Psammophis mossambicus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Psammophis mossambicus, the olive grass snake, is a snake species in the family Psammophiidae, the sand and whip snakes (not to be confused with the Australian olive whipsnake, Demansia olivacea). P. mossambicus is native to Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, eastern South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe), but may also be found in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, and as far north as southern Chad.
This snake grows to 100 to 180 cm (roughly 3–5 feet) in length, and lives in somewhat moist places near a source of water. It is olive-brown in color, with dark-edged scales and a lighter-hued underside. It is often confused with the black mamba, as it can raise its head in a similar fashion to the mambas, cobras and other elapid snakes; however, unlike the aforementioned species, the olive grass snake is opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged), with small teeth located at the back of the mouth that deliver mild venom (and/or toxic salival compounds), primarily used for subduing small, slippery or "squirmy" prey such as frogs, lizards and some rodents. It... Wikipedia →
Recording0:07
Angola · 2025
© Zilpa Miranda · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverbend Crocodile Farm | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Whip Snake sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 31st 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 an Olive Whip Snake in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April and June–October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Olive Whip Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Olive Whip Snake sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive Whip Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (8 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.
