Schneider's miniature puff adder
| Schneider's miniature puff adder | ||||||||||||
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Schneider's miniature puff adder ( Bitis schneideri ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bitis schneideri | ||||||||||||
| ( Boettger , 1886) |
Schneider's miniature puff adder ( Bitis schneideri ) (also Namaqua miniature puff adder ) is a small venomous snake from the viper family . It occurs in the southern coastal area of Namibia and in western South Africa . The overgrown sand dunes of the coast are their habitat.
features
Schneider's miniature puff adder is similar in body to that of the miniature puff adder ( Bitis peringueyi ). With a body length of 19 to a maximum of 28 centimeters, it is the smallest of all Bitis species. There is a small, somewhat elongated scale above each of the relatively small eyes. It is usually gray or gray-brown in color, with three rows of round, dark spots with a light center.
Way of life
The nocturnal snake spends the day buried in the sand, usually in the shade of a larger tuft of grass. It feeds mainly on small lizards and can move through cross winds .
The litter consists of 3 - 4 young animals. Bites are only intended to cause local symptoms in humans. BITIS SCHNEIDERI is through the progressive diamond - open pit increasingly threatened in their habitat in their stock.
Snake venom
This viper's venom is less dangerous. Usually it only shows local phenomena.
literature
- David Mallow, David Ludwig, Göran Nilson: True Vipers. Natural History and Toxicology of Old World Vipers , Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar (Florida) 2003, pp. 97-99, ISBN 0-89464-877-2
Web links
- Bitis schneideri in The Reptile Database
- Bitis schneideri inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: World Conservation Monitoring Center, 1996. Retrieved October 11, 2013.