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Dibuix de Spider-tailed horned viper
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Spider-tailed horned viper

Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
Sobre el nom: The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek words meaning tail, spider and 'like', because of its spider-like tail tip.1
Cal anar al metgeRarament mortal, però una mossegada necessita un metge.
Escurçons i vibres MossegadesMenja: Carn
Perill per a les persones: GreuUna mossegada necessita un metge. Les morts són molt rares.

The spider-tailed horned viper is a venomous snake with a tail tip that looks like a spider. It lives only in the mountains of western Iran and the nearby eastern part of Iraq. It wiggles its tail to lure birds close enough to catch.1

Viu a
Western Iran and the eastern part of Iraq, near the Iran-Iraq border, mainly on the western side of the Zagros Mountains1
Àsia
Inici
It lives at higher elevations, mostly on rocky ground made of gypsum, and prefers deep cracks and holes in the rock. These spots trap humidity and moisture during hot summers. During the day it is most often found in the shade of a shrub.1
Llargada
60 cm (2 ft)3
mida adulta típica
Velocitat màxima
uns 3,4 km/h (2,1 mph)
A terra, estimació aproximada
Què menja?
It eats birds, including the Isabelline shrike and several warbler species. It waves the tip of its tail in a figure-of-eight pattern to lure insect-eating birds within striking range.1
De debò!Foto de Spider-tailed horned viper
Spider-tailed horned viper. Foto: Omid Mozaffari. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

Com reconèixer-lo

  • The scales above each eye rise up into small horns.1
  • About 16 to 17 scales sit between the horns.1
  • The bulb-shaped tail tip is bordered by long, drooping scales that look like spider legs.1
  • The scales on the body are rougher than those of other species in its genus.1
  • It has 15 pairs of subcaudal scales (the scales on the underside of the tail).1

Sovint es confon amb: It looks very similar to other Pseudocerastes vipers in the region, especially around the head. The unusual, spider-like tail tip is the feature that sets it apart.1

Poder del verí

Mossegades

El verí surt pels ullals o les dents quan mossega.

Què fa el seu verí?

Its venom mainly acts as a cytotoxin, which destroys cells across a wide variety of cell types, and it has minor neurotoxic effects, which attack the nerves. It is a procoagulant, meaning it makes blood clot, and reports describe clotting in about 13 seconds. The venom affects birds most strongly, and also affects mammals and amphibians. A 2021 study by Brouw found it has a coagulant effect on humans and affects Factor X, a protein needed for blood clotting.1

Com de perillós és per a les persones?

Perill per a les persones: GreuUna mossegada necessita un metge. Les morts són molt rares.

No human bite has ever been recorded in the wild. How severe its effects would be on people is not known.1

Si mossega

  • Mantén la persona quieta i tranquil·la, mantén l'extremitat mossegada a l'altura del cor, treu-li anells i coses que estrenyin i porta-la de pressa a un hospital.

Truca sempre primer al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911). Això són pautes generals de primers auxilis, no consells mèdics. Primers auxilis bàsics

Estigues segur

  • No toquis, atrapis ni molestis mai un animal salvatge, encara que sigui petit i encara que sembli adormit o mort.
  • Deixa-li espai. Si en trobes un, mantén la calma, recula a poc a poc i deixa que segueixi el seu camí.
  • Si te'n mossega un: mantén la calma, no et moguis, truca al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911) o ves de pressa a un hospital. Recorda com era, una foto ajuda.

No va a per tu. Fa servir el verí per caçar o per defensar-se, i prefereix mil vegades amagar-se. Més sobre com estar segur

On del món?

ÀfricaÀsiaEuropaAmèrica del NordAmèrica del SudAustràlia i Oceania

Que gran és?

Quant fa de llarg?

Spider-tailed horned viper uns 60 cm de llarg (2 ft)Un gat de casa uns 50 cm (1,6 ft)Un gos uns 1 m (3,3 ft)
fa de llarg com 3 plàtans en filapodria recórrer 100 metres en 110 segons (l'humà més ràpid necessita 9,6)

Que gran és Spider-tailed horned viper comparat amb TU?

Només càlculs al teu navegador. No es desa ni s'envia res enlloc.

Com de ràpid va?

val la pena saber-ho

Dades

1

Its tail is moved in a figure-of-eight pattern, and it moves faster when birds are nearby. Field studies have confirmed that this is a lure and not random movement.1

2

Footage of it luring migrating birds appears in the Asia episode of the BBC series Seven Worlds, One Planet, narrated by David Attenborough.1

3

A digested lark was found in the stomach of one of the specimens used to describe the species, supporting the idea that the tail lures birds.1

4

Its tail tip is a form of aggressive mimicry, where a predator looks like something else to attract its prey.1

5

Several other snakes, such as the sidewinder and the green tree python, also use the tip of their tail as a lure, but none has the elongated scales that look like arthropod legs.1

6

A specimen collected in 1968 was first identified as a Persian horned viper. It was only recognised as a separate species and described in 2006.1

Desmuntamites

Mite: The strange tail tip was caused by a parasite, a deformity or a tumour.

Veritat: Early specimens were thought to have a damaged tail tip. In fact, the spider-like tail is a natural feature that the snake uses to lure birds.1

Per a experts en verins

Nom científic
Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
Grup
Escurçons i vibres
Família
Viperidae2
Ordre
Squamata
Continents
Àsia
Perill per a les persones
3 / 5: Greu3

D'on surten les dades

  1. Spider-tailed horned viper (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
  2. Pseudocerastes urarachnoides (iNaturalist): noms i classificació.
  3. Venom Wiki: el nivell de perill, la mida típica i la velocitat estimada són nostres. Mira com els calculem: Com valorem el perill.

Cada dada d'aquesta pàgina té un número que porta a la seva font. Si ens hem equivocat en alguna cosa, perdona, som fans dels animals, no una revista científica. Escriu-nos a [email protected] i ho arreglarem.

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