Lamprophiidae

Lamprophiidae is a family of snakes found throughout Africa, including the Seychelles, comprising about 89 species across roughly 20 genera as of a July 2022 count. Lamprophiids were historically considered members of the subfamily Lamprophiinae within the family Colubridae, but phylogenetic research showing a closer relationship to elapids led to their reclassification as a separate family, now restricted to Africa and the Seychelles though the group formerly had a wider range. The family is diverse in habit, including terrestrial, fossorial and semi-aquatic species ranging from fast moving to slow, inhabiting deserts, grasslands, tropical forests and mountains, and feeding on mammals, birds, other reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates; most species are oviparous, nonvenomous and placid in temperament, which makes some popular in the pet trade.