Snouted toad viper
| Snouted toad viper | ||||||||||||
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Snouted toad viper ( Causus defilippii ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Causus defilippii | ||||||||||||
| ( Jan , 1863) |
The snouts horned viper ( Causus defilippii ), also called snout night Otter or Defilippis night Otter called, is a species of vipers and belongs to the genre of causinae ( Causus ). The specific epithet honors the Italian zoologist Filippo De Filippi .
features
Causus defilippii has a strong body with a short tail. The species reaches a total length between 30 and 40 cm. The head is only slightly separated from the neck. It is elongated-oval shaped and has a pointed and slightly raised snout with a T-shaped snout shield. On the top of the head there are large scales. The relatively large eye has a round pupil when exposed to light. The body has a pale brown, orange or gray-green basic color. A longitudinal stripe and a series of rounded to V-shaped spots can be seen along the back. At the back of the head there is a bright V-spot open to the rear. There is a dark band of temples between the eye and the corner of the mouth. The flanks are spotted. The ventral side is white-yellow and occasionally spotted gray-brown. In young animals, the ventral side is often blackish in color.
Causus defilippii has a venomous apparatus typical of vipers with venom glands (modified salivary glands) located on the side of the skull, venom duct and tubular, movable fangs in the anterior upper jaw (solenoglyph tooth position). Little is known about the composition and pharmacology of the poisonous secretion of the species. Bite accidents are mostly mild in humans and are associated with local symptoms (swelling, pain).
Pholidosis
The pholidosis (scaling) shows the following characteristics:
- 6 to 7 upper lip shields ( supralabials ),
- Snout shield ( Scutum rostrale ) large, T-shaped,
- 16 to 18 (mostly 17) rows of weakly keeled trunk scales ( Scuta dorsalia ),
- 108 to 117 (males) or 115 to 126 (females) abdominal shields ( Scuta ventralia ),
- 12 to 18 (males) or 10 to 15 (females) under- tail shields ( Scuta subcaudalia ) and
- 1 undivided anal shield ( scutum anale ).
distribution
The distribution area extends over areas in Southeast Africa and South Africa. Settled habitats include dry savannahs and tree land. Causus defilippii can be found in the lowlands as well as in the hill country up to an altitude of about 1800 m.
Way of life
Causus defilippii is mostly nocturnal, but is also often observed during the day. She leads a largely soil-dwelling and burrowing way of life. The prey spectrum presumably consists exclusively of amphibians ( frogs ). When threatened, the snake initially defends itself with warning hissing noises, but with persistent distress also with vehement defensive behavior and bites.
Reproduction
During the mating season, comment fights between the males can be observed, in which the rivals straighten their front bodies and try to push each other down. The propagation is done by oviparity so oviparous. The eggs are laid between December and January. The clutch comprises 3 to 9 eggs with dimensions of 20 to 25 mm x 14 to 16 mm. The young snakes hatch after three and a half months and measure about 10 cm when they hatch.
literature
- Ludwig Trutnau: Snakes in the Terrarium Vol. 2: Poisonous snakes . Verlag Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-800-1705-23 .
- Mark O'Shea: Venomous snakes - All kinds of the world in their habitats , Franckh-Kosmos-Verlag, 2006. ISBN 978-3-440-10619-8 .
- Dieter Schmidt: Atlas snakes - species, keeping, care , bede-Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden, 2006; Nikol Verlag (2009). ISBN 978-3-86820-011-9 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ University of Adelaide, Clinical Toxinology Resources: Causus defilippii (accessed March 24, 2019)
