Is the Awl-headed Snake venomous?

No. The Awl-headed Snake (Lytorhynchus diadema) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.

Is the Awl-headed Snake poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Awl-headed Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the Awl-headed Snake dangerous?

The Awl-headed Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Where does the Awl-headed Snake live?

The Awl-headed Snake has verified records in 24 countries, including Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Colubridae

Awl-headed Snake

Harmless

Lytorhynchus diadema

Awl-headed Snake — Lytorhynchus diadema, © Valentin Moser

6 photographs of the Awl-headed Snake. © Valentin Moser.

The Awl-headed Snake (Lytorhynchus diadema) is a non-venomous snake in the Colubridae family, recorded in 24 countries.

Family: Colubridae

About the Awl-headed Snake

Lytorhynchus diadema, the crowned leafnose snake, diademed sand snake, or awl-headed snake, is a non-venomous snake found in Middle East, North Africa & West Asia.

Description

Lytorhynchus diadema adults range from 30-51 cm in length.

Pale buff or cream color above, with a series of 13 – 18 large transversely rhomboidal dark spots; a dark median band along the head and nape, sometimes confluent with an interocular transverse band; an oblique dark band from the eye to the angle of the mouth; lower parts uniform white.

Distribution

Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Mauritania, West Sahara.

This species is found in sandy desert, semi-desert, sandy coastal areas, areas of high grassland plateaus (especially those close to rocky areas), and clay plateaus with rocks. This species digs, but is not considered fossorial In Arabia it appears to occur in a wide range of dry habitats.

Diet

It feeds mainly on lizards but will eat large arthropods, insects and young rodents.

Reproduction

The species is oviparous, laying clutches of three to five eggs.

Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked: Awl-headed Snake

Is the Awl-headed Snake venomous?: No. The Awl-headed Snake (Lytorhynchus diadema) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
Is the Awl-headed Snake poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Awl-headed Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the Awl-headed Snake dangerous?: The Awl-headed Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
Where does the Awl-headed Snake live?: The Awl-headed Snake has verified records in 24 countries, including Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. See the distribution section below for its full range.
What does the Awl-headed Snake eat?: It feeds mainly on lizards but will eat large arthropods, insects and young rodents.

More Colubridae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards: Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits: Colubridae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Lytorhynchus
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Lytorhynchus diadema

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Background: Wikipedia. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.