African Egg Eating Snake basic information
The African Egg Eating Snake is a thin snake, and by maturity, the average individual will reach approximately 70 centimeters in length, though some may grow to over a meter in length. The basic coloration is gray to brown with darker square-like patches on the snake's dorsal surface that creates a zigzagging pattern. African Egg Eating Snakes have only rudimentary teeth in the mouth, greatly restricting their diet. There are 25 to 30 tooth-like structures at the back of the neck, which are really modified vertebrae. The Egg Eater is often confused with the Common Night adder in Southeastern Africa because of its rhombic markings. The similarity between these two snakes is a very effective defense mechanism as I have seen seasoned herpetologists who have mistaken the two and subsequently suffered the very painful bite of the night adder. Similarly, in the Southwestern region of Africa it is often confused with the Horned Adder. .
