Horns over the eyes
Most have a pointed scale like a horn above each eye. It may help to keep sand out of their eyes.
African desert
Saharan horned viper
Cerastes cerastes
A sand-coloured desert snake, usually with a small horn above each eye.
- Size
- About 50 to 60cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Sandy deserts across the Sahara
Winds after you across the sand. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Horned viper
Good to know
Six things about the horned viper
Sidewinding
On loose sand it throws its body sideways in loops, leaving a row of J-shaped tracks.
Buried to the eyes
It shuffles down into the sand until only its eyes and horns show, and waits for prey to come past.
A rasping warning
Instead of hissing, it rubs its rough scales together to make a rasping sound.
Leave it alone
Its bite is venomous and needs medical help, but like most snakes it would rather stay hidden.
Lizards and mice
It hunts lizards, small rodents and birds, mostly at night.
The real thing
Photos of the horned viper
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look for J-shaped tracks in a row across a dune at dawn. The snake itself is usually buried, with only its eyes and horns showing.
How to help
Leave snakes alone and they will stay hidden. Watch where you put your hands and feet in sandy desert.
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