Puff Adder

Name

Puff Adder [Bitis arietans]

Appearance

The infamous and dangerous Puff Adder is a rather long snake, reaching 1.09m long. The Puff Adder has very rough scales that vary between brown, yellow and black. The scale colours allow it to blend in seamlessly among piles of leaves. It has two horns that protrude from its nostrils, it has a flat, triangular shaped head.

Diet

The Puff Adder feeds on rodents, amphibians, small birds and sometimes other snakes.

Distribution

The Puff Adder is a very common snake and can be found all around the southern part of Africa as well as the South of Arabia.

Breeding

Females will have litters of up to 20 – 40 young.

Venom

This snake is equipped with a cytotoxic (this venom destroys cells and soft tissues in your body) venom that causes blisters, swelling, pain and in most cases severe tissue damage.