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Peringuey’s Adder

Peringuey’s adder is a very small, stout- bodied poisonous snake occurring in southern Angola and Namibia. There are no subspecies of this species of snake. The species is well known for its side-winding capabilities by swinging the body in smooth lateral curves.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information


Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Subphylum	Vertebrata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Serpentes
Family	Viperidae
Subfamily	Viperinae
Genus	Bitis
Scientific Name	Bitis peringueyi


Other Names	Peringuey’s Desert Adder, Sidewinding Adder, Dwarf Puff Adder, Namib Desert Sidewinding Adder, Namib Dwarf Sand Adder, Namib Dwarf Adder, Namib Desert Viper, Dwarf Sand Adder
Length	20–25 cm (average); largest specimen recorded: 32 cm
Color	Ground color is chestnut brown to orange-brown or sandy-grayish covered with faded, elongated, three series of longitudinal gray to dark spots; body is also marked with irregular pale dark spots; belly is generally whitish or dirty yellow while the tail is usually tan
Distribution	Namib desert in southern Angola to Lüderitz(Namibia), Fish River Canyon
Habitat	Coastal sand dunes, desert
Diet	Desert and sand lizards
Hibernation Period	Hibernates during winter months
Venom Fact	Weak cytotoxic
Mode of Reproduction	Viviparous (Giving birth to live young)
Litter Size	3 to 10
Average Lifespan	10 years (average)
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern