鼓腹咝蝰 (Bitis arietans) 是一种广泛分布于撒哈拉以南非洲地区和中东南部的毒蛇。其特征为粗短的身体、宽大的头部和暗色的鳞片。它们的鳞片呈米色、棕色和黑色，以网纹状排列，因此可以完美融入其生长的莽原和草原环境。这种蛇平常动作缓慢，不过受到惊扰时依旧速度惊人。它们的平均身长为 1 米，某些品种甚至可长到近 2 米。雄蛇的体型一般比雌蛇大，除了身体较粗之外，雄蛇的尾部也比较长。
Latin Name
Bitis arietans
Featured
false
Slug
puff-adder
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Conservation Status
Animal Category
Region
Animal Facts
Puff adders are responsible for most snakebite deaths in Africa.
The puff adder is extremely greedy and has been known to eat itself to death in captivity if offered unlimited food.
The venom of the puff adder can cause extreme pain, low blood pressure and necrosis of tissue.
The puff adder is an aggressive and bad-tempered snake, often remaining ready to attack and never settling when in captivity.
The puff adder can give birth to a great number of live young, with one female recorded as giving birth to 156 young.