African Egg-eating Snake, Dasypeltis Scabra

The African Egg-eating Snake, prior to WWT, was native to the Southern portion of the African continent and was one of the two genus of snakes that lived exclusively off eggs. Largely nocturnal, it preyed mainly upon eggs of Weaver Birds, and was extremely adept at tree climbing. Able to determine the freshness of the egg by testing the shell with its tongue, the snake would then push its head over the egg, and our records indicate that the snakes were able to swallow eggs up to three times the size of its head. Once inside the snake, a series of modified vertebrae at the back of the neck would pierce the eggshell, whereupon the contents would be sucked out and the flattened shell regurgitated.

Usually caught directly from the wild, the African Egg-eating Snake was considered to be an impressive if hard to feed exotic pet, due to the ethically troublesome necessity for an availability of fresh small bird eggs all the year round. It was especially prized among reptile owners and herpetoculturists for its docile temperament and lack of teeth and venom sacs. While able to live happily in a small terrarium tank when provided with sufficient water and warmth, the African Egg-eating Snake was also an adept escape artist, and hence required much attention and a secure container.

In captivity, the African Egg-eating Snake was able to breed all year round, and could reach lengths of between 70-100cm. Its scale pattern consisted of rhombic patches on a base of grey or brown – a coloration that caused it at times to be confused with the venomous Horner Adder, also native to Africa. On the whole, given its feeding habits and doppelganger risk, we might perhaps be glad that such a repulsive pet went extinct with many of the other snake species following WWT, due to the lack of available sunlight to warm their cold-blooded bodies.