Desert Horned Viper

Cerastes cerastes

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing desert horned vipers. These snakes are also known as the horned sand viper and they are considered sidewinders. We've previously discussed another sidewinder species from North America, but the desert horned viper isn't related. These snakes live in northern Africa as well as throughout the Arabian peninsula. They inhabit a variety of environments from rocky outcrops, sandy deserts, and vegetated oasis. As their name implies, desert horned vipers often sport horns above their eyes. These are single elongated scales, but not all individuals have them!

Unlike the sidewinders from North America which have a rattle-tipped tail, desert horned vipers have a short, black-tipped tail. This may be used as a lure for prey. They're dusty brown and grey in color to help them blend in with their surroundings. Dearest horned vipers can reach just over two feet (61cm) in length. 

When hunting, these snakes utilize ambush. They cover themselves with sand so nothing but their eyes poke out, like a crocodile hunting in the water. Then, desert horned vipers sit and wait, feeling for the vibrations of nearby prey and using their heat-sensing pit organs to detect warm blooded animals. These snakes eat rodents like jerboas, and other small mammals, as well as birds, lizards, and other invertebrates. 

Desert horned vipers are most active at night and spend their days hiding in deserted rodent burrows and under rocks. They also bury themselves in sand to keep cool and hide themselves from predators. When threatened, these snakes rub their coils together to create a hissing sound. Though they have venom, these vipers are predated by monitor lizards, honey badgers, and various species of wild and feral cats. Humans generally leave these snakes alone. Though they should still be regarded as the venomous creatures they are, a bite from a horned viper is not usually fatal. It can lead to stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and more.

These snakes decrease their activity during the winter and become reproductive with the onset of spring. They find each other via pheromones and mate in April. The female lays eight to almost two dozen eggs in an abandoned burrow or under a rock. These incubate for 50 to 80 days before the young hatch. It takes two years for them to reach reproductive maturity, and it's unknown how long they live in the wild, though they're known to live up to eighteen years in captivity.

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