Lycophidion capense
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Cape wolf snake (Lycophidion capense) is a species of oviparous, nonvenomous snake which occurs over a wide area of Southern, Central, and East Africa. Though docile and harmless, it may be confused with the very venomous stiletto snake.
Lycophidion capense jacksoni (Boulenger, 1893) Lycophidion capense loveridgei Laurent, 1968 Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Lycophidion.
Adults regularly reach 40 cm in length, but some grow to 64 cm. It has a flattened, tapering head and marbled eye. The brown or black lateral and dorsal scales are tipped white, while the ventral scales are all-white. Long recurved fangs are present on the upper as well as lower jaws, for which they are named.
They are widely distributed but prefer damp locations, with lowland forest and fynbos being preferred habitats. They feed mostly on geckos and skinks which they bite and kill by constriction. They are believed to reach... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Wolf Snake sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Wolf Snake in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–June, September–October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Wolf Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cape Wolf Snake sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Wolf Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
