Horned puff adder
| Horned puff adder | ||||||||||||
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Horned puff adder ( Bitis caudalis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bitis caudalis | ||||||||||||
| ( Smith , 1839) |
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The horned puff adder ( Bitis caudalis ) belongs within the family of the vipers (Viperidae) to the genus of the puff adder ( Bitis ). The species was scientifically described in 1839 by the British zoologist Andrew Smith . There are no known subspecies.
features
The horned puff adder has a short and stocky build with keeled scales, the triangular head clearly stands out from the body. With body lengths between 25 and 40, rarely up to almost 60 cm, it is one of the smallest representatives of its genus. Bitis caudalis has showy eyes with vertically slit pupils. It has a short and mostly pointed, horn-like scaled thorn above each eye. The coloration varies greatly depending on the area of distribution. In Namaqualand in South Africa, for example, animals with a predominance of orange are found. The drawing, consisting of spots on the back and sides and a more or less noticeable head drawing, also varies greatly in color and intensity.
Similar species are the tufted browed viper ( Bitis cornuta ), the puff adder ( Bitis arietans ) and Bitis inornata .
distribution and habitat
The horned puff adder has been found in southern Africa in Namibia , South Africa , Zimbabwe and Botswana as well as in southern Angola and southern Zambia . Their habitat is sandy deserts and barren savannahs .
Way of life
The horned puff adder is a "typical" desert viper. It is active at twilight and at night, lives on the ground and often spends the day curled up under bushes, succulents or buried in the sand. During the day it lurks for prey dug up to the top of the head in the soil, and at night it is also actively hunted. The prey is paralyzed with a poison bite. The prey consists primarily of small lizards , but frogs , birds and small mammals are also captured. The viper can move crosswinds and is hardly aggressive towards humans. Bitis caudalis is ovoviviparous , so after mating it develops embryos in thin-shelled egg shells, but these hatch while the eggs are being laid and are born alive. A litter usually consists of 3 to 8, up to a maximum of 27 young snakes. The young animals also feed on small lizards such as geckos .
Snake venom
The Bitis caudalis produces a snake venom with a presynaptically acting neurotoxin (the so-called Caudoxin, an enzyme of the type phospholipase A 2 ), and myotoxischen (muscle destructive) properties. The symptoms after a bite are mostly limited to local pain, swelling and local necrosis ; no deaths are known.
swell
Individual evidence
- ^ ITIS Report: Bitis caudalis. Information on systematics and subspecies.
- ↑ The Reptile Database: Bitis caudalis ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- J. Marais: A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, 2004: pp. 82-83. ISBN 1-8-6872-932-X
