About Lycodonomorphus rufulus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
Lycodonomorphus rufulus, commonly called the common brown water snake, is a nonvenomous snake species native to South Africa. This gentle, harmless snake is the most common water snake found in southern Africa. Its distribution extends from Cape Town in the south, along South Africa’s wet eastern coast, and inland to areas including Gauteng, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Across its entire range, this snake’s natural habitat is along water margins, where it shelters under leaves and logs. It emerges at night to hunt, feeding primarily on frogs and occasionally on rodents. At the end of summer, females lay clutches of up to 10 eggs.
