This is a small snake of around 20 – 25 cm but reaching a maximum length of 35 cm. There are three colour forms. The Zimbabwe animals are light brown with dark spots down the back. Another form is grey to blue with a pale stripe down the back. The last form is dark, sometimes with fine white speckling.
Full Name: Lined Shovel-snout (Prosymna lineata)
Other Names: Gestreepte Graafneusslang
Classification: HARMLESS
This is a small snake of around 20 – 25 cm but reaching a maximum length of 35 cm. There are three colour forms. The Zimbabwe animals are light brown with dark spots down the back. Another form is grey to blue with a pale stripe down the back. The last form is dark, sometimes with fine white speckling.
It inhabits moist savanna, grasslands and coastal forest where it may be found under logs and sometimes crossing roads at night. It feeds on reptile eggs but is thought to feed on invertebrates as well.
Females lay two to five eggs in summer. This harmless snake can only be confused with other shovel-snout snakes as it has the characteristic depressed snout.
