Specimen image via iDigBio · BY
Atractaspis
Sign in to saveAtractaspis is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Atractaspidae, also known as the stiletto snakes. The genus is endemic to Africa and the Middle East. The genus contains 15 species that are recognized by ITIS. Others recognize as many as 21 species. 23 are listed here.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyAtractaspididae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 85
- With media
- 4
- Family
- Atractaspididae
- Collections
- HSU, UCM, USNM, MVZ, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, FMNH
- Recorded in
- Kenya, Nigeria, Congo, Democratic Republic Of [Zaire], Ghana, Dr Congo, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
8 sectionsContents
- Common names
- Geographic range
- Description
- Species
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Atractaspis is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Atractaspidae, also known as the stiletto snakes. The genus is endemic to Africa and the Middle East. The genus contains 15 species that are recognized by ITIS. Others recognize as many as 21 species. 23 are listed here.
==Common names== Common names for snakes of the genus Atractaspis include burrowing vipers, burrowing asps, mole vipers, stiletto snakes, side-stabbing snakes, side-stabbers. "Side stabbing" refers to the snakes' uncommon ability to strike with the side of its head and inject venom with one protruding fang.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Atractaspis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.