#1770 · 🦎 reptiles

Puff Adder

🇳🇱 Gewone Pofadder ·Bitis arietans

LCleast concern 🦎 Reptiles 📍 outside Europe

9 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

Bitis arietans is a venomous viper species found in savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rain forest 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. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 5,433iNaturalist observations
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
5,433 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by Blasius Merrem in 1820 (206 years ago).