How does a horned viper protect itself?

1.) Horned vipers are nocturnal (active at night) that spend their days nestled into the sandy soil, for protection from predators and the hot sun. 2.) It is believed that they evolved their horns to help shield their eyes from the sun.

When disturbed, it warns of its presence by throwing its body into U-shaped loops and rubbing its scales against each other to produce a rasping sound. If pursued by a predator, it disappears into the sand with great speed. Its bite is seldom fatal to humans because of the snake's small size and relatively weak venom.

Vipers consume a wide range of foods, depending on their size. Tiny rodents, birds, lizards, and eggs are among the prey. Vipers use chemical signals to track their prey and then lie in wait before they can ambush it. The viper would inject venom into its prey and then release it, intending for it to die.

In venom glands, adult specimens of horned viper have 10-45 mg of venom, and one bite can excrete as much as 20 mg of venom, which can be a lethal dose for a healthy adult, especially children, and chronically ill patients.

The horned viper's predators include honey badgers, Nile monitors, and feral cats. When threatened, the viper curls and produces rasping sounds by rubbing its keeled scales together. The honey badger is one of the horned viper's predators.

The Desert Horned Viper lives in the desert. They usually bury themselves in the sand in order to keep cool in the desert heat. They overwinter in the borrowed burrows of rodents or burrowing lizards.

Those signs and symptoms which give strong evidence for systemic envenomation include hypotension, dyspnea, cardiac arrhythmias, spontaneous bleeding, and local swelling of more that half the affected limb. Antivenom should be administered without delay in such cases.

Marlin Perkins, who was the host of television's ''Wild Kingdom'' program for many years and who died in 1986, was one person who survived a bite by a Gaboon viper. The adult viper is typically only four feet long, a stumpy creature with a beautiful tapestry pattern on its skin.

By sheer size alone, we are much more of a threat to them than they are to us. And despite beliefs, snakes and even less vipers -that are way too small- don't chase or prey on humans. They are scared of us and will try everything in their power to avoid being detected by potential predators.

The venom of rattlesnakes and other pit vipers damages tissue around the bite. Venom may cause changes in blood cells, prevent blood from clotting, and damage blood vessels, causing them to leak. These changes can lead to internal bleeding and to heart, respiratory, and kidney failure.

Despite their reputation, Nose-horned vipers are not aggressive and tend not to bite without considerable provocation. If surprised, wild specimens may react in a number of different ways. Some remain motionless and hiss loudly, some hiss and then flee, while still others will attempt to bite immediately.

This pit viper (subfamily Crotalinae) has small horns above each eye, possibly to keep sand from covering the eyes when the snake is buried. It is a nocturnal inhabitant of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico (see Sonoran Desert), where it feeds upon rodents.

Antivenom Therapy is the mainstay of treatment for Rhinoceros Horned Viper envenomation. Many of the signs and symptoms are ameliorated or entirely eliminated by the antivenom alone. Other symptoms will require additional therapeutic modalities in order to be corrected.

Sahara horned vipers are among the most abundant and easily distinguishable of the venomous snakes of the North African and Middle Eastern deserts. Cerastes cerastes is generally distributed all across North Africa, including southwestern Arabia and southwestern Israel.

In the wild, they are typically ambush predators, lying submerged in sand adjacent to rocks or under vegetation. The diet of this carnivorous species consists primarily of small rodents, geckos, birds, and a variety of lizards. These vipers are also known to eat jerboas, yellow wagtails, and chiffchaffs.

A sharp upright scale above each eye resembles a horn. The desert horned viper moves swiftly across the loose sand by sidewinding, throwing oblique loops first with its top half and then with its lower half. With its sharp-edged scales it can shuffle into the sand with amazing speed, burying itself up to the eyes.

Predators, Threats, and Conservation

Birds of prey and mongooses are common threats. Sometimes herons and storks also prey upon vipers. People are another threat to many species.

This family includes rattlesnakes, horned vipers, copperheads, white-lipped vipers, and ruby-eyed green vipers. Viper snakes live almost everywhere in the world except for on some islands, like Australia and Madagascar, and north of the Arctic Circle. They are best-known for their huge fangs and their deadly venom.

Viper, the daughter of Great Master Viper, was born without venomous fangs. Her father, who relied on his venomous bite to protect the village, believed she could never be a warrior like him, causing Viper to grow up shy and timid.

Antivenom is the treatment for serious snake envenomation. The sooner antivenom can be started, the sooner irreversible damage from venom can be stopped.

The hedgehog (Erinaceidae), the mongoose (Herpestidae), the honey badger (Mellivora capensis) and the opossum are known to be immune to a dose of snake venom.

Danie Pienaar, who was at various times from at least 2009 to 2017 head of South African National Parks Scientific Services and acting managing executive, survived the bite of a black mamba without antivenom in 1998.

It might be obvious, but the thing to do if you are bitten by a venomous snake is to get to a hospital quickly and receive an antidote. Many people think that the venom kicks in instantly, but it can take between 20 minutes and 72 hours to die if left untreated.

Though some are dry bites, which aren't as dangerous and will likely cause some swelling, others are venomous bites, which, if not treated carefully and quickly, can result in death. Always seek immediate medical attention if you've been bitten by a snake, as it could be a matter of life and death.

Repel Them Away

Snakes hate the smell of ammonia and won't come near it. Soak rags in ammonia and place them in unsealed plastic bags. Leave the bags where you usually see snakes to keep them away. You can also use vinegar to keep snakes and other pests out of your swimming pool.

Wild female pit vipers can reproduce without a male, suggesting that virgin births may take place in nature far more than before thought. Asexual reproduction is common among invertebrates — that is, animals without backbones.