A large house snake with an obvious head and small body scales. It is uniform red-brown in colour. Large, old snakes are darker, almost black. There are 2 pale yellow streaks on the side of the head.
Class
Reptilia
Subspecies
A thin, pale, large-eyed form from the Namib and ProNamib may be a separate species.
Distribution
Throughout southern Africa and most of the continent.
Breeding
Up to 16 eggs are laid in summer, and these take 60 - 90 days to develop. Hatchlings measure 190 - 260 mm.