Lamprophiidae
Ornate Wolf Snake
HarmlessLycophidion ornatum
The Ornate Wolf Snake (Lycophidion ornatum) is a non-venomous snake in the Lamprophiidae family.
- Family
- Lamprophiidae
About the Ornate Wolf Snake
The Ornate 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, Lycophidion, covers wolf snakes (African). Small, secretive African snakes with recurved teeth built for gripping hard-scaled lizards.
The Ornate 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.
Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.
Frequently asked: Ornate Wolf Snake
- Is the Ornate Wolf Snake venomous?
- No. The Ornate Wolf Snake (Lycophidion ornatum) 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 Ornate Wolf Snake poisonous?
- Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Ornate Wolf Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
- Is the Ornate Wolf Snake dangerous?
- The Ornate Wolf Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
More Lamprophiidae snakes
Cape Wolf SnakeLycophidion capense
Pygmy Wolf SnakeLycophidion pygmaeum
Variegated Wolf SnakeLycophidion variegatum
Spotted Wolf SnakeLycophidion albomaculatum
Flat-snouted Wolf SnakeLycophidion depressirostre
Leach's Wolf SnakeLycophidion irroratum
Red-snouted Wolf SnakeLycophidion uzungwense
Semi-annulated Wolf SnakeLycophidion semicinctum
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
- Lycophidion
- SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name
- Lycophidion ornatum
Keep learning
- What to Do If You Find a SnakeFound a snake at home or on a trail? Here is how to stay calm, give it space, identify it safely, and know when to call a professional.
- 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.
- 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 to Keep Snakes Out of Your Yard and HomeA practical guide to keeping snakes out of your yard and home using habitat changes that work, plus what to skip and what to do if one shows up.
Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.