Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia can be identified by its olive green or grey body, multiple white speckles, distinctive black head, and red, yellow, white, or black upper lip.

[3] C. hotamboeia feeds on amphibians (including rain frogs), lizards, and other snakes (only in captivity).

[3] Adult females of C. hotamboeia lay between 6 and 19 eggs in early summer.

[3] Endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, the herald snake is present in Zambia, throughout South Africa (except for the Karoo and Northern Cape) as well as Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, southern and central Mozambique, and northern Botswana.

[3] The herald snake favors marshy areas in lowland forest, moist savanna, grasslands, and fynbos.