African Twig Snake
Thelotornis capensis • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Thelotornis, Species: Thelotornis capensis
Southern and East Africa, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania; typically found in savanna and woodland regions.
Look up African Twig Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Thelotornis, Species: Thelotornis capensis
Conservation
Least Concern (IUCN). Locally common, though habitat loss is a generalized threat across its range.
Physical Description
Extremely slender with an elongated, pointed head. Cryptic coloration mimics bark or vines, featuring a mosaic of grey, brown, green, and pink-to-orange flecks. The pupils are key-hole or horizontal shaped, which is unusual for snakes.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen appears to be an adult, approximately 60-90 cm in length. Maximum recorded length for the species is around 120 cm.
Habitat
Predominantly arboreal; lives in low bushes and trees within savannas, coastal forests, and woodlands. Often found blended into branches or thick foliage.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder focusing on lizards (especially chameleons), frogs, and occasionally small birds. Uses sit-and-wait ambush tactics and envenomation.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg-laying). Females lay clutches of 4 to 13 elongated eggs during the summer months; hatchlings are independent from birth.
Look-alikes
Often confused with Vine Snakes of the genus Oxybelis (Americas) or Boomslangs (Dispholidus typus). Distinguished from Boomslangs by its horizontal pupils and more elongated, pointed snout.
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN). Locally common, though habitat loss is a generalized threat across its range.
Cultural Significance
Known as 'Bird Snakes' or 'Vine Snakes' in English and 'Voëlslang' in Afrikaans. Ecologically vital for controlling lizard and amphibian populations in African savannas.
Notable Features
Possesses binocular vision due to the horizontal pupil shape and a groove along the snout, an extremely rare trait in snakes that allows for precise distance estimation when striking.