Mole Snake

Afrikaans name: Molslang

Mole Snake

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Pseudaspis cana

Mole Snakes are large and potentially aggressive snakes that can deliver a painful, if not poisonous, bite.

These are large snakes that can reach a length of over 2 metres but most are around 1.4 metres.

Mole Snakes are found in a variety of colours from beige to blackish. They have a powerful body with a blunt nose which is an adaptation for burrowing.

As their name suggests they feed on moles but will take other small mammals. Eggs are also sometimes taken. Juveniles may eat other small reptiles.

Adult male Mole Snakes may fight viciously over females during the breeding season. Females can give birth to up to 50 live young.

References and further reading

Wild About Johannesburg - Author: Duncan Butchart - Published: 1995 - Page: 67

Wildlife of the Cape Peninsula - Author: Duncan Butchart - Published: 2001 - Page: 75

The Sandton Field Guide - Author: Sandton Nature Conservation Society - Published: 1982 - Page: 76

The Reptiles of the Kruger National Park - Author: U. de V. Pienaar, WD Haacke and NHG Jacobsen - Published: 1983 - Page: 154

Southern African Wildlife - Author: Readers Digest - Published: 1989 - Page: 216

Snakes of Africa - Author: R.M. Isemonger - Published: 1983 - Page: 130

Snakes & Snakebite in Southern Africa - 2nd edition - Author: Johan Marais - Published: 2014 - Page: 106

Sasol First Field Guide to Snakes & other Reptiles of Southern Africa - 2nd edit - Author: Tracey Hawthorne - Published: 2016 - Page: 24

Kruger National Park Map - 2010 - Author: Joy Frandsen - Published: 2010 - Page: 10

Questions and Answers - Snakes and Reptiles of Southern Africa - Author: John Comrie-Greig - Published: 1992 - Page: 27

Reptiles & Amphibians of Southern Africa - Author: Warren Schmidt - Published: 2006 - Page: 13

Reptiles & Amphibians of Southern Africa - Author: Warren Schmidt - Published: 2006 - Page: 23

Reptiles of Southern Africa - Author: Rod Patterson and Anothony Bannister - Published: 1987 - Page: 72

Illustrated Guide to the Game Parks and Nature Reserves of SA - 2nd edn - Author: Readers Digest - Published: 1991 - Page: 406

Field Guide to the West Coast - Author: H. Marshall and B. Mommsen - Published: 1994 - Page: 80

go! - Issue 147 - Author: - Published: 2018 - Page: 10

Field Guide to Fynbos Fauna - Author: Cliff & Suretha Dorse - Published: 2023 - Page: 110

Bill Branchs Field Guide to the Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa - Author: Bill Branch - Published: 1988 - Page: 63

A Field Guide to the Eastern Cape Coast - Author: R. Lubke, F. Gess & M. Bruton - Published: 1988 - Page: 259

A Field Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa - Author: V.F.M. Fitzsimmons - Published: 1970 - Page: 106

A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa - Author: Graham Alexander and Johan Marais - Published: 2007 - Page: 99

The Reptile Database

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