Common Brown Water Snake
Lycodonomorphus rufulus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyLamprophiidae (Lamprophiid Snakes)
- GenusLycodonomorphus (Sub-Saharan Water Snakes)
- SpeciesLycodonomorphus rufulus (Common Brown Water Snake)
About the Common Brown Water Snake
The common brown water snake (Lycodonomorphus rufulus) is a species of nonvenomous South African snake. This gentle, harmless snake is by far the most common water snake in southern Africa. It can be found from Cape Town in the south, along the wet east coast of South Africa and inland as far as Gauteng, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Throughout its range, its natural habitat is water margins, where it shelters under leaves and logs. It emerges at night to hunt frogs and sometimes rodents. It lays up to 10 eggs at the end of summer.
Scale count of Lycodonomorphus members [1] Broadley, D.G. (1967). A review of the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger (Serpentes: Colubridae) in southeastern Africa, with a key to the genus. Arnoldia 3 (16): 1–9 Haagner, G.V. 1992. Life History Notes - Lycodonomorphus rufulus Jour. Herp. Ass. Afr. (41): 42–42
Lichtenstein, M. HINRICH C. 1823. Verzeichniss der Doubletten des zoologischen Museums der Königl. Universität zu Berlin nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Säugethieren, Vögeln, Amphibien und Fischen. Königl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss./ T. Trautwein, Berlin. x, 118 pages
Marais, J. 2004. A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Brown Water Snake in Table Mountain National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Common Brown Water Snake in Table Mountain National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Brown Water Snake sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 289 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Brown Water Snake in Table Mountain National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Common Brown Water Snake in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.