The Brown House Snake, is one of the most common and most useful snakes in South Africa. It is attracted to human dwellings where it feeds on rats, mice and lizards. They are not venomous and are completely harmless to humans. House snakes are powerful constrictors which rely on their muscle power to constrict prey.

This snake is more active at night and is quite slow-moving compared to some. Most individuals are medium to dark brown with an off-white underbelly and two distinctive pale streaks above the eyes.

An adult brown house snake can reach an average size of up to 60 cm with a maximum length of 1.2m.  These snakes can lay between 6 – 12 eggs which hatch after approximately 3 months.

Photographs by Barbara Mundell Photography