Lamprophis
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 Brown House Snake (juvenile), Lamprophis capensis
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14 recognized species, see article. |
Lamprophis is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly referred to as African house snakes. They are small, non-venomous snakes, usually brown in color but display a range of variation from red, orange, green to black. They also exhibit a wide variety of pattern variation even within single species, they may be spotted, striped, or solid colored. House snakes are sexually dimorphic, the females grow significantly larger, to approximately 120 cm, than the males which only grow to approximately 75 cm.
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[edit] Species
There are 14 recognized species in the genus Lamprophis:
- Abyssinian House Snake, Lamprophis abyssinicus (Mocquard, 1906)
- Aurora House Snake, Lamprophis aurora (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Ethiopian House Snake Lamprophis erlangeri (Sternfeld, 1908)
- Fisk's House Snake, Lamprophis fiskii (Boulenger, 1887), vulnerable (VU)
- Brown House Snake, Lamprophis fuliginosus
- Yellow-bellied House Snake, Lamprophis fuscus (Boulenger, 1893), near threatened (LR/nt)
- Seychelles House Snake, Lamprophis geometricus (Schlegel, 1827)
- Spotted House Snake, Lamprophis guttatus (Smith, 1843)
- Black House Snake, Lamprophis inornatus (Dumeril & Bibron, 1854)
- Striped House Snake, Lamprophis lineatus (Dumeril & Bibron, 1854)
- Dotted House Snake, Lamprophis maculatus (Parker, 1932)
- Olive House Snake, Lamprophis olivaceus (Dumeril, 1854)
- Swaziland House Snake, Lamprophis swazicus (Schafer, 1970), near threatened (LR/nt)
- Hallowell's House Snake, Lamprophis virgatus (Hallowell, 1854)
[edit] Geographic range
House snakes are found throughout south-Saharan Africa in a wide variety of habitats. They are named "house" snakes because they are frequently found around human habitats, but they are certainly not restricted to those areas. They are extremely adaptable snakes, which are found in scrubland, woodland, savannah, and even in montane regions.
[edit] Behaviour & Diet
House snakes can be nervous, but are not prone to biting. Their first defensive reaction is to try and escape. They are frequently found around human dwellings, where they are avid consumers of rodents. House snakes are prolific breeders and lay clutches averaging 8-12 eggs that hatch after about three months of incubation. Hatchlings are typically around 20 cm in length.
[edit] In captivity
African house snakes are common in the exotic pet trade, the primary species available is L. fuliginosis, others are harder to come by. They are easy to care for and breed readily. Their popularity has declined in recent years due to more interestingly colored snakes, like the corn snake flooding the market of low-cost pet snakes. Despite this, captive breeding of house snakes for color and pattern is ongoing. Due to their ease of breeding and low market value few are exported from Africa any longer.
They are also known as "Brown house snakes". They can live up to 15 years if well taken care of. Males are smaller than females and seldomly grow longer than 2 1/2 feet. These snakes are nocturnal. The female lays one clutch of 9 to 16 eggs in early spring, they are known to lay a second clutch in middle summer in captivity but it rarely happens in nature. Hatchlings are 5 to 7 inches at birth.
Food The main diet consists of rodents, smaller snakes take mice, large females are known to eat rats. Adult snakes get fed twice weekly depending on size and the temperature of the cage. Hatchlings eat small lizards, skinks and newborn mice. In captivity they can successfully be fed on gecko tails. Larger specimens are also known to take lizards, and in rare cases they will catch small bats.
Captive Snakes Feed snakes in a different tank and watch over them when they eat rodents because the snakes can be injured by them. The tank in which they are kept in should be of a decent size for the snake to be able to move around freely without problems. Paper towels are okay as well as Aspen shavings for the inside of the tank. The humidity in the tank should be kept at a higher percentage when the snakes start to shed. They should have objects inside the tank that help them hide or such things as branches for them to climb onto. Lighting is also very important. They should not have more than 12 hrs worth of light. They should have a big bowl of water so that they can drink out of it and use. The water should be changed on a regular basis.
