August 2019: Butterfly Viper

Butterfly Viper (Bitis nasicornis)

FaunaFocus is entering August 2019 and featuring its first snake species, the butterfly viper, also known as the rhinoceros viper!

The butterfly viper, also known as the rhinoceros viper, is a puff adder endemic to central and western Africa. As an ambush predator, this carnivorous snake relies on camouflage as it waits for prey. After striking, it sinks its hollow fangs into its victim and delivers a deadly hemotoxic venom. This species is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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Create art inspired by the butterfly viper and share it in the FaunaFocus Discord Server or on social media with #faunafocus. Learn about more ways to get involved with FaunaFocus!

EVENTS

^{• Image | © Gert Jan Verspui, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-NC 4.0)}