What do sahara sand vipers eat

They received their name because of the two horns that stick out of the top of their heads. Horned vipers are egg-layers. Mating takes place from April to June, and the female will lay and eggs in damp soil. The eggs incubate for about 8 weeks and then hatch. The young snakes become sexually mature in about two years.

Captive specimens of this snake can live as long as 18 years. The "horns" on this viper may help to protect its eyes from injury or may simply contribute to the snake's camouflage. The horned desert viper can burrow quickly into the sand by rapid sideways movements of its body, leaving only the head and eyes visible. However, in its natural environment, loose sand may not be available, and the snake will then hide under a rock or in the burrow of another animal.

The color of the snake helps to camouflage it against sand or rocky ground, especially when it is partially buried. Cerastes cerastes is an ambush hunter, lurking quietly in a half-buried position until an unwary lizard or rodent comes within reach, and then lunging quickly to capture its prey.

Although this is not a rattlesnake, it can make a sound by scraping its scales against one another. 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 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 cm about inches in total length and completely independent from parental care.

They become reproductively mature at 2 years of age. 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 food sources of local people. Saharan Horned Viper Horned desert viper. Cerastes cerastes. Population size. Life Span. Photos with Saharan Horned Viper. Geography Continents. Asia, Africa. North Africa, Western Asia. Biome Desert and Xeric Shrublands. Climate zones Tropical. Habits and Lifestyle Saharan horned vipers are solitary and nocturnal creatures. Group name.

Terrestrial, Ambush predator, Precocial, Fossorial. Blanc, ; Ludwig, et al. A venomous snake, Cerastes cerastes is capable of inflicting damage to its prey, but also bites when threatened. Common amongst all three species of Cerastes , the venom is cytotoxic, affecting the walls and contents of cells, yet is not very toxic when compared to most other snakes in the region. Despite the widespread distribution of Sahara horned vipers, their relatively hostile habitats result in few humans bitten, and therefore little statistical data is available concerning C.

However, venomous bites have been known to cause swelling, nausea, hemorrhaging, vomiting, necrosis, and hematuria. Bites should be treated immediately with elevation, analgesics, and antibiotic cover. For more serious bites, supply of an appropriate antivenin is required.

In fact, all three species of Cerastes are not of particular concern in the Mediterranean Basin. A region relatively rich in biodiversity, the Mediterranean Basin is regarded as a biodiversity hotspot due to the abundance of threatened plant endemism that occurs. The primary threat to reptilian populations is habitat loss and degradation, mainly due to human activities. Pollution, the introduction of alien species, and general human disturbance are among the largest impacts to these populations.

It is important to note that snakes are generally affected to the highest degree, however, only a few are actually considered threatened. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate.

In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil.

Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots. The act or condition of passing winter in a torpid or resting state, typically involving the abandonment of homoiothermy in mammals. Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons or periodic condition changes. Blanc, C. The reptile population of the extreme south of Tunisia. Branch, B. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. United Kingdom: Blandford.

Biology of the Pitvipers. Cox, N. Chanson, S. The Status and Distribution of the Mediterranean Basin. Disi, A. Herpetology of Jordan 1. Venomous Snakes. George, L. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. Johann, H. A location of origin for Cerastes- cerastes in northern Tunisia Serpentes Viperidae.

Ludwig, D. Mallow, G. True Vipers. McGinley, M. Encyclopedia of Earth. Mermod, C. Living area and displacement activity of Cerastes-vipera and Cerastes-cerastes Reptilia Viperidae.

Morain, M. The use of ground-borne vibrations for prey localization in the Saharan sand vipers Cerastes. Norris, S. O'Shea, M. Venomous Snakes of the World. United Kingdom: New Holland Publishers.

Schneemann, M. Cathomas, S. Laidlaw, A.