Dasypeltis is a genus of colubrid snakes. It is one of only two taxonomic groups of snakes known to have adapted to feed exclusively on eggs (the other being the genus Elachistodon). Dasypeltis are non-venomous and found throughout the continent of Africa, primarily in forested or wooded habitats that are also home to numerous species of birds. Species and subspecies Dasypeltis has 17 recognized species, two of which have recognized subspecies: Dasypeltis abyssina Dasypeltis arabica - Arabian egg-eating snake Dasypeltis atra - montane egg-eating snake Dasypeltis bazi Dasypeltis confusa Dasypeltis congolensis Dasypeltis crucifera - cross-marked egg-eating snake Dasypeltis fasciata - Central African egg eating snake Dasypeltis gansi Dasypeltis inornata - southern brown egg-eating snake Dasypeltis latericia Dasypeltis medici - East African egg-eating snake Dasypeltis medici lamuensis Dasypeltis medici medici Dasypeltis palmarum Dasypeltis parascabra Dasypeltis sahelensis Dasypeltis scabra - common or rhombic egg-eating snake Dasypeltis scabra loveridgei Dasypeltis scabra scabra Dasypeltis taylori Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Dasypeltis. Etymology The specific name, gansi, is in honor of American herpetologist Carl Gans (1923–2009). Description The species of the genus Dasypeltis exhibit a wide variation in patterning and color, from mixtures of browns and greens, to solid black. Individuals in a specific locality tend to share similar color and pattern. They vary in size greatly, from in total length (including tail). Behavior Dasypeltis species tend to have a nervous disposition, and when threatened will perform what is called saw-scaling, where it will rub its scales together quickly to make a rasping noise that sounds vaguely like hissing. They are agile climbers, and have a keen sense of smell to tell whether an egg is rotten or too far developed to be comfortable to eat. They have extremely flexible jaws and necks for eating eggs much larger than their head, and have no teeth, but they do have bony protrusions on the inside edge of their spine which are used to aid in breaking the shells of eggs. The process of consuming an egg involves wrapping their mouth around it and drawing it into the throat and then flexing their muscles pushing the egg into the bony protrusions on their spine, which causes the egg to collapse in on itself. Then the snake carefully squeezes every last bit of liquid out of the inside of the egg, ending with regurgitation