Prosymnidae
Visser’s Shovel-snout
HarmlessProsymna visseri
The Visser’s Shovel-snout (Prosymna visseri) is a non-venomous snake in the Prosymnidae family, recorded in 2 countries.
- Family
- Prosymnidae
About the Visser’s Shovel-snout
The Visser’s Shovel-snout belongs to the Prosymnidae family, shovel-snout snakes. Burrowing African egg-eaters with a wedge-shaped snout.
Shovel-snout snakes are small fossorial snakes that use a sharp, shovel-like snout to dig and that specialize in eating reptile eggs underground. They are harmless and seldom seen.
Its genus, Prosymna, covers shovel-snout snakes. Small African burrowing snakes named for the hard, shovel-shaped snout they use to dig through soil after reptile eggs.
The Visser’s Shovel-snout 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 Angola and Namibia.
Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.
Frequently asked: Visser’s Shovel-snout
- Is the Visser’s Shovel-snout venomous?
- No. The Visser’s Shovel-snout (Prosymna visseri) 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 Visser’s Shovel-snout poisonous?
- Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Visser’s Shovel-snout is neither poisonous nor venomous.
- Is the Visser’s Shovel-snout dangerous?
- The Visser’s Shovel-snout is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
- Where does the Visser’s Shovel-snout live?
- The Visser’s Shovel-snout has verified records in 2 countries, including Angola, Namibia. See the distribution section below for its full range.
Where it is found
More Prosymnidae snakes
East African Shovel-SnoutProsymna stuhlmanni
South African Shovel-snoutProsymna sundevalli
Lineolate Shovel-snoutProsymna lineata
Mozambique Shovel-snoutProsymna janii
Twin-striped Shovel-snoutProsymna bivittata
South-western African Shovel-snoutProsymna frontalis
Ruspoli's Shovelsnout SnakeProsymna ruspolii
Ghana Shovel-snoutProsymna meleagris
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
- Prosymnidae
- GenusA close-knit group of very similar species
- Prosymna
- SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name
- Prosymna visseri
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.