House Snakes... lets see some morphs

[Snake007]

Okay - - - So what is it . . . ???

[Snakes Incorporated]

So much for the rocket science project but it is O.K. we understand. Where is it from, as the pictures you have provided is not descriptive enough?

[Snake007]

I don't understand SI - - - You quoted that is is easy to identify and you quoted the L. capensis scale counts - - - Now my question is "Do you know what it is?" . . .

[Snakes Incorporated]

I don't understand SI - - - You quoted that is is easy to identify and you quoted the L. capensis scale counts - - - Now my question is "Do you know what it is?" . . .

No !!!!!! The question is do you, as I would have to guess and as you are supposable in the know as I am not aware if the animal was caught in the W/Cape or not. Daaaaa

[Snake007]

I thought you didn't know - - - Even thou you said it is easy and quoted the scale count of the L. capensis, BUT it could still be the L. capensis i'm not ruling this out.

Yes, it was caught in the Western Cape . . . (The Cape Peninsula to be exact) - I posted it as I'm not sure myself, and that is why there are forums like these. I don't know it all Shaun, nor do I make out to know it all. Now that the petty politics is out of the way - Could we carry on trying to identify the reptile as I'm sure that this forum isn't about your likes and dislikes and/or who you like or dislike . . .

Great lets move on . . .

[Snakes Incorporated]

Not the Olive house snake

Not the spotted house snake

Not the Aurora house snake

Not the Fisks`s house snake

Not the yellow bellied house snake not the Swazi rock house snake

Dange is their another ???????????????????????????

Maybe the Dusky-bellied water snake

Mulanja water snake

Common Brown water snake

Floodplain Water snake

Dang could it be that elusive Brown house…. No it couldn’t. Daaa

[kentbra]

NICE. Really don´t care what it is. Just send them to me.

Kent

[Mongoose]

I have my doubts that that is a bhs, It does however resemble the Yellow bellied house snake..Please do take proper scale counts etc...aswell as the vent scales..

The fact that the bottom lip is lighter, does make me think that tis a fuscus or a rufulus..

[froot]

Could you possibly take closeup pics of the head?

[Snake007]

The colour of the specimen has totally put me off track. My first impression was a L. inornata, then it swung to L. fuscus, and then to the L. aurora. It might be L. inornatus, L. aurora, L. fuscus, or it might not even be Lamprophis . . . .

Scale counts done by Arcadies and myself are as follows:

Sucaudals = 83 (Used a photo copier)
- - - L. inornatus (45 to 70)
- - - L. capensis (45-71)
- - - L. aurora (35 to 58)
- - - L. fuscus (51-74)
- - - L. swazicus (75-91) – Can’t be this one as it is totally out of its range
- - - L. rufulus (53-86) - Possibility

Midbody = 19
- - - L. inornatus (23)
- - - L. capensis (25-35)
- - - L. aurora (21-23)
- - - L. fuscus (19) - Possibility
- - - L. rufulus (19) - Possibility

Ventrals = 173 (Used a photo copier)
- - - L. inornatus (170-196) - Possibility
- - - L. capensis (186-228)
- - - L. aurora (165-185) - Possibility
- - - L. fuscus (165-202) - Possibility
- - - L. rufulus (158-179) - Possibility

Now another twist to the tail is the spike on the tail which lends itself to a L. aurora as I’m not aware that any of the other Lamprophis family has the spike at the end of its tail, i.e. in the Western Cape (Speaking under correction). The chances of it being a L. capensis (as per SI – Shaun's scale counts) is minuet, but who knows he might be right. I must agree with Dagon Breeder and / or Mongoose that the possibility that it is a L. aurora or a L. fuscus is good, but what about the L. inornatus, what about something other than Lamprophis - - -

As Mongoose pointed out rufulus, just a colour variant. The problem is that it was quite some distance from water, but this won't necessarily mean anything as it could have hitched a ride, or been is someones collection etc etc etc.

[Mongoose]

Now that you have given us scale counts etc, i do think that it is a brown water snake, as it has a higher number of subcaudals. Another fact is that it has a pailer uper lip.

Brown water snakes usually have a coffin shaped head, where as the fuscus has a stuby head like this specimen.

Please could you take a close-up pic of the head from the top.

[froot]

Is that 1 or 2 post-occulars?

[arcadies]

1 froot

[Deon]

Snake007 please keep your catch and release to the western cape as you know that there are even rattle snakes in the Ceaderburg.... LOL Nice snake, what area did you find it? To me it looks like a brown water snake????

[Bushviper]

I have seen amelanistic or albino auroroas and this is not one.

The head does not look like L. capensis There have been re[orts from the Cape of amelanistic L. inornata but the only photo I have ever seen of it was a black and white photo so that was pretty useless.

L. fuscus are usually more slender in build, although that is a slight possibilty.

My gut feeling is a Brown water snake. Offer it some tadpoles or plattannas and see if it grabs them. The Lamprophis species do take a few frogs but rather reluctantly. You could also offer if a fish which is not recorded in any Lamprophis diet.

Please keep us posted.