Patagonian lance viper
| Patagonian lance viper | ||||||||||||
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Patagonian Lance Viper ( Bothrops ammodytoides ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bothrops ammodytoides | ||||||||||||
| Leybold , 1873 |
The Patagonia Pitviper ( Bothrops ammodytoides ), in her home known as Cenicienta or Yararanata , is a South American pit viper , exclusively in Argentina is based. This relatively small venomous snake is the most southerly common of all snake species on earth .
features
The body length is max. 1 m, but the average is 70 cm or less. The main feature is the spike located on the tip of the nose. The basic color of the body varies depending on the region from brown to gray, this is provided with dark spots. The head is, as with most Viperidae deposed, triangular and distinct from the neck.
distribution
The Cenicienta occurs only in Argentina and there only east of the Andes. The range extends to southern Patagonia (about 47 ° south latitude), no other snake on earth lives more south. It occurs at heights of up to 2000 m.
food
Bothrops ammodytoides feeds mainly on lizards and frogs.
etymology
The word ammodytoides comes from the Greek. It consists of ammos , which stands for sand , dytes means diver and the suffix -oides , "to have the shape of something". The species received this taxonomic designation based on its sandy habitat and the conspicuous thorn on the snout.
literature
- Jonathan A. Campbell, William W. Lamar: The venomous reptiles of the western hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca NY et al. 2004, ISBN 0-8014-4141-2 ( Comstock books in herpetology ).
- Mark O'Shea: Venomous snakes. All species in the world in their habitats. Kosmos-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10619-5 .