Western Keeled Snake

About the Western Keeled Snake

The western keeled snake (Pythonodipsas carinata) is a species of snake in the family Pseudaspididae. It is native to western Namibia, southwestern Angola, and southwestern Zambia, and is the only member of the genus Pythonodipsas.

P. carinata is most closely related to Pseudaspis cana. Together these two monotypic genera make up the subfamily Pseudaspidinae of the family Lamprophiidae. Pythonodipsas closely resembles the colubrine genus Spalerosophis, although the two are not closely related.

P. carinata is unusual in possessing greatly fragmented head shields, a peculiar maxillary dentition (3rd to 6th largest, posterior-most tooth large and grooved), a reduced number of palatine teeth (including a greatly enlarged "fang"), and hypapophyses developed throughout the vertebral column. It was once thought to be a possible evolutionary intermediate between vipers and non-venomous colubroids, but it is now known not to be closely related to vipers.

P. carinata are nocturnal. P. carinata eat vertebrates, with lizards comprising 67% of the diet, rodents 25%, birds 4%, and unidentified vertebrate bones 4%. Among lizard prey, geckos... Wikipedia →