Pictures of a "normal" Zululand Phase Cape House Snake
Often House Snake dealers are asked what kind of "mophs" do you have and I think very few people realize just how beautiful a "normal" house snake can be. That is certainly the case with this male.
He is a plain old normal Cape House Snake, (Lamprophis Capensis) commonly called the Brown House Snake and there for confused with his cousin the Brown House Snake from further north (Lamprophis Fuliginosus). [See Why Why Won't these House Snake Breed for more information about the confusion between L. Fuliginosus and L. Capensis.
It is amazing what a good camera and good lighting can do to show off these snakes. The more I work with them the more I believe it is good photography that is separating House Snakes from being bigger in the pet trade and nothing more. Have a look at this guy, all shots can be enlarged by clicking on them. These shots are of a young male (roughly 14 months old) about two feet in total length.
The first shot gives a good look at the beautiful pattern on most Zululand Phase House Snake you can also see the one patch of skin that did not come off his head on his last shed. It is the big scale behind his right eye. It was traumatic to him when I tried to remove it so I decided it will come off next shed and is doing him no harm, his eye caps shed fine.
The next shot gives you a great image of that vertical pupil but this is no viper just a harmless house snake. You will also see that his eye line has a clear break in it. I can't say for certain that all Capensis have this break and all Fuliginosus with eye lines do not but in every fuliginosus I have see that had eye lines the line passed well beyond the neck joint and every Capensis had this clean clear break right before the neck joint.
Many people do not know that Lamprophis means "shining" this shot shows why check out the luminicence on his head,
This shot is my favorite from this group of photos, again you can see why they are known as the "shining snake".
Last one and just look at that eye!
The new care sheet will be coming soon so keep stopping by,
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