The Western Yellow-bellied Sand Snake is a fast-moving, slender snake that averages 50-80 cm. This snake is active during the day and is without doubt one of our fastest snakes. It is fond of basking but will move off rapidly if disturbed. It is comfortable in trees and shrubs.
Like some of the other snakes in the genus Psammophis, it will spin if caught by the tail and snap a piece off. The Western Yellow-bellied Sand snake feeds on lizards, frogs, rodents, small birds and other snakes.
The venom of this snake is very mild and has no real effect on humans. Sand snakes, Grass snakes and Skaapstekers can be difficult to tell apart - always check the distribution when attempting to identify one of these snakes.
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Filmed in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Game drive etiquette Rules:
- When you come across a sighting, slowly pull over on the side of the road closest to the animal, but keep a safe distance
- If there are animals in the road, immediately stop at least 20 m from them
- The lane furthest from the sighting should never be blocked, so that others can pass if they want to
- Don’t linger longer than a few minutes at a sighting, so that others can view it too
- Never go off the designated roads
- Never climb out of your vehicle during a drive, or hang out of your car windows or sunroof
- Don’t hoot or blare loud music
- Avoid driving into vegetation, as this could damage the environment or kill small animals
- During night drives, never shine a spotlight directly in animals’ eyes
- Never make noise to get animals to move, stand up or otherwise react for pictures
- Respect the rangers, and always comply with their requests or instructions