The herald snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia), also known as red-lipped snake, is a snake species of the family Colubridae. The Herald snake has a carnivorous diet feeding on lizards and amphibians and is common in gardens. The conservation status of these snakes has not yet been evaluated. This snake either has an olive-green or grey body with red, white, or yellow upper lip and white speckles. This snake is mildly venomous, although no toxic symptoms have been recorded. They can live up to 15 years. This snake is an endemic species of Sub-Saharan Africa (Southern Africa) and the Eastern Cape except for the northern cape. The six recognized species of the genus Crotaphopeltis are all endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. The subfamily Colubrinae consists of 92 genera and 717 described species, as of 2019. Colubrinae is the second-largest subfamily behind Dipsadinae. The snakes of Colubrinae are ecologically and morphologically diverse. The type genus of Colubrinae and Colubridae is Coluber. Colubrids in Latin means ‘snake,’ and Colubrinae has 259 genera making it the largest snake family. Also, these snakes can be found everywhere in the world except Antarctica.If these herald snake facts were interesting, then do read some anaconda snake and scarlet snake facts on Kidadl.
Fun Herald Snake Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
Herald Snake Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a herald snake?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) is a snake species of the order Squamata and the phylum Chordata. This snake is an endemic species of Southern Africa and is found in the Eastern Cape. This snake of Southern Africa is mildly venomous and their venom is not life-threatening to humans and anti-venom is not required. However, they use venom to catch their prey and they hunt at night. When this snake is threatened, they flatten the head, hiss, and then strike multiple times. They often wander into gardens at night.What class of animal does a herald snake belong to?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) belongs to the class of Reptilia of animals.How many herald snakes are there in the world?The exact number population of the red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) in the world is not known. The distribution of this snake in their natural habitat is common and widespread.Where does a herald snake live?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) species’ distribution is throughout Southern Africa, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are common in many parts of South Africa like the eastern cape except for Northern Cape and Karoo. Also, extends from the southwestern cape to Zimbabwe. Some places they are found are Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, northern Botswana, Lesotho, and south and central Mozambique.What is a herald snake’s habitat?In their natural habitat distribution, the red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) can be found in open damp places like moist savanna, lowland forest, fynbos, gardens, and grasslands.Who do herald snakes live with?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) mostly live on their own.How long does a herald snake live?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) life span is 10-15 years.How do they reproduce?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) reproduction is oviparous. After reproduction, the female lays 6-19 eggs in early summer and incubates them for 61-65 days. These early summer eggs are 0.004-0.01 lb (2-5 g). Professionals can breed these species in captivity. They need optimum temperature, lighting, and food. Females tend to get to gravid when a male is introduced and this is the sign that males need to be removed. They can be reintroduced when the females are ready to breed.What is their conservation status?The conservation status of the red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) is Not Evaluated. Even though they are common snakes in their habitats, they are threatened by the destruction of habitat.Herald Snake Fun FactsWhat do herald snakes look like?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) species are widespread venomous snakes and their color can vary between habitats. These snakes have olive-green, grey, and brown upper body with white speckles. They have a short tail and noticeable broad head. The head is darker in shade and has black iridescent patches that stretched behind the eyes. Also, when they freshly shed the skin, the head is iridescent. There are 19 rows of dull scale at mid-body. The upper lip is often red-colored, it can also be blackish, yellow, white, and orange. Contrary to their name, all of their kind do not have a red lip and can be recognized by the black patch on the back of their eye.How cute are they?The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) is not considered cute.How do they communicate?The red-lipped snake communicates using sound, vibrations, and body language. When they feel threatened they flatten their head and raise the head while hissing before attacking several times with an open mouth.How big is a herald snake?The herald snake size is around 28 in (70 cm) in length. This is almost the same length as a kingsnake.How fast can a herald snake move?These southern African snakes can move pretty fast, but their speed is not known.How much does a herald snake weigh?The weight of these southern African snakes is not known.What are the male and female names of the species?There are no specific names given to the male and female red-lipped herald snake.What would you call a baby herald snake?There is no specific name given to the baby red lipped herald snake.What do they eat?This snake feeds at night and mostly eats amphibians. This snake feeds on small lizards, frogs, and small rodents. They also search and feed on toads. After they attack their prey, they wait for the venom to take effect.Are they poisonous?No, these snakes of South Africa are venomous. Although, their venom is life-threatening to humans. Their bite will cause slight discomforts like soreness, nausea, headaches, itching, and swelling. The bite does not require any anti-venom.Would they make a good pet?No, these South African snakes would not make a good pet. However, among experienced hobbyists, these venomous snakes are common to care for. It is not recommended to pet these species if you are a first-timer as herald snake care. They are aggressive at first but can be tamed easily by professionals.Did you know…Laurenti described these snakes for the first time as Coronella hotamboeia in 1768. When these snakes were first discovered, it was first published in the famous Herald newspaper, hence the name Herald snake.Some local names given to these species are heraldsland and Rooilip.Some predators and enemies of the herald snakes are spiders like widows and button spiders, other larger snakes, and birds of prey like eagles and hawks.The herald snakes or red-lipped snakes are opisthoglyphous meaning rear-fanged.There are six species defined in the genus Crotaphopeltis. Crotaphopeltis barotseensis, Crotaphopeltis braestrupi, Crotaphopeltis degeni, Crotaphopeltis hippocrepis, Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia, and Crotaphopeltis tornieri. All these species are endemic to Africa.As per the author of ‘Venomous Bites from Non-Venomous Snakes’, Scott Weinstein, more research must be done to learn more about the venom and bites of the snakes of Colubridae. Rear-fanged means that their upper-back jaw consists of elongated and grooved teeth. It is a probability that these rare fangs have been evolved many times in the history of snakes.How do you identify a herald snake?The red-lipped snake has an olive-green, grey, and brown upper body with white speckles. The upper lip is often red-colored, it can also be blackish, yellow, white, and orange. The head is darker in shade and has black iridescent patches that stretched behind the eye.Are herald snakes endangered?These south African species are not endangered. The status has not yet been evaluated. They are, however, threatened by the destruction of habitat.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these worm snake facts and vine snake facts.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring on one of our free printable Snake coloring pages.Thank you to Kidadler Stefan Hartman for providing the image of Red-lipped Herald Snake in this article.
What type of animal is a herald snake?
The red-lipped snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia) is a snake species of the order Squamata and the phylum Chordata. This snake is an endemic species of Southern Africa and is found in the Eastern Cape. This snake of Southern Africa is mildly venomous and their venom is not life-threatening to humans and anti-venom is not required. However, they use venom to catch their prey and they hunt at night. When this snake is threatened, they flatten the head, hiss, and then strike multiple times. They often wander into gardens at night.
Fun Herald Snake Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
Fun Herald Snake Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
Fun Herald Snake Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
Fun Herald Snake Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
What do they prey on? Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
What do they prey on?
Amphibians: frogs and rodents, other snakes, and small lizards
What do they eat?
Carnivore
Average litter size?
6-19 eggs
How much do they weigh?
N/A
How long are they?
28 in (70 cm)
How tall are they?
What do they look like?
Grey or olive-green, brown, white, black, yellow
Skin Type
Scales
What were their main threats?
Humans
What is their conservation status?
Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
Where you’ll find them?
Moist Savanna, And Grasslands, Gardens, Fynbos, Lowland Forest
Locations
Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, And South And Central Mozambique, Southern Africa-sub-saharan Africa And Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Botswana
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Crotaphopeltis
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Crotaphopeltis
Class Reptilia
Family Colubridae
