Dasypeltis scabra
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Dasypeltis scabra, also known commonly as the common egg eater, the egg-eating snake, and the rhombic egg eater, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Africa. D. scabra is found in sub-Saharan Africa.
D. scabra grows to a total length (tail included) of 40–46 inches (100–120 cm), and has almost toothless jaws. Dorsally, it has a series of rhomboidal dark brown spots on a lighter background. There is an alternating series of brown spots on each side and a distinct V-shaped mark at the back of the neck. Ventrally it is yellowish, either uniform or with dark dots.
It has been suggested that non-venomous D. scabra is a mimic of venomous Echis carinatus, the saw-scaled viper, which it strongly resembles. Typical specimens of D. scabra even more closely resemble Causus rhombeatus, the rhombic night adder. The colouration of E. carinatus generally tends to be more reddish and brown, instead of shades of grey and black; and the V-shaped mark on its head is more patchy than in the other two species.
C. rhombeatus is not as slim as D. scabra, and its dorsal scales, unusual among viperids, are at most... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Egg-eating Snake sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Egg-eating Snake in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in February–July and November, the lowest months. Those are among Pretoria's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in December.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Egg-eating Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Egg-eating Snake sightings, Pretoria has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Cape Town (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Egg-eating Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Pretoria (13 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
