Types of forest snakes

Buhoma is a small genus in the family Pseudoxyrhophiidae, a group of mostly small to medium African and Malagasy snakes. The genus holds only a couple of species, including the pale-headed forest snake and the Usambara forest snake. They live in forested uplands of central and eastern Africa, where they keep to leaf litter, damp ground, and low cover rather than open or dry country. Within their family they sit alongside many Madagascar relatives, and they are not closely related to true cobras, vipers, or the common colubrids most people picture when they think of a snake.

These are small, slender, ground-dwelling snakes with smooth scales and an unremarkable build, which is typical of the family. In general terms you recognize them by their modest size, their forest habitat, and their habit of staying close to the ground in moist, shaded places. Color patterns are muted and blend with the litter they hide in. Because the species are obscure and rarely encountered, the most reliable cues are range and habitat rather than any single bold marking.

Members of Pseudoxyrhophiidae are largely harmless to people and pose no serious medical threat. Many snakes in this family are rear-fanged, meaning any mild secretions are delivered toward the back of the mouth and matter mostly to small prey, not humans. There is no evidence that Buhoma is dangerous to people, but the right move with any wild snake is to leave it alone and not handle it. If a person is ever bitten and symptoms develop, do not wait it out: contact local emergency services, or in the United States call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. As small forest snakes, they are believed to feed on small prey such as invertebrates and tiny vertebrates and to lead a quiet, low-profile life on the forest floor.