Common names: Peringuey's adder, Peringuey's desert adder, sidewinding adder, more.

Bitis peringueyi is a venomous

Venomous snake

"Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom...

 viper

Viperinae

The Viperinae, or viperines, are a subfamily of venomous vipers found in Europe, Asia and Africa. They are distinguished by their lack of the heat-sensing pit organs that characterize their sister group, the Crotalinae. Currently, 12 genera and 66 species are recognized...

 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 found in Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

 and southern Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Description

A small snake with an average length of 20–25 cm and a maximum recorded length of 32 cm.

The head is short and flat with eyes located on top of the head—an adaptation for hunting. It is covered with strongly keeled scales

Keeled scales

Keeled scales refer to reptile scales that, rather than being smooth, have a ridge down the center that may or may not extend to the tip of the scale, making them rough to the touch...

, the smallest of which are located anteriorly. The eyes are separated by 6-9 scales, while each is surrounded by 10-13 scales. 2-4 scales separate the suborbitals from the supralabials. The latter number 10-14, the sublabials 10-13. The chin shields

Chin shields

Chin shields on a snake are scales found on the underside of the snake's head towards the anterior and touching the lower labial scales.Chin shields to the front of the snake are called anterior chin shields while those to the rear of the snake are called posterior chin shields....

 contact the first 2-4 sublabials.

The dorsal scales

Dorsal scales

In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales.When counting dorsal scales, numbers are often given for three points along the body, for example 19:21:17...

 number 23-31 at midbody and 21-27 anteriorly. All are strongly keeled except for those bordering the ventrals

Ventral scales

In snakes, the ventral scales are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that contacts the paraventral row of dorsal scales on either side...

, which are large and smooth. The ventrals number 117-144. There are 15-30 subcaudals that are usually keeled, particularly towards the tip. The anal plate is single.

The color pattern consists of a pale buff, chestnut brown to orange-brown, or sandy grayish ground color, overlaid with three longitudinal series of faint, elongate, gray to dark spots. The body is also stippled with an irregular pattern of pale and dark spots. The belly is usually whitish or dirty yellow. The tail is generally tan, but in 25% of specimens it is black.

Common names

Peringuey's adder, Peringuey's desert adder, sidewinding adder, Namib dwarf sand adder, dwarf puff adder, Namib desert sidewinding adder, dwarf sand adder, Namib dwarf adder, Namib desert viper.

Geographic range

The Namib Desert

Namib Desert

The Namib Desert is a desert in Namibia and southwest Angola that forms part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game reserve in Africa. The name "Namib" is of Nama origin and means "vast place"...

 from southern Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 to Lüderitz

Lüderitz

Lüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...

, Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

. The type locality is given as "Damaraland

Damaraland

Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, and Windhoek in the south....

, 10 miles east of Walfisch Bay

Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...

" [Namibia].

Behavior

An ambush hunter, it buries itself just beneath the surface of the sand with only its eyes and the tip of its tail exposed (individuals with black tail-tips employ caudal luring). When prey happens by, it is seized and envenomated.

Feeding

Its diet includes the lizards Aporosaura and Meroles

Meroles

Meroles is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae.-Species:*Meroles anchietae*Meroles ctenodactylus*Meroles cuneirostris*Meroles knoxii*Meroles micropholidotus*Meroles reticulatus*Meroles suborbitalis...

, and the barking gecko Ptenopus

Ptenopus

Ptenopus is a small genus of geckos endemic to Southern Africa, better known as Barking Geckos. There are only three described species in this genus.-Classification of genus Ptenopus:*Carp's Barking Gecko, Ptenopus carpi...

. Aporosaura have a high water content and are an important source of water for these snakes.