Poisonous Snakci of iho World 



Vi>ry adaiitiitilt". fouiiil frmii iilmcisf hnrriMi riicky or 

 sandy ilfscrt lo dry scriili fnri'st iiiul fruiii .si'nconst In 

 I'U'vadi'iis I'f aliimt ti.lHM) fcot. \iTy nlmnilMiil nvcr 

 iiiiK'h of its raiiKc. 



RfinarkH: Aliiio.st wholly iKirtiinuil in dry Iml 

 wonthcr; oecasloiially diurnal iu <(>ol wrnllicr; duriiit; 

 rainy season often rlind>s into l>nsli('N. I'sually tries to 

 escape when encountered, but is very alert and irritalile. 

 Assumes chnraileristic ll(;ure-.S coil, rutitiinc inllaled 

 loops of liody locether to nial<e a distinctive sizzling 

 noise. Strikes quickly and repeatedly with considerable 

 reach fur a siiinll snake. 



This little viper is an important cause of snakebite 

 accidents and fatalities almost everywhere that it is 

 fouiiil. The venom seems to he unusiuilly toxic for man, 

 and death has been re<(U-ded following tlie bite of a 

 snake lOVj inches Ioiik. Hemorrhages, internal and 

 external, are a prominent part of the clinical picture. 

 Serious late complications are frecpient. and death may 

 occur 12 to !('• days after the bite. 



Saw-scaled viper antivenins are iiroduced by the 

 Inslitut I'asteur, Paris; Helirinswcrke, Marbur;;-Iiahn, 

 i;erniany: Central Uesenrch Institute. Kasauli. India; 

 llaffkine Institute. Honibay, India; Tashkent Institute. 

 Moscow; State Uazi Institute, Tehran, Iran; and th(^ 

 South African Institute for Medical Research, .Johan- 

 nesburg. 



VIPERIDAE: Genus Vipera Laurenti, 1768. 



Ti'ue aildei's. 



Eleven species are recognized. This is an especially 

 variable group, with some members that are small and 

 relatively innocuous (e.g.. V. hrnis) and others that are 

 extremely dangerous ( F. lehctina, V. russelii). They 

 are found from northern Eurasia throughout that con- 

 tinent and into north Africa. One species ranges into 

 the East Indies ( T. nissrlii), and two are found in 

 east Africa (see Remarks under V. superciliaris). Both 

 the sunbiiosed viper. T'. latasti. and T'. maiiritaiiica are 

 found in this region (see p. 74). 



ht/liiitiiiii: Head broad, distlni't from narrow neck; 

 caidhns distinct. Ilody cyllndilcal. vinyhig from moder- 

 ately slender to vlmil ; hill slioil. 



Kyes moderate in size lo siiiiill ; pupils vcrlhally el- 

 liptical. 



Head .scales: VarlahU'; onc" spe<les (1. itrniiiii) has 

 all !) crown scutes, most spe<-les have at IcasI the 

 supraocidars, but even these are absent in one ( 1'. Irlic- 

 linii) ; head olherwise covered with small scales. I.alcr- 

 all.v, nasal in conlaci willi rostral or separated b.v a 

 single enlarged scab- (the nasorostral), eye separated 

 from supralahials by 1-4 rows of small scales. 



Body scales; Dorsals keeled, with ai)Ical pits. In 

 111 :!1 nonobli(|Ue rows al midbody. Ventrals rounded, 

 lliO-lKO; subcaiidals paired, L'() (W. 



Sahara Rock Viper, ]'/ji<'/'ii. ni<ivritanic(i, (Gi'ay). 



Iili nli/iiiiliiiii : Closely related to V. Irhctiiia of the 

 .Xcar aiul .Middle East. Absence of serrated keels on 

 I be lateral .scales or keeled ventrals distinguishes it 

 from Ccrantcx; paired subcandals and lack of serrated 

 keels distinguishes it from Echh; a blinit rather than 

 upturned snout distinguishes it from Viitiiii lataKti ; the 

 lateral iiosition of the nostrils, more slender body and 

 fewer th.in 27 scale rows at midbody distinguishes it 

 fi'om tlie i)Uff adder ifiilin arictaiiH) . 



Ground color grayish, reddish, or brown with series of 

 oval or rectangular dark blotches that tend to fuse 

 forming the zigzag stripe of many European and A.sian 

 vijiers; belly pale extensively chnided with dark gray. 

 Its pattern is much like that of the Palestine {V. x. 

 pa Id est iliac) viper (see page 112). 



Average length .S."i to 4r> indies. 



Dixtrihiitiiiii: The northwestern part of the Sahara 

 region from Spanish Sahara to Tripolitania (northwest 

 Libya). Found ira hillsides with scrubb.y vegetation 

 and large flat stones. 



Rciiiarlix: Hides by day in rock crevices and mine 

 tunnels; most active about twilight. 



It is considered a dangerous species. Specific anti- 

 venin is produced by the Institut Pasteur d'Algerie, 

 Algiers. 



REFERENCES 



BOXS, J. and B. GIROT. 19G2. Cle Illustree 

 des Reptiles du Mafoc. Trav. Inst. Sci. 

 Clierifien Ser. Zool. No. 26, p. 1-62, figs. 1-15. 



KRAMER, Engen and H. SCHNURRENBER- 

 GER. 1963. Systematik, Verbreitung und 

 Okologie der Libyschen Schlangen. Rev. 

 Suisse de Zool., vol. 70, pp. 453-568, jdIs. 1— t, 

 figs. 1-13. 



MARX, Hymen. 1956. Keys to the Lizards and 



Snakes of Egypt. Re.searcli Rpt. NM 005 



050.39.45, NAMRU-3, Cairo pp. 1-8. 

 SAINT-GIRONS, H. 1956. Les Serpents du 



Maroc. Var. Scient. Soc. Sci. Nat. Psyc. 



Maroc, vol. 8, pp. 1-29, pis. 1-3, figs. 1-9. 

 VILLIERS, Andre. 1950. Contribution a I'etude 



du peuplement de la Mauritanie. Ophidiens. 



Bull. Inst. Francais d'Afrique Noire, vol. 12, 



pp. 984-998, figs. 1-2, tables. 



84 



