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Causus defilipii (Snouted night adder)
Wipneusnagadder [Afrikaans]; Changwa [Ndebele].
Life >
Eukaryotes
>
Opisthokonta >
Metazoa
(animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia >
Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) >
Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) >
Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Lepidosauromorpha > Lepidosauria >
Squamata > Serpentes
(snakes) > Family: Viperidae > Genus: Causus
Identification
Can be identified by the following: a dark brown or mauve
colouration with a dark stripe extending down the length of the body, dark brown
or black blotches on either side of the stripe, a distinctive V-shaped marking
on the head and an upturned snout. It has an average length of 35 cm but
may reach 43 cm in length.
Distribution and habitat
This adder species is found in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga,
Limpopo, Swaziland, North and Central Zimbabwe and Central Mozambique. Its
favoured habitats are moist savanna, lowland forest and grassland (It is always
found in close proximity to water).
Food
Feeds almost entirely on
frogs
and
toads.
Predators, parasites and disease
Fed on by other snakes.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg laying), lays between 3 and 9 eggs in
summer.
Longevity
Has an average lifespan of 10 years.
Medical importance
The Snouted Night adder has weak cytotoxic venom which at
its worst causes acute pain and swelling and therefore antivenom is not
required.
Links
References
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Broadley, D.G. 1983. FitzSimons' Snakes of Southern
Africa. Delta Books, Johannesburg.
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Marais, J. 2004. A Complete Guide to Snakes of Southern Africa.
Struik Publishing, Cape Town.
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