Home Application Download FAQ
English
English
日本語
Español
Français
Deutsch
Italiano

Karoo sand snake

A species of Sand-snake
Scientific name : Psammophis notostictus Genus : Sand-snake

Karoo sand snake, A species of Sand-snake
Scientific name: Psammophis notostictus
Genus: Sand-snake
Karoo sand snake (Psammophis notostictus) Photo By tonyrebelo , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

The karoo sand snake is a quick and slender snake that is extremely active, giving it its name. It is native to southern Africa, where it is found in dry, sandy areas. It commonly hunts lizards, relying on its speed and agility to capture prey. It is mildly venomous, but poses no danger to humans.

General Info

Lifespan

5-10 years

Diet

Karoo sand snake primarily subsists on a diet of small reptiles, including geckos and skinks. It also occasionally feeds on insects and rodents, demonstrating a preference for live, moving prey over stationary food sources.

Appearance

Karoo sand snake is a medium-sized snake with a slender body and smooth, glossy scales. It displays a distinct pattern of dark, almost black, crossbands over a predominantly sand or light brown backdrop. This snake has a long, forked tongue and sharp, small teeth, but lacks obvious differences between males and females or various age groups.

Behavior

Karoo sand snake is primarily diurnal, known for its swift, agile movements on the ground and its frequent relocation of residence. Being solitary by nature, it exhibits a defensive posture when threatened, often puffing its body and hissing to intimidate potential predators. Moreover, their unique rotational foraging behavior, employed to hunt rodents and small reptiles, underscores their adaptation to semi-arid habitats.

Population

Stable
Karoo sand snake (Psammophis notostictus) Karoo sand snake (Psammophis notostictus) Photo By tonyrebelo , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Scientific Classification

AI animal expert in your pocket
Scan QR code to download
Cookie Management Tool
In addition to managing cookies through your browser or device, you can change your cookie settings below.
Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
Analytical Cookies
Analytical cookies help us to improve our application/website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.
Cookie Name Source Purpose Lifespan
_ga Google Analytics These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here. 1 Year
_pta PictureThis Analytics We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience. 1 Year
Cookie Name
_ga
Source
Google Analytics
Purpose
These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here.
Lifespan
1 Year

Cookie Name
_pta
Source
PictureThis Analytics
Purpose
We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience.
Lifespan
1 Year
Marketing Cookies
Marketing cookies are used by advertising companies to serve ads that are relevant to your interests.
Cookie Name Source Purpose Lifespan
_fbp Facebook Pixel A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here. 1 Year
_adj Adjust This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here. 1 Year
Cookie Name
_fbp
Source
Facebook Pixel
Purpose
A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here.
Lifespan
1 Year

Cookie Name
_adj
Source
Adjust
Purpose
This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here.
Lifespan
1 Year
Download