Mole Snake

Fascinating facts about the Mole Snake

• In 1758 Carl Linnaeus first named this snake Coluber cana, and by 1864 Edward Cope had moved it into the lone genus Pseudaspis.
• A single adult can stretch up to 2 metres (about 6 ft 7 in), a length comparable to a garden hose laid flat, yet its slender, tubular body lets it slip into abandoned burrows where most predators can’t follow.
• A study showed that honey badgers consume mole snakes, and fecal analysis suggested the consumed individuals were larger specimens.
• Females give birth in late spring (October) to litters of 25-50 neonates, and in exceptional cases up to 95, each newborn measuring just 20-30 cm – roughly the length of a school ruler.
• Beyond hunting golden moles, these snakes raid seabird colonies on Robben Island, devouring Cape weaver and cormorant chicks as well as penguin, gull and guineafowl eggs, highlighting their role as unexpected nest predators in coastal ecosystems.

At a glance

About the Mole Snake

The mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) is a sleek, tubular predator that can reach a total length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its small head and pointed snout give it a streamlined silhouette, while its coloration shifts with geography: southern specimens often appear solid black, whereas those from the north display shades of yellow, brown, reddish-brown or grey. Juveniles are marked with dark spots that fade as they mature, and the species is non-venomous, a trait shared with most Lamprophiidae. It spends much of its life in the abandoned burrows of other animals, navigating the scrublands of the South African Cape, the Highveld plateaux, grasslands, mountainous terrain and even desert expanses across a range that stretches from Angola to Kenya and down to South Africa, where it is common in places like Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. A specialist hunter of golden moles, rodents and other small mammals, the mole snake also opportunistically raids nests, feeding on the eggs and chicks of seafowl such as African penguins, Hartlaub's gulls and helmeted guineafowl, and even preys on the nestlings of the Karoo prinia. Its diet occasionally expands to include clicking stream frogs in juveniles and occasional seabird chicks on Robben Island. Viviparous and prolific, females mate in late spring (October) and give birth to 25-50, sometimes up to 95, young that emerge at 20-30 cm in length. Despite being non-venomous, they can deliver a severe bite, a surprising ferocity that belies their reputation as potential pets once settled.

More reptiles to discover

Browse Feravox