Cape Beaked Snake
Rhinotyphlops lalandei
A blunt-snouted, burrowing blind snake from southern Africa named for its distinctive beaked rostral scale.
- Venomous?
- Non-venomous
- Adult length
- 20-35 cm (8-14 in)
- Range
- Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia)
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Overview
The Cape beaked snake is a small fossorial blind snake adapted for a life spent almost entirely underground. Its most notable feature is the hardened, beak-like snout used to push through soil.
Like other blind snakes, it has vestigial eyes visible only as dark spots beneath translucent scales and feeds mainly on ants and termites.
How to identify it
- Smooth, glossy, cylindrical body of uniform diameter
- Pale pinkish-brown to grey-brown coloration, sometimes with darker mottling
- Hardened, protruding beak-like snout (the counter-sunk lower jaw)
- Eyes reduced to dark spots under scales
- Blunt tail tip
- Distinguished from thread snakes by its stouter body and pronounced beaked rostral
Habitat & range
Inhabits sandy and loamy soils in arid and semi-arid regions of South Africa and Namibia, including scrubland and open savanna, usually below the surface or under embedded rocks.
Behavior, diet & reproduction
Strictly fossorial and nocturnal on the rare occasions it surfaces. Feeds on ant and termite larvae, pupae, and workers, using its beaked snout to burrow into nests. Lays eggs in underground chambers.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cape beaked snake venomous?
No, it is entirely non-venomous and harmless.
Why does it have a beaked snout?
The hardened, protruding snout helps it burrow and push through soil in search of ant and termite prey.
Can it see?
Its eyes are vestigial and appear only as small dark spots beneath its head scales.
Where is it found?
It is native to sandy soils of South Africa and Namibia.
Cape Beaked Snake guides
In-depth guides for identifying and understanding Cape Beaked Snake.
