The mole snake (''Pseudaspis cana'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

. It has been placed in the family

Lamprophiidae The Lamprophiidae are a family of snakes found throughout much of Africa, including the Seychelles. There are 89 species as of July 2022. Biology Lamprophiids are a very diverse group of snakes. Many are terrestrial but some are fossorial (e.g. ...

, and more recently in the family Pseudaspididae, along with the genus ''

Pythonodipsas The western keeled snake (''Pythonodipsas carinata'') is a species of snake in the family Pseudaspididae. It is native to western Namibia, southwestern Angola, and southwestern Zambia, and is the only member of the genus ''Pythonodipsas''. Ta ...

''. It is native to much of southern Africa, and is the only member of the genus ''Pseudaspis''. A study showed that ''P. cana'' is caught and consumed by the

honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Because of its wide range and occurrence in a variety of habitats, it is liste ...

, among other species. Remains of the mole snake were found in the faeces, and suggest the consumed individuals were larger specimens.

Taxonomy

''P. cana'' was originally described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Its original binomial name was ''Coluber cana''. Since then, it has also been called ''Coronella cana'' by André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron and Auguste Duméril in 1854, before being reclassified as ''Pseudaspis cana'' by Edward Drinker Cope in 1864. ''P. cana'' is the only species in genus ''Pseudaspis''. The genus has been placed in the family

. More recently it has been placed in the family Pseudaspididae, along with the genera '' Buhoma'' and ''

'', although a 2019 study concluded that the status of Pseudaspididae "deserves to be viewed with caution", and ''Buhoma'' may not belong in the family.

Description

The mole snake can grow to a total length (including tail) of . A small head and pointed snout are characteristics of the species. It has a firm, tubular body. Like the majority of the

, ''P. cana'' is not

venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

. In mature individuals, the body is mostly one colour, and may vary from yellow to brown to grey, and in some cases, solid black. The young have dark markings and spots that are gradually lost as the individual ages. Colour may be related to geography; in the south, most specimens are black, whereas specimens found in the northern part of their range are brown, reddish-brown, grey, or yellow.

Diet

The primary food source of ''P. cana'' is

golden mole Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae and as such they are taxonomically distinct from the true moles, family Talpidae, and other mole-like families, all ...

s (hence the common name),

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s, and other small mammals. For this reason, it is considered useful for the natural control of problem rodents. Its diet may also include the eggs of seafowl. At

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

, mole snakes were observed eating the eggs of ''

Spheniscus demersus The African penguin (''Spheniscus demersus''), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiff ...

'' (African penguin), ''

Larus hartlaubii Hartlaub's gull (''Chroicocephalus hartlaubii''), also known as the king gull, it is a small gull. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the silver gull (''C. novaehollandiae''), and, as is the case with many gulls, it has t ...

'' (Harlaub's gull), and '' Numida meleagris'' (helmeted guinea-fowl). Juveniles were observed eating ''

Strongylopus grayii Gray's stream frog (''Strongylopus grayii'') is a fairly small species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae.Du Preez, L. H.; Carruthers, Vincent. ''A Complete Guide to the Frogs of Southern Africa''. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Nature. 2009C ...

'' (clicking stream frogs). The mole snake is a nest predator of the

Karoo prinia The Karoo prinia or spotted prinia (''Prinia maculosa'') is a small passerine bird. It is a resident breeder in South Africa, Lesotho and far southern Namibia. It is a species found in karoo scrub, fynbos and bracken-covered slopes in semi-d ...

(''Prinia maculosa''). ''P. cana'' is one of at least six snake species which cause reproductive loss and decrease of nest success in ''P. maculosa''.

Distribution and habitat

The range of the mole snake encompasses most of southern Africa. ''P. cana'' is common in

Kalahari Gemsbok National Park Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa. The park straddles the border between South Africa and Botswana and comprises two adjoining national parks: * Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in S ...

. It is widely distributed, with a range stretching from

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

in the north to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

in the east to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. The mole snake lives in the abandoned burrows of other animals. It can be found in a variety of habitats, such as the scrublands of the South African Cape and the

Highveld The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld'', where ''veld'' means "field") is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly 1500 m, but below 2100 m, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of ...

plateaux and grasslands. It has also been found in mountainous and desert areas.

Reproduction

The mole snake is viviparous, mating takes place in late spring (October), and the female gives birth to usually between 25 and 50 young, with as many as 95 possible. The young snakes are 20 to 30 cm in length at birth.

In captivity

The mole snake can be "quite ferocious". Though not venomous, they can cause severe bite wounds. Despite this, they are said to make good pets when sufficiently settled.

Gallery

File:Pseudaspis cana.JPG, Juvenile mole snake (''Pseudaspis cana'') during sunbathing File:Pseudaspis cana, Rehoboth.jpg, A mole snake near Rehoboth, Namibia File:Juvenile Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana) (7027018261).jpg, Juvenile mole snake,

Auob River The Auob River is a tributary of the Nossob River in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Headwaters * in Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlan ...

bed,

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa. The park straddles the border between South Africa and Botswana and comprises two adjoining national parks: * Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in S ...

, South Africa File:Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana) juvenile (6452886737).jpg, A mole snake,

Nossob River The Nossob (also Nosob or Nossop) River (''ǂnuse ǃab'', Khoikhoi for black river) is a dry river bed in eastern Namibia and the Kalahari region of South Africa and Botswana. It covers a distance of 740 km and last flooded in 1989. The ri ...

, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park File:Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana) (6868524868).jpg, A mole snake, Lijersdraal picnic site, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mole Snake Snakes of Africa Reptiles of South Africa Monotypic snake genera Reptiles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Pseudaspididae