Is the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake venomous?

No. The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake (Bothrophthalmus brunneus) 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 Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake dangerous?

The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Where does the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake live?

The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake has verified records in 4 countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Lamprophiidae

Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake

Harmless

Bothrophthalmus brunneus

2 photographs of the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake. no rights reserved, uploaded by Marius Burger.

The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake (Bothrophthalmus brunneus) is a non-venomous snake in the Lamprophiidae family, recorded in 4 countries.

Family: Lamprophiidae

About the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake

The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake belongs to the Lamprophiidae family, african house snakes & allies. Common African snakes, including the familiar house snakes.

Lamprophiids are a largely African family that includes the house snakes often found around dwellings, where they hunt rodents, plus wolf snakes and many others. Most are non-venomous or only mildly rear-fanged.

Its genus, Bothrophthalmus, covers African striped snakes. A small genus of glossy, striped burrowing snakes from the forests of tropical Africa.

The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake is non-venomous and harmless to people. Like most snakes it is a quiet predator that helps keep rodents and other small prey in check.

It has been recorded in Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.

Frequently asked: Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake

Is the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake venomous?: No. The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake (Bothrophthalmus brunneus) 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 Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake dangerous?: The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
Where does the Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake live?: The Brown Loreal Pitted Wolf Snake has verified records in 4 countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. See the distribution section below for its full range.

Where it is found

Cameroon Gabon Equatorial Guinea Congo

More Lamprophiidae 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: Lamprophiidae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Bothrophthalmus
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Bothrophthalmus brunneus

Keep learning

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