Snake family · Malagasy snakes
Pseudoxyrhophiidae
A spectacular radiation of mostly harmless snakes centered on Madagascar.
About the Pseudoxyrhophiidae family
This family is the dominant snake group of Madagascar, where it has diversified into hognose snakes, cat-eyed snakes, leaf-nosed snakes, and many more, with additional members in Africa. Most are rear-fanged but harmless to people.
- Where they live
- Madagascar, with some species in mainland Africa and the Comoros.
- How to recognize one
- Highly variable; identification is usually by region and genus rather than a single family trait.
- Danger to people
- Considered harmless to humans. Some are mildly venomous (rear-fanged) but not medically significant.
Species (71)
Ambre Brook SnakePseudoxyrhopus ambreensisHarmless
Ampijoroa Tree SnakeLycodryas pseudogranulicepsHarmless
Ankarana Keeled SnakeAlluaudina mocquardiHarmless
Antsiranana Cat SnakeMadagascarophis fuchsiHarmless
Antsiranana Tree SnakeLycodryas inopinaeHarmless
Befandriana Smooth SnakeLiophidium appertiHarmless
Bernier's Striped SnakeDromicodryas bernieriHarmless
Betsileo White-banded Tree SnakeParastenophis betsileanusHarmless
Blonde Hognose SnakeLeioheterodon modestusHarmless
Boulenger's Forest SnakeCompsophis boulengeriHarmless
Brown Brook SnakePseudoxyrhopus micropsHarmless
Cape Reed SnakeAmplorhinus multimaculatusHarmless
Chevron Necked SnakeMicropisthodon ochraceusHarmless
Common Madagascar Cat SnakeMadagascarophis colubrinusHarmless
Common Slug-eaterDuberria lutrixHarmless
Eastern Madagascar Water SnakeThamnosophis epistibesHarmless
Eastern Rainforest Smooth SnakeLiopholidophis dolicocercusHarmless
Forest Water SnakeThamnosophis infrasignatusHarmless
Four-striped SnakeDromicodryas quadrilineatusHarmless
Ghost SnakeMadagascarophis loloHarmless
Giant Madagascan Hognose SnakeLeioheterodon madagascariensisHarmless
Gold-collared SnakeLiophidium rhodogasterHarmless
Jan's SnakeElapotinus pictetiHarmless
Karimbola Cat SnakeMadagascarophis meridionalisHarmless
Lateral Water SnakeThamnosophis lateralisHarmless
Light-banded Dwarf SnakeHeteroliodon occipitalisHarmless
Lined Forest SnakeCompsophis infralineatusHarmless
Madagascar Black-backed Smooth SnakeLiophidium vaillantiHarmless
Madagascar Burrowing SnakePararhadinaea melanogasterHarmless
Madagascar Leaf-nosed SnakeLangaha madagascariensisHarmless
Mayotte Smooth SnakeLiophidium mayottensisHarmless
Mount Ambre Water SnakeLiopholidophis dimorphusHarmless
Night Brook SnakePseudoxyrhopus heterurusHarmless
Northeastern Tree SnakeLycodryas gaimardiHarmless
Nosy Bé Tree SnakeLycodryas granulicepsHarmless
Ocellated Cat SnakeMadagascarophis ocellatusHarmless
Orange Tree SnakePhisalixella variabilisHarmless
Pale-headed forest snakeBuhoma depressicepsHarmless
Perinet Night SnakeIthycyphus perinetiHarmless
Ranomafana Big-headed SnakeCompsophis laphystiusHarmless
Red-striped Smooth SnakeLiophidium pattoniHarmless
Reticulated Hognose SnakeLeioheterodon geayiHarmless
Shire Slug-eaterDuberria shiranaHarmless
Six-lined Water SnakeLiopholidophis sexlineatusHarmless
Slender Smooth SnakeLiopholidophis rhadinaeaHarmless
Socotra Night SnakeDitypophis vivaxHarmless
Sokosoko Ground SnakePseudoxyrhopus sokosokoHarmless
Southwestern Night SnakeIthycyphus oursiHarmless
Spotted Slug-eaterDuberria variegataHarmless
Spotted Tree SnakeLycodryas maculatusHarmless
Striped Brook SnakePseudoxyrhopus quinquelineatusHarmless
Three-lined Smooth SnakeLiophidium trilineatumHarmless
Three-striped Ground SnakePseudoxyrhopus tritaeniatusHarmless
Tiny Night SnakeIthycyphus miniatusHarmless
Toliara Smooth SnakeLiophidium chabaudiHarmless
Usambara forest snakeBuhoma vauerocegaeHarmless
Western Banded Tree SnakePhisalixella tulearensisHarmless
Western Comoran Tree SnakeLycodryas cococolaHarmless
White Banded Tree SnakePhisalixella arctifasciataHarmless
White-lipped Smooth SnakeLiophidium torquatumHarmless
Yellow-and-black Tree SnakeLycodryas citrinusHarmless
Yellow-flanked Keeled SnakeAlluaudina bellyiHarmless
Yellow-striped Water SnakeThamnosophis stumpffiHarmless
Zimbabwean Slug-EaterDuberria rhodesianaHarmless- No photoAmbilobe Leaf-nosed SnakeLangaha pseudoalluaudiHarmless
- No photoAnatelo Forest Smooth SnakeLiophidium therezieniHarmless
- No photoAndasibe Big-headed SnakeCompsophis vinckeiHarmless
- No photoAnkarana Dwarf SnakeHeteroliodon lavaHarmless
- No photoFianarantsoa Big-headed SnakeCompsophis zenyHarmless
- No photoRanomafana Ground SnakePseudoxyrhopus oblectatorHarmless
- No photoWhite-bellied Big-headed SnakeCompsophis albiventrisHarmless
Genera in the Pseudoxyrhophiidae family
16 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.