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PEARS am it produces a rustling See also:sound . It ranges from See also:India, where it' is known as the " Krait," called " Kuppur " in See also:Sind, through See also:North See also:Africa . This See also:desert type is replaced farther See also:south in Africa, where vegetation flourishes, by the closely allied genus, Atheris, which, however, possesses a prehensile tail and vivid coloration and has assumed truly arboreal habits . Cerastes is another desert See also:form, but is restricted to Africa; the arrangement of the scales of the sides of the See also:body is similar to that of Echis, but it has two rows of subcaudals . C. cornulus, the " horned See also:viper " of North Africa, from See also:Algeria to See also:Palestine, has a large horny spike above each See also:eye . This, the " Efa " of the See also:Arabs, buries itself in the See also:sand, with only the eyes, nostrils and the horns appearing above the See also:surface . It attains a length of 2y ft . C. See also:opera is hornless . Bitis s . See also:Echidna s . Clotho has two rows of See also:shields on the underside of the very See also:short tail; the thick See also:head is much depressed, like the body . The nasal shields are separated from the rostral by small scales, otherwise much resembling the genus Vipera .
B. arietans, the " puff-See also:adder " of nearly the whole of Africa, an ugly, very dangerous See also:brute growing to a length of 4 or 5 ft
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B. na;icornis, the See also:West See also:African See also:nose-horned viper, has a pair of erectile scales on the nose
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Scarcely smaller and less bulky than the puff-adder and just as poisonous, it is yet very handsomely marked with a See also:series of large See also:pale, dark-edged spots and oblique crosses on a purplish or reddish See also:
The scales of the body are strongly keeled; two rows of subcaudals on the short tail
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This genus of about ten See also:species with numerous See also:local varieties ranges over See also:Europe, See also:Asia and the greater See also:part of Africa
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V. berus, the See also:common See also:European viper, ranging from See also:Wales to Saghalien See also:Island and from See also:Caithness to the north of See also:Spain, from the See also:northern boundary of See also:Persia to beyond the See also:Arctic circle in Scandinavia
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It inhabits all sorts of situations, but prefers heaths, See also:moors and mixed See also:woods with sunny slopes
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It ascends the See also:Alps up to 6000 or 7000 ft
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The coloration is very variable, See also:grey, brown, reddish or entirely See also:black specimens occurring in the same See also:country
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The much-spoken-of black zigzag See also:line along the back is so often indistinct, that it cannot be relied upon as a safe See also:character
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The full-grown males are smaller than the See also:females, and have usually darker markings and a lighter ground See also:colour
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A specimen which is 2 ft. See also:long is rare, and is invariably a See also:female
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The See also:chief See also:food is mice,which are hunted after sunset
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They cannot climb and they avoid going into See also:water
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The pairing takes See also:place from See also: During the pairing, and for See also:hibernation, they often collect in considerable See also:numbers . Whilst most snakes readily take proper food in captivity, these vipers prefer starving themselves to See also:death, a feat which they accomplish within six to nine months according to conditions . As a See also:rule their bite is not fatal to See also:man, but the consequences are often serious and protracted . For treatment see SNAKES . V. aspis is the more See also:southern and western See also:continental European viper; it is slightly snub-nosed, and this feature is still more pronounced in V. latastei of Spain and See also:Portugal . In V. ammodytes of south-eastern Europe the raised portion is produced into a soft, scaly appendage . V. russelli, the " Daboia," is one of the most poisonous snakes of India, See also:Ceylon, See also:Java, See also:Burma and See also:Siam . It is pale brown with three See also:longitudinal series of black, See also:light-edged rings which sometimes encircle reddish spots . It grows to a length of about 5 ft . (H . F . |
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