Brown House Snake

Name

Brown House Snake [Boaedon capensis]

Appearance

The Brown House Snake is a large house snake that has a head and scales that is easily identifiable. It has a uniform red-brown colour that gets darker with the snake’s age with some individuals appearing almost black in colour. The Brown House Snake has light brown/ beige stripes that stretches from its head along the sides of its body.

Diet

The Brown House Snake has a diet that consists mainly of lizards and small rodents. It does not have any venom so it bites onto its prey, suffocating it before swallowing whole.

Distribution

The Brown House Snake has a wide area they can be found in all throughout South Africa. As the name suggests, the Brown House Snake is quite common in South African Homes. Brown House Snakes are harmless snakes and do not pose a threat to inhabitants.

Breeding

Females lay their eggs in the summer months. She lays a maximum of 16 eggs in a clutch and the eggs take up to 90 days to develop, with the younglings reaching a length of 260mm.