Horned viper: what it looks like, where it is found, why it is dangerous. Desert animals are hardy and hardworking. Adaptation of the horned viper to the Sahara Desert.

Viper (Vipera) So called because its young are born through force (vi pariat). Without waiting for the natural order of events, the young snakes gnaw at their mother’s belly and thereby kill her. When a viper mates with a male, the latter must put his head in her mouth

The horned viper is classified in the family of viper snakes, in the genus false-horned. This unusual name this reptile has earned it thanks to its pair of unusual protruding horns, which nature has endowed it with.

External characteristics

This type of snake has a medium body size. The body is thick, has a cylindrical structure and can reach up to 0.89 - 1.16 meters in length. At the end of the body the snake has a short tail, the length of which is approximately 8 or 8.5 cm.

The reptile has a wide and flat head, its top shape resembles a pear and is separated from the body by the neck. The eyes are medium in size, the pupils are vertical, have an elliptical shape and resemble a cat's gaze. The snake's nostrils are bulging outward and raised upward. This reptile species has a naturally rough skin surface. Convex horns in the form of pointed blades above the eyes are formed by several scales. The scales in the horn area are significantly smaller than the dorsal scales; they stretch along the surface of the snake's body from the side, and resemble the edge of an elongated saw directed downwards.

Nature has endowed these individuals with a sandy color, with large brownish inclusions of a round shape, which are applied to the surface of the body in the middle along the back. These brown markings stand out on the body alternately with medium-sized dark spots on the sides of the body. A dark stripe stretched from the eyes to the corner of the mouth. There is a black tail at the end of the body, with the exception of baby snakes. There are no ornaments or markings at the bottom of the snake’s body; the color of the lower part is white.

In nature, there are a huge number of vipers of this species with a wide variety of color shades. There are light brown snakes, reptiles with gray, bronze and bluish-gray skin. Brown rectangular spots or stripes are often visible on the surface of the body. Some reptiles have dark brown lines along the body on the side of the head, with small patches in the throat area and on the sides of the body.

Habitats and diet

The reptile prefers to settle in places that are located approximately 2.2 thousand meters above sea level. For its habitat, the snake chooses an open landscaped area, with sandy or hilly terrain. It also settles in rocky places, on stone slopes, with scattered boulders.

Nutrition

The most active time of day for this snake comes at dusk. The reptile goes hunting at night to feast on rodents and small animals. The snake's diet includes lizards, birds, and sometimes prefers to eat arthropods.

Features of behavior

These reptiles move slowly and without unnecessary noise. Rodent burrows become a refuge for the snake. She often hides in cracks earth's surface, under large stones, sometimes crawls into not very large bushes. She often buries herself in the sand, with only her eyes visible on the surface. However, it is almost impossible to see a horned viper in such a secluded place due to its sandy color, which acts as camouflage.

The non-variegated color of the snake helps it easily camouflage itself in the area. However, if an uninvited guest is nearby, the reptile rises up on its tail in the shape of the letter “S” and vigorously rubs its body parts. The scales on the sides touch each other, after which a specific hissing sound appears. This sound, which scares away enemies, can last up to two minutes.

Horned viper toxicity

This species of snake, like other members of its large family, is considered by scientists to be poisonous reptiles. In the snake's mouth there are two visible sharp teeth, which she folds and hides in her mouth until the next hunt.

After being bitten by this snake, tangible reactions to the poison occur in the human body; the bitten person feels as if his heart is being squeezed strongly. In general, a person feels general pain, swelling, and the body is overcome by slight paralysis. However, the bite of this snake is not fatal, so patients are unlikely to need serum or antivenom for a horned viper bite.

Video: Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)

The Persian horned viper belongs to the viper family, the genus of false-horned vipers. The reptile got its name due to the presence of a pair of prominent “horns” above the eyes. The snake is also called the horned viper or horned field viper.

External signs of the Persian horned viper

The Persian horned viper is a medium-sized snake. The length of the thick, cylindrical body reaches 0.89 - 1.16 m. The tail is short, 8-8.5 cm long.

The head is wide, flat, pear-shaped when viewed from above and separates from the neck. The anterior end of the body is blunt. The eyes are medium in size with a vertical elliptical pupil. The nostrils are directed upward and outward. The Persian horned viper has a rough skin texture. The horn is formed by several scales. The middle of the dorsal scales is strongly keeled, almost smooth.

Coloring skin sandy, with large brown, round spots located along the middle of the back. They alternate with small lateral dark spots. A dark stripe stretches from the eye to the corner of the mouth. The tail is black-tipped, except in newborn snakes. The bottom is without patterns, just white.

The Persian horned viper comes in a variety of colors.

Known individuals are pale brown, gray, bronze, bluish-gray on the upper part of the body, with dark brown rectangular spots or stripes.

There are specimens with a dark brown line along the side of the head and faint brown spots on the throat and sides of the body. Some false-horned vipers have no markings on their body at all.

The Persian horned viper resembles the Arabian horned viper (Gasperettii) in appearance, but its “horns” consist of many small scales, rather than elongated single outgrowths. This feature allowed scientists to give the Persian horned vipers the name “false-horned” vipers, that is, “false horned vipers.”

Distribution of the Persian horned viper

The Persian horned viper is found throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Lives in Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United United Arab Emirates. Distributed in northern Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan. Inhabits Armenia, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan.

Habitats of the Persian horned viper

The Persian horned viper inhabits areas located up to 2200 meters above sea level. Inhabits open landscapes of sandy or hilly deserts overgrown with sparse shrubs.

Diet of the Persian horned viper

The Persian horned viper is usually active at night and preys on a variety of rodents. It feeds on lizards, birds, small mammals, and sometimes eats arthropods.

Reproduction of the Persian horned viper

Relatively little is known about the reproduction of the Persian horned viper in nature. The breeding season is from March to July. Like many other viper species, it may give birth to young snakes, but other sources say the horned viper lays eggs. The maximum life expectancy in captivity is 17.1 years.

Features of the behavior of the Persian horned viper

Persian horned viper leads night look life. Moves slowly across the surface of the earth. Sometimes it climbs small bushes. Finds refuge in rodent burrows, cracks or under boulders. A relatively non-aggressive snake.

When a predator approaches, it whistles loudly, but usually requires several provocative movements to force the horned Persian viper to attack first.

The Persian horned viper moves through terrain by bending its body in S-shaped curves.

Persian horned vipers make seasonal migrations in search of food.

IN winter time this species of snake moves to a more suitable habitat.

Persian horned viper is a poisonous snake

Persian horned viper, like everyone else related species, refers to poisonous reptiles. It has a pair of long, hollow teeth that fold and hide in the mouth when the snake is not hunting.

Viperid bites cause significant local reactions to the venom. The antivenom is uncertain, and is unlikely to be necessary for people who have been bitten. Local pain, swelling, and slight paralysis do not pose a serious threat to life.

Conservation status of the Persian horned viper

The Persian horned viper is not a species listed as endangered. False-horned vipers are among the least threatened species due to their wide distribution.

Flat head, a pair of sharp horns above almost cat eyes, an unusual manner of movement - the owner of such a memorable appearance could not help but leave her mark on history. Indeed, the horned viper (lat. Cerastes cerastes) has long been well known in its homeland - in the arid savannas and foothills North Africa, in the shifting sands of the Sahara Desert and the Arabian Peninsula.

According to the testimony of the Greek historian Herodotus, the ancient Egyptians treated horned vipers with great respect and even embalmed their bodies dead snakes. Their mummies were discovered during excavations in Thebes, which suggests an important and even mystical role of horned snakes in the life of the ancient inhabitants of Egypt. It was this reptile that served the Egyptians as the basis for one of the letters of the alphabet - the hieroglyph “phi”. It is believed that the reason for this was the ability of horned vipers to make hissing sounds using their lateral scales.


In general, the role that these scales, similar to pointed blades, play in the life of horned snakes is difficult to overestimate. They are much smaller than the dorsal scales, extend along the entire lateral surface of the body and are directed at an angle downwards, forming something like a long sharp saw.


When a reptile needs to burrow into the sand, it spreads its ribs to the sides, thereby flattening its body, and with rapid vibrating movements, using sawtooth scales as a digging mechanism, it sinks into the sand in a matter of seconds. It is unlikely that you will be able to see the trace of a viper hidden in the sand: the very first breath of wind carries away barely noticeable sandy tubercles left over from the dive.


The horned viper spends the entire daylight hours in abandoned rodent burrows or buried in the sand, leaving only its eyes on the surface. It is almost impossible to notice it in this position: the sandy-yellow coloring of the body, diluted with brown spots, does an excellent job as camouflage. Under the cover of night, horned predators go hunting: moving silently through the night desert, they catch small rodents, birds and lizards.


If camouflage coloring is not enough and you need to scare away an uninvited guest, horned snake stands on its tail in the shape of the letter “C” and begins to vigorously rub one part of the body against the other. And here the lateral scales come to the rescue again: clinging to each other, they produce a loud hissing sound that can continuously last for almost two minutes.


And, of course, the most convincing argument in defense is poison. They say that after being bitten by a horned viper, you feel as if your heart is being squeezed by an invisible fist. But in general, the venom of this snake is not fatal, and the same Egyptians learned to neutralize it more than two thousand years ago.


Another one interesting feature of this reptile is its way of moving. The horned viper moves along the sand using the so-called “lateral move.” She alternately throws the back of her body forward and to the side, and only then pulls up the front. Since the viper does not touch the sand with the middle part of its body when moving, its track is not a continuous line, but a series of oblique parallel stripes located at an angle of approximately 60 degrees to the direction of movement.


And while the horned viper crawls, its scales protruding from the sides collect the morning dew, storing invaluable moisture to survive another long hot day.

Horned viper (Cerastes cerastes)

Class - reptiles
Order - scaly

Family - viper

Genus - real vipers

Appearance

The horned viper is a snake 60-80 cm long, with a thick body and a sharply narrowed short tail. One sharp vertical scale sticks out above the eyes. The length of these scales varies greatly. The scales on the sides of the body are smaller than the dorsal ones, strongly keeled and directed obliquely downwards, forming a kind of saw running along each side. The color of the horned viper is sandy yellow with dark brown spots along the back and on both sides of the body.

Habitat

This snake inhabits the entire Sahara Desert and the adjacent foothills and dry savannas, as well as the Arabian Peninsula.

In nature

During the day, the snake burrows into the sand or hides in rodent holes, and at nightfall it goes out to hunt for small rodents and birds. Young individuals feed on locusts and lizards.

Reproduction

The horned viper is oviparous; its clutch contains 10-20 eggs. When incubated at 28-29°, the young hatch after 48 days.

Horned vipers are kept in wooden terrariums measuring 100x60x30 cm. Inside the terrarium, a blank partition must be placed with a hole near the bottom so that only a snake can pass through it. In this case, you need to take into account a layer of sand of 5 cm, into which snakes happily burrow due to their natural “habits”. The hole should be closed with a gate; this will allow you to protect yourself during cleaning by securely locking the snake in one of the parts of the terrarium. In addition to regular cleaning of the terrarium, it is sometimes necessary to sift all the sand to remove fine particles. The partition divides the volume into a “warm” chamber, in which a lamp (preferably a “DSLR”) is installed, and a “cold” chamber, since these animals need a certain temperature difference (of course, not the same as needed, for example, by many Vipera and Pelias vipers). Naturally, each chamber is equipped with its own door. The optimal temperature at the heating point is 37 degrees. It is recommended to place a flat stone, such as a piece of slate, under the lamp, on which the animals can bask. Be sure to install a drinking bowl! It is also necessary to maintain humidity in the dark half of the terrarium. To do this, you need to spray it with a spray bottle in the morning and evening. At night, the heating of the terrarium is turned off and the temperature drops to room temperature.
In captivity, slingshots feed on mice, juvenile rats, gerbils, hamsters, etc., which they eat without problems.
You should be extremely careful when handling these animals! Most often they sit poorly on the hook, but attack from absolutely any position and in any direction, while shooting the entire length of the body. At the same time, the teeth of horned vipers are quite long, the bite is dangerous due to its depth, powerful poison and doses that are administered per bite. In high doses, the poison acts as a strong anticoagulant through a directed and indirect effect on plasma fibrinogen. The poison has a pronounced effect on the vascular endothelium, which determines its main hemorrhagic effect, and causes serious destructive changes in the parenchyma internal organs and in muscle tissue.
Clinic of poisoning: pain, moderate swelling, general symptoms are not common. Sometimes nausea, vomiting, subcutaneous hemorrhages, hematuria and abdominal pain are recorded. Coagulation disorders are the same as those caused by epha poisoning, but somewhat milder. The causes of death can be disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, intracerebral hemorrhage, renal failure, and complicated necrosis.

Life expectancy in captivity is about 18 years.