The Puff Adder (Bitis arietans) is a Sub-Saharan African snake.

The Puff Adder has a thick body. It is dark brown with white, brown and black markings, which makes it look like the bark of a tree. Its head is large and rounded. It is a rough-scaled snake.

Puff Adder

It can grow to almost two metres (75 inches) long. It moves in a forward motion (not in an S-shape). It is mainly nocturnal – active at night.

The female Puff Adder does not lay eggs. She gives birth to 20-40 live snakelets.

It eats small mammals, such as rats and mice, as well as birds. It bites an animal and injects its poison through its fangs. It then follows the animal until it dies.

It is deadly to humans. The Puff Adder causes the most snake-bite deaths in Africa.

Puff Adder

Puff Adder

Puff Adder

Puff Adder

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM