Horned Puff Adder

[phobos]

My Bitis caudalis (CBB04) was very hungry today. When I introduced the FT mouse she started "Caudal Luring" which she only does ocassionally. I stopped, withdrew the mouse and positioned my video camera to watch the action...Click the link below to see video. I apologize ahead of time, she is just too fast at this angle to see anything but a blur go by, even at 20% normal speed!

Cheers!
Al

[Bushbaby]

Would love to watch it, but have no idea where to go. I just get a page full of vids, but none of any snake.

[phobos]

Try this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvmiRIWe5qs

[Bushbaby]

It worked!!

That is so cute!!! Pity it was striking out of view. That is also awesome to see.

Thank you!!

[neko]

Brilliant video. Thank u!

[phobos]

Thanks, I have another 2 videos of her nailing live mice that are spectacular but I don't post those for fear it will earn the rath of some animal rights group. Like..what about the Snakes right to eat??

Al

[Bushbaby]

lol So true.

I see you named the topic Horned Puff Adder. Is that what you guys call them where you from? Here we just call them Horned Adders.

[phobos]

Well, most of the time I use the scientific name B. caudalis because common names can be very confusing. Horned Adder could be: B. cornuta, B. caudalis, C. cerastes or any other venomous with horns. What do you guys call B. cornuta? It's Many Horned Adder here.

Al

[froot]

Excellent video there dude. I've only really seen baiting of prey by tail wagging in Bothrops species. I wonder how many other Bitis species do that, besides bitis peringueyi.

[Rob]

Hey Phobos. B. cornuta are called Many Horned Adders here too, B. caudalis are simply called Horned Adders. Scientific names are a lot less confusing.

[Horned Adder]

Bitis cornuta = Many Horned Adder
Bitis caudalis = Single Horned Adder, Horned Puffadder, Horned Adder

Common names can be confusing, that's right Al, so I also would use the scientific one

Great Vid Al, excellent mate - have had more then 13 semiadult-adult Bitis caudalis in the past, but have never seen that very often. Have had more luck with Bitis cornuta, my males are also using their tail in a similar way....but the tail isn't on the ground when they are doing that, it's in the air - very very funny thing. I don't know why they are doing it...........

Have you every seen that in your collection of cornuta's ??

Cheers from Switzerland

Marco

[Pythonodipsas]

Very, very cool videos phobos...and nice behaviour to document. I have also worked with many caudalis and never seen this. I have only seen it in schneideri and peringuey!!!!, I also like the other videos, especially the berg adder, nice narration!.

English names can be confusing...I stand to be corrected but I think I remember from an old book that B.caudalis also used to be called "Western Hornsman Adder" and "B. cornuta" was a Eastern Hornsman Adder.

Once I nearly bought a pair of "White Lips". Assuming they were White Lipped Tree Vipers - Viridovipera (Trimereserus) albolabris I was extremely exited cause they were inexpensive - R10 each. When I discovered the guy was talking about White Lipped Water Snakes (Lycodonomorphus whytii) I was a little dissapointed.

[drummer]

my baby caudalis used to do it very often...

[Bushviper]

I have only ever seen B. caudalis from desert regions do any type of caudal luring. The ones from rocky or the one mountainous area where they occur, have never done this.

We still have so much to learn.