Striped Skaapsteker

The striped skaapsteker is a slender, active snake closely related to the spotted skaapsteker, distinguished by three longitudinal stripes running along its body rather than a blotched pattern. It occupies open grassland habitats across a broad swath of southern and East Africa.

Like its relative, it is a mildly venomous rear-fanged snake whose bite is not considered medically significant to humans, and it is primarily notable for its striped pattern and diurnal foraging behavior.

• Slender body with three pale to dark longitudinal stripes running from neck to tail
• Background color tan, gray, or olive
• Smooth scales
• Head slightly distinct from the neck
• Round pupils

The three-striped longitudinal pattern reliably separates this species from the blotched spotted skaapsteker and other grassland snakes.

This species occupies open grassland, savanna, and vlei margins across parts of southern and East Africa, often in higher-altitude grassland habitats where it forages actively among grass tussocks.

Striped skaapstekers are diurnal, fast-moving hunters that pursue lizards, frogs, and small rodents across open ground, subduing prey with mild venom. They are alert and quick to retreat into grass cover when disturbed. The species is oviparous, laying clutches of eggs in sheltered ground sites during warmer months.