Two striped shovel snout

Introduction: The Two-Striped Shovel-Snout (Prosymna bivittata) is a slender snake with an upturned snout. The pupils are round. They prefer a habitat of acacia savannah in sandveld type soil regions.

Shovel-snouted snakes have cylindrical bodies with a head that cannot be distinguished from the neck. Smooth scales and a short tail that ends in a spine are other distinguishing features. Their shovel-snouted snouts, so called because of the depressed angular, upturned appearance, enables them to burrow in loose soil, where they can feed almost exclusively on reptile eggs, which are swallowed hole.

Shovel-snouted snakes are harmless to humans as they lack both fangs and venom. Characteristic behaviour when disturbed includes forming a tight coil to hide the head and when touched they will recoil and then coil in an interesting defensive display.

Distribution: Central Namibia including Windhoek extending north to parts of Etosha National Park and some central regions of the Kalahari Desert.

Diet: Reptile eggs.

Colouring: The back is purple-brown to red-brown with an orange stripe running down the backbone. The belly is white.

Breeding: Females lay up to 4 eggs.

Size: Max SVL male 274mm, female 315mm.