There are three species of snakes in Seychelles, two of which are endemic to the granitics, where they occur on the larger islands. The third species, a small burrowing snake, is introduced and is widespread although rarely seen and occurs on some small islands in the granitic group as well as some of the coralline islands. Aldabra has no snakes.
The Seychelles Wolf Snake Lycognathophis seychellensis (Koulev) is the most commonly seen snake in Seychelles, due to its wide occurrence on the larger granitic islands and its daytime habits. It is thin-bodied, fast-moving and occurs in two main colour forms – dark brown often with scattered golden scales, and golden brown. Solitary individuals may be seen in mid-altitude forests and the animal is often disturbed on little-used forest tracks. It moves away rapidly when disturbed and is completely harmless.
The Seychelles House Snake Boaedon geometricus (top photo) is primarily nocturnal, that is active at night, although it may occasionally be seen in the late afternoon. It can reach 1.2m in length and is much thicker than the wolf snake. Despite its name, it’s not usually found around human habitation preferring woodland, scrub and plantation and is much less frequently encountered than the wolf snake. It is mid-brown with longitudinal darker stripes along its body and shows purple iridescence in good light. Because of its bulk, it can take larger prey than the wolf snake and can bite humans although its bite is not dangerous.
(Photo credit: Dao Nguyen)