Puff adder
species of reptile
The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is a highly venomous viper species found in savannahs and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions. It is responsible for causing the most snakebite fatalities in Africa owing to various factors, such as its wide distribution, frequent occurrence in highly populated regions, and aggressive disposition. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
The species is commonly known as the puff adder, African puff adder, or common puff adder.
Taxonomy
German naturalist Blasius Merrem described Bitis arietans in 1820. The specific name arietans means "striking violently" and is derived from the Latin arieto. The type locality given is "Promontorio bonae spei " (Cape of Good Hope), South Africa.
Subspecies
Description
The puff adder's usual size is about 1.0 m (39.3 in) in total length (body and tail) and very stout. Large specimens of 190 cm (75 in) total length, weighing over 6.0 kg (13.2 lb) and with a girth of 40 cm (16 in) have been reported. Specimens from Saudi Arabia are not as large, usually no more than 80 cm (31 in) in total length.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Puff adder” as species of reptile. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of reptile. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q369667. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1820.
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This entry incorporates text from “Puff adder” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.