimens are black, whereas specimens found in the northern part of their range are brown, reddish-brown, grey, or yellow.
The primary food source of P. cana is golden moles (hence the common name), rodents, and other small mammals. [6] [7] For this reason, it is considered useful for the natural control of problem rodents.
Its diet may also include the eggs of seafowl. At Robben Island, mole snakes were observed eating the eggs of Spheniscus demersus (African penguin), Larus hartlaubii (Harlaub's gull), and Numida meleagris (helmeted guinea-fowl). Juveniles were observed eating Strongylopus grayii (clicking stream frogs). [8]
The mole snake is a nest predator of the Karoo prinia (Prinia maculosa). P. cana is one of at least six snake species which cause reproductive loss and decrease of nest success in P. maculosa. [9]
The range of the mole snake encompasses most of southern Africa. [5] P. cana is common in Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. [6] It is widely distributed, with a range stretching from Angola in the north to Kenya in the east to South Africa.
The mole snake lives in the abandoned burrows of other animals. It can be found in a variety of habitats, such as the scrublands of the South African Cape and the Highveld plateaux and grasslands. It has also been found in mountainous and desert areas. [7]
The mole snake is viviparous, mating takes place in late spring (October), [10] and the female gives birth to usually between 25 and 50 young, with as many as 95 possible. The young snakes are 20 to 30 cm in length at birth. [11]
The mole snake can be "quite ferocious". [7] Though not venomous, they can cause severe bite wounds. Despite this, they are said to make good pets when sufficiently settled. [7]
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana, as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa.
The NossobRiver is a dry river bed in eastern Namibia and the Kalahari region of South Africa and Botswana. It covers a distance of 740 km and last flooded in 1989. The river also lends its name to Nossob camp 25°25′18″S20°35′47″E in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
The R360 is a Regional Route in the Northern Cape of South Africa that connects Upington with the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and the Namibian border. It passes through Askham and Andriesvale.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa.
The Damaraland mole-rat, Damara mole rat or Damaraland blesmol, is a burrowing rodent found in southern Africa. Along with the smaller, less hairy, naked mole rat, it is a species of eusocial mammal.
The black-chested snake eagle or black-breasted snake eagle is a large African bird of prey of the family Accipitridae. It resembles other snake eagles and was formerly considered conspecific with the short-toed and Beaudouin's snake eagles, to which it is closely related.
The wildlife of Botswana refers to the flora and fauna of this country. Botswana is around 90% covered in savanna, varying from shrub savanna in the southwest in the dry areas to tree savanna consisting of trees and grass in the wetter areas. Even under the hot conditions of the Kalahari Desert, many species survive; in fact the country has more than 2500 species of plants and 650 species of trees. Vegetation and its wild fruits are also extremely important to rural populations living in the desert and are the principal source of food, fuel and medicine for many inhabitants.
The Karoo prinia or spotted prinia is a small passerine bird. It is a resident breeder in South Africa, Lesotho and far southern Namibia.
The wildlife of South Africa consists of the flora and fauna of this country in southern Africa. The country has a range of different habitat types and an ecologically rich and diverse wildlife, vascular plants being particularly abundant, many of them endemic to the country. There are few forested areas, much savanna grassland, semi-arid Karoo vegetation and the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Region. Famed for its national parks and big game, 297 species of mammal have been recorded in South Africa, as well as 849 species of bird and over 20,000 species of vascular plants.
Mokala National Park is a reserve established in the Plooysburg area south-west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape, South Africa on 19 June 2007. The size of the park is 26,485 hectares. Mokala is the Setswana name for the magnificent camel thorn, a tree species typical of the arid western interior and common in the area. There is currently 70 km of accessible roads in the national park.
Botswana's principal tourist attractions are its game reserves, with hunting and photographic safaris available. Other attractions include the Okavango Delta region, which during the rainy season is a maze of waterways, islands, and lakes. The tourism industry also helped to diversify Botswana's economy from traditional sources such as diamonds and beef and created 23,000 jobs in 2005.
The Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve is a lowland conservation area located in the City of Cape Town, South Africa.
The Diep River Fynbos Corridor is a nature reserve located in the Blaauwberg region of Cape Town, South Africa. It forms part of the larger Table Bay Nature Reserve, which was established in June 2012.
The Lamprophiidae are a family of snakes found throughout much of Africa, including the Seychelles. There are 89 species as of July 2022.
Pseudaspididae is a small family of elapoid snakes. They were formerly placed as a subfamily of the Lamprophiidae, but have been more recently identified as a distinct family.
The western keeled snake is a species of snake in the family Pseudaspididae. It is native to western Namibia, southwestern Angola, and southwestern Zambia, and is the only member of the genus Pythonodipsas.
Buhoma is a genus of snakes in the superfamily Elapoidea. The genus is endemic to Africa.
The Kalahari worm lizard, also known commonly as the Kalahari spade-snouted worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is indigenous to southern Africa.
Eragrostis truncata is a species of grass in the family Poaceae that is native to Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Found most abundantly in the Nama Karoo, the plant is registered under the SANBI Red List as "safe" (LC).
Namibiocesa incana is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Namibiocesa of the family Tephritidae.