Snakes
Botswana's snakes are incredibly diverse. The vibrant Boomslang, deadly Black Mamba and harmless Brown House Snake all call this place home. Sizes range from the tiny Thread Snake to the massive Southern African Python; each species, with its unique patterns, venom, colours and lifestyle, contributes to Botswana's rich biodiversity.
Viperidae (3)
Puff Adder (Bitis arietans)
Horned Adder (Bitis caudalis)
Common Night Adder (Causus rhombeatus)
Elapidae (10)
Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea)
Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
Anchieta’s Cobra (Naja anchietae)
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica)
Black Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricincta woodi)
Speckled Shield-nosed Snake (Aspidelaps scutatus scutatus)
Angolan Garter Snake (Elapsoidea semiannulata)
Boulenger’s Garter Snake (Elapsoidea boulengeri)
Sundevall’s Garter Snake (Elapsoidea sundevallii sundevallii)
Colubridae (12)
Boomslang (Dispholidus typus)
Southern Vine Snake (Thelotornis capensis)
Oate’s Vine Snake (Thelotornis capensis oatesi)
Eastern Tiger Snake (Telescopus semiannulatus semiannulatus)
Herald Snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia)
Barotse Water Snake (Crotaphopeltis barotseensis)
Spotted Bush Snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus)
Green Water Snake (Philothamnus hoplogaster)
Angola Green Snake (Philothamnus angolensis)
Ornate Green Snake (Philothamnus ornatus)
Common Egg Eater (Dasypeltis scabra)
Semiornate Snake (Meizodon semiornatus)
Atractaspididae (8)
Bibrons Stiletto Snake (Actractaspis bibronii)
Beaked Stiletto Snake (Actractaspis duerdeni)
Common Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas polylepis)
Kalahari Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas ventrimaculata)
Bicoloured Quill-snouted Snake (Xenocalamus bicolor)
Elongate Quill-snouted Snake (Xenocalamus mechowii)
Black-headed Centipede Eater (Aparallactus capensis)
Reticulated Centipede Eater (Aparallactus lunulatus)
Psammophiidae (13)
Olive Grass Snake (Psammophis mossambica)
Short-snouted Grass Snake (Psammophis brevirostris)
Karoo Sand Snake (Psammophis notostictus)
Fork-marked Sand Snake (Psammophis trinasalis)
Jalla’s Sand Snake (Psammophis jallae)
Lined Sand Snake (Psammophis lineatus)
Western Yellow-bellied Sand Snake (Psammophis subtaeniatus)
Dwarf Sand Snake (Psammophis angolensis)
Striped Skaapsteker (Psammophylax tritaeniatus)
Grey-bellied Skaapsteker (Psammophylax variabilis)
Rufous Beaked Snake (Rhamphiophis rostratus)
Dwarf Beaked Snake (Dipsina multimaculata)
Eastern Bark Snake (Hemirhagerrhis nototaenia)
Pythonidae (1)
Southern African Python (Python natalensis)
Pseudaspididae (1)
Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana)
Lamprophiidae (7)
Bug-eyed House Snake (Boaedon mentalis)
Brown House Snake (Boaedon capensis)
Zambezi House Snake (Boaedon fradei)
Common Wolf Snake (Lycophidion capense)
Spotted Wolf Snake (Lycophidion multimaculatum)
Common File Snake (Limaformosa capensis)
Black File Snake (Gracililima nyassae)
Prosymnidae (5)
Sundevall’s Shovel Snout (Prosymna sundevallii)
Lined Shovel Snout (Prosymna lineata)
Two-striped Shovel Snout (Prosymna bivittata)
East African Shovel Snout (Prosymna stuhlmanni)
Angolan Shovel-snout (Prosymna angolensis)
Natricidae (2)
Olive Marsh Snake (Natriciteres olivacea)
Bangweulu Swamp Snake (Limnophis bangweolicus)
Typhlopidae (4)
Zambezi Blind Snake (Afrotyphlops mucruso)
Schlegel’s Blind Snake (Afrotyphlops schlegelii)
Boyle’s Beaked Blind Snake (Rhinotyphlops boylei)
Delalande's Beaked Blind Snake (Rhinotyphlops lalandei)
Schin’z Beaked Blind Snake (Rhinotyphlops schinzi)
Leptotyphlopidae (2)
Peter’s Thread Snake (Leptotyphlops scutifrons)
Long-tailed Thread Snake (Myriopholis longicauda)