第 0379 號，共 1 402 號

West African night adder

Causus maculatus

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

咬吃：肉

The West African night adder is a small, stout snake that lives in forests, savannas and dry semi-desert across West and Central Africa. It is venomous, but its bite usually causes only mild symptoms. It is known for hunting frogs and toads.1

分布在

West and Central Africa, from Mauritania and Senegal east to western Ethiopia, south to DR Congo and northern Angola1

非洲

首頁

It lives in a wide range of habitats, including forests, savanna and even semi-desert. It can be found at altitudes as high as 2,400 m (7,900 ft) and may be quite common in parts of its range.1

長度

30 cm 到 70 cm (1 ft 到 2,3 ft)1

最高速度

大約 3,3 km/h（2,1 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It feeds mainly on frogs and toads. It hunts on the ground and will climb into low bushes to pursue frogs.1

West African night adder 的照片 — West African night adder。照片：Ryan van Huyssteen。 CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Small and stout, usually 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) long including the tail.1
Brown background colour, sometimes grey, olive or light green, with a row of dark brown or blackish patches down the back.1
Flanks sprinkled with black scales.1
A distinct V-shaped mark on the head. It is solid black in young snakes and brown with a black outline in adults.1
Some snakes, especially from drier areas, have no back pattern at all, which makes them hard to identify. Those from DR Congo are often plain brown.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Bites cause mild symptoms, including pain, moderate swelling, swollen lymph nodes near the bite (local lymphadenitis) and a mild fever. Blistering has not been reported, and tissue death (necrosis) is rare and usually happens only as a secondary effect. The symptoms usually fade after two to three days, normally without complications.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

Bites from this snake are described as causing mild symptoms that normally clear up without complications.1

如果牠咬人

讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，讓被咬的手臂或腿保持在和心臟一樣的高度，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 4 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 110 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

West African night adder 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

West African night adder 大約 3,3 km/h (2,1 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Despite its name, the night adder is active at any time of day or night, and it has sometimes been seen basking in the sun.1

It is a slow-moving snake, but it can strike quickly. It tends to lash at its target rather than stab.1

It is most active in the rainy season, from March to October, when its prey is plentiful. It almost disappears during the dry season.1

Its back pattern varies a lot. Some snakes have no pattern at all, and snakes from DR Congo are often a uniform brown.1

給毒液專家

學名: Causus maculatus
類群: 蝰蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: It lays eggs. A female may lay a clutch of 6 to 20 eggs between February and April, and the young hatch between May and July.1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3