Saharan horned viper
The Saharan horned viper is a venomous snake that lives in the deserts of North Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It has a pair of small, horn-like scales above its eyes. Its venom can cause serious harm, so it is important to know what it looks like.1

Bí o ṣe lè dá a mọ̀
- A pair of horn-like scales sits above each eye, although some individuals have no horns.1
- Its colour is yellowish, pale grey, pinkish, reddish or pale brown, and almost always matches the sand or soil where it lives.1
- A row of dark, semi-rectangular blotches runs along its back, and the belly is white.1
- Its tail is usually thin and may have a black tip.1
- It moves by sidewinding, pressing its body into the sand and leaving whole-body impressions.1
A sábà máa ń ṣì í mọ̀ sí: Its close relative Cerastes gasperettii was once considered a subspecies of this snake. The Saharan horned viper has a larger head relative to its body and horns are more common in it. When threatened, it rubs its coils together to make a rasping noise, which is similar to the sound made by snakes of the genus Echis, so sound alone does not identify it.1
Agbára oró
Oró ń jáde láti inú eyín oró tàbí eyín rẹ̀ nígbà tí ó bá bùjẹ.
Kí ni oró rẹ̀ máa ń ṣe?
Its venom is reported to act much like the venom of Echis snakes. A bite usually causes swelling, bleeding (haemorrhage), tissue death (necrosis), nausea, vomiting and blood in the urine. A high level of phospholipase A2, an enzyme that damages cells, may cause heart and muscle damage.1
Báwo ló ṣe léwu tó fún ènìyàn?
Ewu fún ènìyàn: Ó le gan-anÌbùjẹ nílò dókítà. Ikú kò wọ́pọ̀ rárá.The estimated lethal dose of venom for a human is 40–50 mg of dried venom. Its venom is strong enough to cause serious harm in people.1
Kí ni ó máa ń ṣe nígbà tí ẹ̀rù bá bà á?
If threatened, it forms a C-shaped posture and rapidly rubs its coils together, producing a rasping noise. It is otherwise fairly placid.1
Bí ó bá bùjẹ
- Jẹ́ kí ẹni náà wà láìmira kí ó sì farabalẹ̀, jẹ́ kí apá tàbí ẹsẹ̀ tí ó bù jẹ wà ní ìpele ọkàn, yọ òrùka àti àwọn nǹkan tó há, kí ẹ sì lọ sí ilé ìwòsàn kíákíá.
Máa kọ́kọ́ pe nọ́ńbà pàjáwìrì rẹ nígbà gbogbo (112, 000, 911). Èyí jẹ́ ìtọ́sọ́nà ìtọ́jú àkọ́kọ́ gbogbogbò, kì í ṣe ìmọ̀ràn ìṣègùn. Ìpìlẹ̀ ìtọ́jú àkọ́kọ́
Wà láìléwu
- Má ṣe fọwọ́ kan, mú tàbí yọ ẹranko igbó lẹ́nu láéláé, kódà bí ó bá kéré, kódà bí ó bá dà bí ẹni pé ó ń sùn tàbí ó ti kú.
- Fún un ní àyè. Bí o bá pàdé ọ̀kan, farabalẹ̀, sẹ́yìn díẹ̀díẹ̀ kí o sì jẹ́ kí ó máa bá ọ̀nà rẹ̀ lọ.
- Bí ọ̀kan bá bù ọ́ jẹ: farabalẹ̀, má ṣe mira, pe nọ́ńbà pàjáwìrì rẹ (112, 000, 911) tàbí lọ sí ilé ìwòsàn kíákíá. Rántí bí ó ṣe rí, fọ́tò máa ń ṣèrànwọ́.
Kò wá ọ kiri láti ṣe ọ́ léṣe. Ó ń lo oró rẹ̀ láti mú oúnjẹ tàbí láti dáàbò bo ara rẹ̀, ó sì fẹ́ràn láti farapamọ́ jù. Sí i nípa wíwà láìléwu
Báwo ló ṣe tóbi tó?
Báwo ló ṣe gùn tó?
ó gùn tó ológbò ilé 1.5 láti imú dé ìrù
ó gùn tó ọ̀gẹ̀dẹ̀ 5 tí a tò tẹ̀léra
lè sáré mítà 100 ní ìṣẹ́jú-àáyá 110 (ènìyàn tó yára jùlọ nílò 9.6)Báwo ni Saharan horned viper ṣe tóbi tó tí a bá fi wé ÌWỌ?
Ìṣirò nìkan nínú bráwúsà rẹ. A kò fi ohunkóhun pamọ́, a kò sì fi ránṣẹ́ sí ibikíbi.
Báwo ló ṣe yára tó?
Òtítọ́
Its venom is strong enough that an estimated 40–50 mg could be lethal to a human.1
Its scales are strongly keeled, which is what makes its rasping warning sound.1
When it moves by sidewinding, its body leaves impressions in the sand that can be used to count its ventral scales.1
In ancient Egypt, a hieroglyph of this snake was used for the letter f, based on the species name ft.1
Females grow larger than males, and males have larger heads and eyes.1
Olùfọ́ àròsọ
Àròsọ: All Saharan horned vipers have horns above their eyes.
Òtítọ́: Hornless individuals do occur, although many have the horns.1
Ibi tí àwọn òtítọ́ ti wá
- Cerastes cerastes (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Cerastes cerastes (iNaturalist): orúkọ àti ìpínsísọ̀rí.
- Venom Wiki: ìpele ewu, ìtóbi déédé àti àfojúbù ìyára jẹ́ tiwa. Wo bí a ṣe ń ṣírò wọn: Bí a ṣe ń díwọ̀n ewu.
Gbogbo òtítọ́ ojú-ìwé yìí ní nọ́ńbà tó tọ́ka sí orísun rẹ̀. Bí a bá ṣe àṣìṣe, má bínú, olólùfẹ́ ẹranko ni wá, kì í ṣe ìwé ìròyìn sáyẹ́ǹsì. Sọ fún wa ní [email protected] a ó sì tún un ṣe.
Ìbùjẹ

