Sierra Leone Snakes for ID

[zetik]

Hi,
still have some pics to post on Uganda thread but snowed under with work.
Meanwhile also would love to have some suggestions on what these are...
first one found extremely bashed on the road - Freetown Peninsula near bush/forest. Was already a bit ripe and did not get all the shots I should have. Paired sub caudals, didn't check or pic caudal I'm afraid. Do have some more pics if of use/interest.

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z

[zetik]

Couple of these were regularly in ceiling space very near the beach. Long, thin, very fast. This was the only pic I got. It got away fast when I tried to pull it down.
Fortunate really as would have been hard to stop it being killed by the residents as had happened to others before. Looks like a sand snake I presume but any suggestions which one?

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[zetik]

Found under tree on sandy beach/lagoon area (Freetown Peninsula - as are all the above) and not behaving very healthily. Maybe dropped by a bird. I carried it around for a day in a bottle waiting to photograph it, but it died before show time. Big fangs for a littleun.
Length estimated over 30cm.
A burrower I presume and I have a guess at species but no ref book with me so I'd rather leave it to those wiser than I.

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[wadekilian]

I can't really narrow them down, but the second snake is a Psammophis sp. and the last one is a Stiletto Snake - Atractaspis sp.

I stand to be corrected.

[Kakibos]

I would say the first snake is a Boomslang, agree with wadekilian on Psammophis sp for the second and also Stiletto snake for the last three pics.

[Warren Klein]

The ripe one is a Black tree snake Thrasops jacksoni

[zetik]

Thanks very much everyone for the feedback.
Got hold of my Spawls East Africa - and the Chippaux West Africa books although the latter still a major struggle given my lack of French reading skills. May have to find time to chuck descriptions through google translator.
I see in Spawls a description of common confusion between Boomslang and Thrasops. I can confirm I did delve around looking for fangs and took pics and couldn't see/feel anything (with a stick!).

[s'mee]

The first one is Thrasops occidentalis - T jacksoni does not occur that far west.

The snake in the ceiling looks to be Psammophis elegans from what I can see.

The last one is Attractaspis atterima.

[Westley Price]

Jis, Stilettos are probably one of the more scary snakes for me and your picture of fangs just shows exactly why!

Just for your future reference, that picture which you took of the underside of the tail is a great picture to aid in identification because there are quite a few harmless snakes that look near-identical to Atractaspis, but the scale covering the cloaca differs.

Thanx for the post.

[zetik]

Yep, in Uganda I've encountered several darkish burrowers over the last few months and I assume every one is a stilleto until I'm 100% sure on the ID. Never had to deal with those species before and the descriptions of their biting abilities and frequency of bites to experienced handlers leave me edgy.
Thanks for advice on pics - I do always try to make sure I've got a decent shot of anal scale and subcaudals. Can be a mission sometimes when still not sure if its venemous so I'm dissapointed that I missed it for the Thrasops when it was dead. Ahem. Just as well it seems wasn't required in that case.

Really appreciate the feedback from everyone. Thanks Smee for narrowing down the ID's further. Not sure when I'll be back that way but hope to find some more snakes, even if most likely to be road kill.