Common Burrowing Asp
Atractaspis bibronii • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Atractaspididae, Subfamily: Atractaspidinae, Genus: Atractaspis, Species: A. bibronii
Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from southern Kenya and Tanzania down through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
Look up Common Burrowing Asp in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Atractaspididae, Subfamily: Atractaspidinae, Genus: Atractaspis, Species: A. bibronii
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with no major widespread threats currently impacting overall population stability.
Physical Description
Cylindrical body with glossy, dark brown to black dorsal coloration, often showing lighter margins on the scales creating a reticulated pattern. The head is small and distinct from the neck with a rounded snout, small eyes with round pupils, and smooth dorsal scales.
Size & Dimensions
Typically reaches lengths of 30 to 70 cm, with maximum recorded specimens extending up to 80 cm. This particular specimen appears to be an adult or sub-adult.
Habitat
Inhabits a wide range of biomes including moist and arid savanna, lowland forest, coastal thickets, and semi-desert areas, generally favoring loose soils for burrowing.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on other reptiles, small rodents, and occasionally other snakes, often hunting underground within burrows using active foraging strategies.
Reproduction
Oviparous, typically laying small clutches of elongated eggs in underground chambers during the warm summer months.
Look-alikes
Can be confused with various harmless fossorial colubrid snakes found in the same region, though the distinctive head shape and glossy scales help differentiate them.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with no major widespread threats currently impacting overall population stability.
Cultural Significance
Plays a vital role in controlling underground rodent and reptile populations within its natural ecosystem, but encounters with humans are infrequent due to its fossorial nature.
Notable Features
Possesses a specialized anatomical adaptation allowing it to strike sideways without opening its mouth, an evolutionary trait linked to its subterranean microhabitat.