Desert horned viper
The Saharan horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) is a venomous species of viper native to northern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Levant. It often is easily recognized by the presence of a pair of supraocular "horns", although hornless individuals do occur.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Saharan horned viper is the presence of supraorbital "horns", one over each eye. However, these may be reduced in size or absent. The eyes of this snake are prominent and set on the sides of the head. There is significant sexual dimorphism, with males having larger heads and larger eyes than females. The colour pattern consists of a yellowish, pale grey, pinkish, reddish or pale brown ground colour, which almost always matches the substrate colour where the Saharan horned viper is found. Dorsally, a series of dark, semi-rectangular blotches run the length of the body. These blotches may or may not be fused into crossbars. The belly is white. The tail, which may have a black tip, is usually thin.
Saharan horned vipers are found in arid North Africa (Morocco, Mauritania, and Mali, eastward through Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, Libya, and Chad to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia) through Sinai to the northern Negev. In the Arabian Peninsula, they occur in Yemen, Kuwait, extreme southwestern Saudi Arabia, and parts of the country in Qatar. These snakes favor dry, sandy areas with sparse rock outcroppings, and tend not to prefer coarse sand. They may also be found around oases.
Saharan horned vipers are solitary and nocturnal creatures. They spend their days resting burrowed in the sand, hiding in holes, under rocks, or in abandoned burrows. They typically move about by sidewinding, during which they press their weight into the sand or soil, leaving whole-body impressions. These snakes have a reasonably placid temperament, but if threatened, they may hiss, assume a C-shaped posture and rapidly rub their coils together producing a rasping noise. Saharan horned vipers are ambush predators; they hunt their prey laying submerged in sand adjacent to rocks or under vegetation. When approached, they strike very rapidly, holding on to the captured prey until the venom takes effect.
Venom of this species usually causes swelling, haemorrhage, necrosis, nausea, vomiting, and haematuria. A high phospholipase A2 content may cause cardiotoxicity and myotoxicity.
Saharan horned vipers are carnivores. Their diet consists mainly of lizards, but also small rodents, and birds.
In captivity Saharan horned vipers mate in April. These snakes are oviparous, laying 8-23 eggs that hatch after 50 to 80 days of incubation. Females usually lay their eggs under rocks and in abandoned rodent burrows. The hatchlings measure 12-15 cm (about 5-6 inches) in total length and are completely independent of parental care. They become reproductively mature at 2 years of age.
There are no major threats facing Saharan horned vipers at present.
Presently, the Saharan horned viper is not included in the IUCN Red List and its conservation status has not been evaluated.
Due to their diet habits, these snakes are important predators in the ecosystem they live. They help to control populations of rodents that often disturb livestock and the food sources of local people.
