Atractaspis duerdeni, commonly known as the beaked burrowing asp or Duerden's burrowing asp, is a species of venomous snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

 in the Atractaspididae

Atractaspididae

The Atractaspididae are a family of snakes found in Africa and the Middle East. Currently, 12 genera are recognized.-Description:This family includes many genera formerly classed in other families, on the basis of fang type. It includes fangless , rear-fanged , fixed-fanged , and viper-like species...

 family.

Etymology

The specific epithet, duerdeni, is in honor of J.E. Duerden, Ph.D., of the Albany Museum, Grahamstown

Grahamstown

Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

Description

Cream-colored above and below. Dorsal scales in 21 rows. Ventrals 199; anal entire; subcaudals 22, all except the first entire. Snout prominent, subcuneiform. Rostral with a rounded horizontal edge, the portion visible from above a little longer than its distance from the frontal.