Thelotornis capensis
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The savanna vine snake (Thelotornis capensis), also known commonly, as the southern vine snake, is a species of highly venomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. There are two recognized subspecies.
Thelotornis capensis is found in southern Africa. The preferred natural habitats of Thelotornis capensis are forest, savanna, and shrubland. Thelotornis capensis is diurnal and semi-arboreal. Thelotornis capensis is slender and has a long tail. The longest museum specimen is a male with a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 106 cm (42 in), a tail 62 cm (24 in) long, and a combined total length of 168 cm (66 in).
Thelotornis capensis is venomous. Venom is delivered by large grooved teeth at the rear of the upper jaw. German herpetologist Robert Mertens died as the result of being bitten by this species. Thelotornis capensis is oviparous. Clutch size is 4–13 eggs. The eggs are elongated and rather small, each measuring on average 36 mm (1.4 in) long and 16 mm (0.63 in) wide.
Two subspecies of Thelotornis capensis are recognized as being valid, including... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Twig Snake sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Twig Snake in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and June–August, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Twig 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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Twig Snake sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, under 5%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Twig Snake that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Eastern Green Snake (about 20%), Green Water Snake (about 10%) and Red-lipped Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Twig Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (43 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.
