How venomous is the Horned desert viper?

Venom yields vary, with ranges of 19–27 mg to 100 mg of dried venom being reported. For venom toxicity, Brown (1973) gives LD ₅₀ values of 0.4 mg/kg IV and 3.0 mg/kg SC. An estimated lethal dose for humans is 40–50 mg.

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.

Despite its reputation, this species is generally lethargic, not at all aggressive, and tends not to bite without considerable provocation. If surprised, wild specimens may react in a number of different ways.

Matilda's horned viper can grow to 2 feet or bigger, he said. “This particular animal looks fierce and probably is venomous (though bush viper bites are not fatal),” Davenport told AP via an Internet chat.

Their venom is relatively weak and is seldom fatal to humans. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia.

If a snake bite is suspected, it is always important to call your local emergency helpline number (or dial 911 in the US) without any delay, and provide as much information as possible, even if the individual does not have any symptoms.

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.

Compared to most snakes in the region, this species is short in length, averaging between 30 and 60 cm. Hatchlings are usually between 12 and 15 cm. Although females are larger, both sexes share the same general body structure and color patterns.

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.

The inland or western taipan, Oxyuranus microlepidotus, is the most venomous snake in the world, according to Britannica. Native to Australia, this snake has the deadliest venom based on median lethal dose, or LD50, tests on mice.

The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined. Its venom, however, is lethal in less than 10 percent of untreated victims, but the snake's aggressiveness means it bites early and often.

Vipera kaznakovi, known as the Caucasus viper, Kaznakow's viper, Kaznakov's viper, and by other common names, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Turkey, Georgia, and Russia. No subspecies are currently recognized.

But wait, there's still more on the Saharan horned viper!

Believe it or not, these vipers do have predators. Those brave enough to go after one are honey badgers, monitor lizards, and wild feral cats. 12.) If threatened, they take up a “C” shape and rapidly rub their keeled scales together, making a rasping noise.

The desert horned vipers (genus Cerastes) are the best known, most distinctive and most abundant venomous snakes of the great deserts of North Africa and the Middle East; from Morocco in the west, east to Iraq and western Iran, and south to the Sudan.

The family Viperidae includes adders, pit vipers (like rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copperheads), the Gaboon viper, green vipers and horned vipers. All vipers are venomous and have long, hinged fangs.

Metlapilcoatlus nummifer, commonly known as Mexican jumping pitviper or jumping viper, is a venomous pit viper species endemic to Mexico.

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.

Dry bites or bites where only a very small amount of venom is injected may cause slight bleeding, pain, and swelling at the bite injury. If a moderate amount of venom was injected, you are more likely to have severe pain, swelling of the whole limb, and general ill feelings, such as nausea, vomiting, and weakness.

This results in an animal that can withstand venom with little or no side effect. So far scientists fully understand venom resistance in only four mammals - mongooses, honey badgers, hedgehogs and pigs - as well as several snakes.

It was about midday on a Thursday in January 1998 when Danie Pienaar came face to face with a black mamba and its bite. Danie, now head of Scientific Services in the Kruger National Park, was a student at the time and tracking white rhinos near the Phabeni tributary, south of Pretoriuskop.

Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)

This snake, found in sub-Saharan Africa, is one of the most feared of all. Unlike the relatively docile inland taipan, the black mamba is known to be particularly aggressive. Although it does not seek out humans, when cornered or threatened it will rear up and strike repeatedly.

Pit Viper. While a copperhead snake bite is not often deadly, it can cause severe pain within a few minutes of the bite.

The small horns that stud the heads of many viper species may play a role in camouflage, suggesting they evolved as a result of the varying environments the snakes inhabit.

All are short (50 cm) and stout with broad heads; some individuals have a hornlike scale over each eye. Their coloration is light, resembling the desert sands of their environment—shades of tan, pink, orange, or gray—with darker spots on the back.

The horned viper is also known as the horned sand viper and the desert horned viper. The term “horned” is applied because of the scales above the eyes and nose. The features help protect the eyes from sand.

Reproduction. In captivity, mating was observed in April and always occurred while the animals were buried in the sand. This species is oviparous, laying 8–23 eggs that hatch after 50 to 80 days of incubation. The eggs are laid under rocks and in abandoned rodent burrows.