[Preliminary study of snake fauna in the Lama forest, South Benin].

The following study aims at assessing the ophidian diversity of the Lama Forest, a classified area, situated in the South of Benin. One can distinguish three types of habitat according to the degree of human activity: the remaining dense forest at the centre, the intermediate plantation area, and finally the area around the edge which has been entirely subjected to human habitation. Each day for two weeks we have been working on various plots of study (by day), patrolled along transect routes (by night), and installed a trap in the central area. As a result, we were able to observe 32 snake specimens, 24 of which we captured. Nearly all were able to be identified, and have been classified into 13 genera and 17 species.