Collecting Permits

Transvaal Museum index
 

 Department of Vertebrates
Herpetology Collection

Puff Adder (Bitis arietans). (VERY DANGEROUS!)

Adults are thick and heavy bodied snakes which rarely exceed 1 m in maximum head-body length in this region. In East Africa specimens as large as 1,7 m have been recorded. The head is large, flattened, triangular in shape, has large nostrils pointing vertically upwards and is covered with small, keeled, overlapping scales.  The basic dorsal colour is variable from blackish to brown, light brown, orangey, yellowish to straw yellow, with a certain regional consistency. The back has a row of backward pointing, dark brown to black, pale-edged chevrons and transverse bars on the tail.  Specimens from the moister eastern areas tend to be darker, while specimens from the more arid western areas tend to be paler. Puff adders tend to become active at dusk, although they may bask and also move about during the day. When hungry it will take up an ambush position to waylay its small mammal prey, consisting mainly of ground-living mice and rats, although birds, lizards and toads may also be taken. This snake is ovoviviparous, which means that it reproduces by retaining the eggs with the developing fetus until full term.

The puff adder is probably the most widespread snake in Africa, avoiding the severe parts of the Sahara desert, tropical rain forests and high altitudes, it extends from the southern Cape to southern Morocco and also into southern Arabia. In southern Africa it may be found in most areas, but it avoids the extreme desert conditions, dense forests and altitudes above 2000 meters.
The venom is cytotoxic with strong haematoxic and some cardiotoxic effects and large volumes are produced. It causes severe pain, swellings in the bitten limb, hemorrhages and nausea. Death is caused by secondary effects, s. a. kidney failure, due to severe swellings. The long fangs (12 - 18 mm) assure that the venom is injected rather deeply. Even if the patient does not die, serious necrosis usually follows the swellings. In most cases of puff adder bites the use of antivenom is essential.

Mating may take place from late autumn to early spring, according to the area. Males are known to engage in combat to compete for a female. The young are born from late summer into early autumn. New born young tend to be from 15 to 20 cm in length and average batch sizes in our area vary from 20 to 40. 

Horned Adder (Bitis caudalis). (DANGEROUS)

This  adder is distinguished by the presence if a single hornlike scale above each eye. The head is triangular and distinct from the body which ends in a short thin tail. The maximum recorded head-body length recorded for males is 372 mm and 548 mm for females. The dorsal scales are strongly keeled. The basic colour varies from pale grey, light reddish, greyish to dark brown and tends to match the regional substrate.  A dark mark on the head may vary from a V- to an hourglass-shape. The tail tip may be black, while the underside of the body is cream to yellowish white. Becoming active at dusk, it tends to lie in ambush at the base of shrubs, tufts of grass or bushes, may shuffle into sand until only the top of the head and the tail are visible. Feeds on rodents, lizards and occasionally on sand frogs, often with strong regional or individual preferences for either warm or cold blooded prey items.

Occurs on rocky mountain ridges in Gauteng. A regionally common resident of the dryer western areas, ranging from the Atlantic coast through Namibia, southern Botswana into southern Zimbabwe, the North West Province to Gauteng, the Northern Cape and south into the little Karoo. Avoids the wind-blown dunes of the Namib but otherwise inhabits arid to dry sandy savannah. 

Mating takes place in spring to early summer and 4 to 15 (max.27) young, with a total length of 100 to 150 mm, are born in between December and February. Although the poison is remarkably effective and quick acting on rodents, its effect on humans is mild, causing a local swelling and sometimes some necrosis at the bite site.

Many-horned Adder (Bitis cornuta) (DANGEROUS)

This small adder, with an average length of about 30 cm, is rather distinct because of the tufts of 2 - 4 hornlike scales above each eye. The general appearance is characteristic of small adders, nl. with a triangular head and a stout body with a short distinct tail. The overall impression is that of a dull grey snake with black and pale markings, although some populations in Namaqualand are reddish brown. They may be active during the day, especially early in the morning when they like to bask. They lie in ambush waiting for prey which usually consists of lizards, but also rodents and even the occasional rain or sand frog.

This adder is usually associated with harder soils to stony ground and, although it is claimed for this species, side winding and burying itself in sand has not been noticed by this author. Its range is restricted to the area along the west coast and adjacent inland areas from southern Namibia, through Namaqualand southwards to the south-western Cape. Although its range falls within the famous Namaqualand flower areas, tourists attracted during the flowering season will rarely meet these interesting looking snakes, as they tend to still be hibernating until early spring.

From 5 to 20 live young are produced during late summer. The poison is very effective against rodents but not lethal for human beings and no antivenom should be used. Serious blistering with gangrene may occur at the bite site