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5.18.2022

The horned viper: don’t trust its antennae

The horned viper, recognisable by the two antennae above its yellow eyes, is one of the most formidable desert predators. Voted the most venomous snake in this environment, the 12 toxins in its venom can be fatal to a human, and are almost always fatal to smaller mammals.

The desert, with its smooth, single-coloured expanse, has always been and remains a demanding hunting ground to which only a few predators manage to adapt. The horned viper, which inhabits the arid zones of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is one of these animals, thanks to its ingenuity and a very special method of hunting. Let’s take a look at an unusual animal that you would not want to meet.

An ingenious modus operandi

The horned viper is remarkable in many ways. First of all, it moves in a costal manner, also called “crabbing“, on the sand so as not to sink into it. It even leaves small wave-like marks on the dunes as a sign of its passage. This technique allows it to optimise its speed and to hunt its favourite food: rodents and lizards. When the viper needs to accelerate, it can even move in rapid leaps. Its sandy colour also allows it to camouflage itself in the wild, especially as it can bury itself slightly in the sand to hide silently near its prey, then suddenly appear.

 


And what about the horns?

Even when buried, her horns give her away by protruding from the layer of sand under which her body lies. But what are these antennae for? In reality, and after much scientific research, they serve no purpose other than to give it a very particular style. The two horns are just two scales that grow vertically and separate from the snake’s skin. The viper is no less fearsome!

See also

The 3 protected animals emblematic of the Arab world

 

Published on 18 May 2022