Ladder Snake

Ladder Snake (Zamenis scalaris)

Juvenile Ladder snake

Juvenile Ladder snake

This is a juvenile ladder snake that our cat caught. This snake is the most common at the cortijo. The one in the photo above is a young one. It is about 30cm long. When the snake gets older there are 2 lines along the whole length of the snake.

This type of snake grow up to around 170 cm long. They are non venomous because their teeth are Aglyphous (lacking grooves) which are not adapted for injecting venom.

This snake moves about 100m per day, the average home territory of an individual is 4,500m2. Adults may sometimes be found in out  buildings hunting for rodents.

They eat mammals such as mice and shrews, spiders, insects (especially grasshoppers) and a few birds.