Snake family · Mole snakes & allies
Pseudaspididae
Robust African burrowers and their relatives.
About the Pseudaspididae family
This small family includes the mole snake, a powerful non-venomous constrictor of African grasslands that hunts rodents in burrows, along with the slug-eating Duberria.
- Where they live
- Sub-Saharan Africa.
- How to recognize one
- Mole snakes are heavy-bodied with a pointed snout; coloration varies widely.
- Danger to people
- Non-venomous, though a large mole snake can deliver a strong bite if cornered.
Species (4)
Genera in the Pseudaspididae family
1 genera with two or more species. Open one to read about the group and browse all its snakes.
Keep learning
- What Is a Snake? Anatomy and the BasicsA clear overview of what makes a snake a snake: limbless body plan, anatomy, evolution from lizards, species diversity, and why they are ectothermic.
- How Snakes Move, Hunt, and EatHow snakes move without legs, hunt as ambushers or active foragers, kill by constriction or venom, and swallow prey wider than their head.
- What Do Snakes Eat?All snakes are carnivores. Learn what snakes eat, how diet changes with size and age, how often they feed, and how they hunt and swallow prey.
- Venomous vs Nonvenomous: How to Tell the DifferenceThe folk rules for telling venomous snakes apart, where each one fails, and why location-based identification beats guessing by sight.