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Bitis
''Bitis'' is a genus of Viperidae, vipers found in Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. It includes the largest and the smallest vipers in the world. Members are known for their characteristic Deimatic behaviour, threat displays that involve inflating and deflating their bodies while hissing and puffing loudly. The type species for this genus is ''Bitis arietans, B. arietans'', which is also the most widely distributed viper in Africa. Currently, 18 species are recognized. Members of the genus are commonly known as African adders,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . African vipers,Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. . or puff adders. Description Size variation within this genus is extreme, ranging from the very small ''Bitis schneideri, B. schneideri'', which grows to a maxim ...
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Bitis Nasicornis
''Bitis nasicornis'' is a Viperinae, viper species belonging to the genus ''Bitis'', part of a subfamily known as "puff-adders", found in the forests of West Africa, West and Central Africa. This large viper is known for its striking coloration and prominent nasal "horns". No subspecies are currently recognized. Its common names include butterfly viper, rhinoceros viper, river jack and many more (see section: #Common names, common names).Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. .Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . Like all other vipers, it is venomous snake, venomous. Common names Its common and historical names include ''butterfly viper'', ''rhinoceros viper'', ''river jack'', ''rhinoceros horned viper'', ''horned puff adder''U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Poisonous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. ...
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Bitis Arietans
The puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') is a highly venomous viper species found in savannahs and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions. It is responsible for causing the most snakebite fatalities in Africa owing to various factors, such as its wide distribution, frequent occurrence in highly populated regions, and aggressive disposition.. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. The species is commonly known as the puff adder,. African puff adder,. or common puff adder. Taxonomy German naturalist Blasius Merrem described the puff adder in 1820. The word ''arietans'' means "striking violently" and is derived from the Latin ''arieto''. The type locality given is "''Promontorio bonae spei''" (Cape of Good Hope), South Africa. Subspecies Description The snake's typical size is about 1.0 m (39.3 in) in total length (body a ...
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Bitis Gabonica
The Gaboon viper (''Bitis gabonica''), also called the Gaboon adder, is a large and highly venomous viper species found in the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1''. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume). It is the largest member of the genus ''Bitis.'' Like all other vipers, it is venomous, Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. and it has the longest fangs of any venomous snake – up to in length – and the highest venom yield of any snake. No subspecies are recognized. Taxonomy The Gaboon viper was described in 1854 as ''Echidna gabonica''. Lenk ''et al.'' (1999) discovered genetic differences between the two conventionally recognized subspecies of ''B. g. gabonica'' and ''B. g. rhinoceros''. According to their research, these two subspecies are ...
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Bitis Schneideri
:''Common names: Namaqua dwarf adder, Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . Spawls S, Branch B (1995). ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. . spotted dwarf adder, Schneider's adder.'' ''Bitis schneideri'' is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Viperinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to a small coastal region that straddles the border between Namibia and South Africa. ''B. schneideri'' is the smallest species in the genus ''Bitis'' and possibly the world's smallest viper. There are no subspecies that are currently recognized as being valid. Etymology The specific name, ''schneideri'', was given by Oskar Boettger in honor of "''Dr. Oskar Schneider in Dresden'' ", a friend of Boettger. Oskar Schneider (1841–1903) was a conchologist. Description With an average total length (incl ...
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Bitis Albanica
The Albany adder (''Bitis albanica'') is a viper species. It was previously considered a subspecies of '' Bitis cornuta''. Its range is restricted to eastern and southern Cape Province in South Africa. Like all vipers, it is venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti .... It is extremely rare, and had been thought potentially extinct until four live specimens and one road kill were found in late 2016 or early 2017. Only 12 individuals have been identified since the species was discovered in 1937. Description This subspecies does not have the "horns" that are characteristic of the nominate race, '' B. c. cornuta'', although it does have prominent bumps over the eyes. The coloration is brown to reddish brown, and they may also lack the distinctive pattern of the ty ...
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Rectilinear Locomotion
Rectilinear locomotion or rectilinear progression is a mode of animal locomotion, locomotion most often associated with snakes. In particular, it is associated with heavy-bodied species such as terrestrial African adders, Pythonidae, pythons and Boidae, boas; however, most snakes are capable of it. It is one of at least five forms of locomotion used by snakes, the others being Undulatory locomotion, lateral undulation, sidewinding, concertina movement, and slide-pushing. Unlike all other modes of snake locomotion, which include the snake bending its body, the snake flexes its body only when turning in rectilinear locomotion. Biomechanics of rectilinear locomotion Rectilinear locomotion relies upon two opposing muscles, the costocutaneous inferior and superior, which are present on every rib and connect the ribs to the skin. Although it was originally believed that the ribs moved in a "walking" pattern during rectilinear movement, studies have shown that the ribs themselves do not m ...
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Supraocular Scales
In scaled reptiles, supraocular scales are (enlarged) scales on the crown immediately above the eye.Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . The size and shape of these scales are among the many characteristics used to differentiate species from each another. In many species of boids and viperids, the supraoculars are heavily fragmented. In others, such as the colubrids and elapids, they are enlarged. See also * Ocular scales * Snake scales * Anatomical terms of location Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pr ... References {{Reflist Snake scales ...
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Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti
Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti (4 December 1735, Vienna – 17 February 1805, Vienna) was an Austrian naturalist and zoologist of Italian origin. Laurenti is considered the auctor of the class Reptilia (reptiles) through his authorship of ' (1768) on the poisonous function of reptiles and amphibians. This was an important book in herpetology, defining thirty genera of reptiles; Carl Linnaeus's 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758 defined only ten genera. ''Specimen Medicum'' contains a description of the blind salamander (amphibian): '' Proteus anguinus'', purportedly collected from cave waters in Slovenia (or possibly western Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...); this description represented one of the first published accounts of a cave animal in the we ...
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Viviparous
In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juvenile that is at least metabolically independent. This is opposed to oviparity, where the embryos develop independently outside the mother in eggs until they are developed enough to break out as hatchlings; and ovoviviparity, where the embryos are developed in eggs that remain carried inside the mother's body until the hatchlings emerge from the mother as juveniles, similar to a live birth. Etymology The term "viviparity" and its adjective form "viviparous" both derive from the Latin ''vivus'', meaning "living"; and ''pario'', meaning "give birth to". Reproductive mode Five modes of reproduction have been differentiated in animals based on relations between zygote and parents. The five include two nonviviparous modes: ovuliparity ...
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Crotalinae
The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . or pit adders, are a subfamily of vipers found in Asia and the Americas. Like all other vipers, they are venomous. They are distinguished by the presence of a heat-sensing pit organ located between the eye and the nostril on both sides of the head. Currently, 23 genera and 155 species are recognized: These are also the only viperids found in the Americas. The groups of snakes represented here include rattlesnakes, lanceheads, and Asian pit vipers. The type genus for this subfamily is '' Crotalus'', of which the type species is the timber rattlesnake, ''C. horridus''. These snakes range in size from the diminutive hump-nosed viper, '' Hypnale hypnale'', that grows to a typical total length (including tail) of only , to the bushmaster, '' Lachesis muta'', a species known to reach a maximum total length of in length. This subf ...
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Terrestrial Animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g. cats, chickens, ants, most spiders), as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water (e.g. fish, lobsters, octopuses), and semiaquatic animals, which rely on both aquatic and terrestrial habitats (e.g. platypus, most amphibians). Some groups of insects are terrestrial, such as ants, butterflies, earwigs, cockroaches, grasshoppers and many others, while other groups are partially aquatic, such as mosquitoes and dragonflies, which pass their larval stages in water. Alternatively, terrestrial is used to describe animals that live on the ground, as opposed to arboreal animals that live in trees. Ecological subgroups The term "terrestrial" is typically applied to species that live primarily on or in the ground, in contrast to arboreal species, who live primarily in trees, even though the latter are actually a specialized subgroup of the terre ...
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Subcaudal Scales
In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail. Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. (7th printing, 1985). 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). . These scales may be either single or divided (paired) and are preceded by the anal scale. Related scales * Anal scale * Ventral scales See also * Snake scales Snakes, like other reptiles, have skin covered in scales.Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India. p. 1 Snakes are entirely covered with scales or scutes of various shapes and sizes, known as snakeskin as a whole. A scale protects ... References {{Reflist Snake scales ...
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