Forget about mambas and cobras for a minute: There’s a less vicious-looking snake that all South Africans should know about. Bibron’s stiletto snake seems harmless, but be warned: This little guy has a nasty bite.
It’s a smallish snake, averaging between 30 and 40 cm long, although specimens of more than 70 cm have been recorded. Through most of its range, it is dark brown to blackish with a similar-coloured belly, except in the northern parts of its range where its belly is white. Speaking of range, you’ll find this snake almost everywhere in the northern and eastern parts of the country: in the far north-eastern Eastern Cape, KZN, Swaziland, eastern Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, the North West and in parts of the Northern Cape.
The stiletto snake is fossorial, which…
