Africa Carpet Viper

Monovalent antivenom is effective and should be administered.

Africa carpet viper. This snake accounts for 69 of snake bite related death in nigeria causing over 1 450 deaths nationwide. Ariadne van zandbergen getty images. The name echis is the latin transliteration of the greek word for viper ἔχις. The west african carpet viper has a distinctive threat display which involves rubbing its coils together to create a loud sizzling sound.

The cape cobra naja nivea is found across southern africa favoring dry areas including desert and arid savannah regions. In africa these snakes are found in a wide variety of habitats across the continent. African vipers are known to lay around 8 to 10 eggs at once. Map indicating the distribution of the egyptian carpet viper echis pyramidum in africa.

The snakes produce an extremely potent hemotoxin that is lethal in very low doses. Echis ocellatus known by the common names west african carpet viper and ocellated carpet viper is a highly venomous species of viper endemic to west africa no subspecies are currently recognized. West african carpet viper echis ocellatus. The west african carpet viper s venom is potently cytotoxic causing severe pain swelling blistering and in many cases severe tissue damage.

The carpet vipers or echis are a genus of vipers of highly poisonous nature widely distributed across africa middle east and south asia. Africa middle east and south asia the saw scaled or carpet vipers of the genus echis pictured is echis ocellatus a west african carpet viper from nigeria are a major cause of snakebite envenoming in the savannas of sub saharan africa north of the equatorial rainforest belt in the arabian peninsula and extending through iran to pakistan india and sri lanka. The west african carpet viper also known as the ocellated carpet viper echis ocellatus is a venomous serpent endemic to the countries of west africa is responsible highest number of snakebite related fatalities in africa. A bite by the ocellated carpet viper of the african savannahs is very dangerous and can even cause hemorrhaging.

An antivenom called echitab plus icp is manufactured by the costa rican instituto clodomiro. This carpet viper stands as the most dangerous snake in nigeria. It is responsible for more human fatalities due to snakebite than all other african species combined. They are nocturnal and many people stand on them at night.

Found in semi desert and dry savanna. It is very common in its range and accounts for many snakebites and fatalities a year. They have a characteristic threat display rubbing sections of their body together to produce a sizzling warning sound.