The puff adder is fat for a snake, and it looks even fatter when it puffs itself up to scare away an attacker or before it makes a kill. This poisonous snake delivers a dose of venom through its long fangs. The puff adder's natural camouflage makes it hard to see, and it usually ambushes prey. Well hidden, the snake will occasionally strike humans who stumble across it.
Short Distance: Rather than slithering in an S-shape like most snakes, the puff adder ripples the broad scales on its belly and moves slowly with its body positioned straight, like a worm or caterpillar.
Puff the Deadly Adder: The puff adder gets its name from its habit of inflating, or "puffing up," its body. When threatened or ready to strike, the snake draws air in through its nostrils and holds its breath.
Sneaky Snake in the Grass[]
Patterns on the puff adder help it blend into the forest floor.
The puff adder doesn't move much because it doesn't want to give away its location. Patterned scales on the snake's back enable it to blend in with grasses and fallen leaves. Enemies, like birds of prey that circle the skies, don't see it, and most victims don't even know the adder is there until they hear it hiss. By then the snake has already bitten and injected its venom.
Perfect Blend: Puff adders that live in different regions are colored differently to match their environments. Desert-dwelling adders are light brown and blend in with the sand.
Snake Dance: When male puff adders compete over a female, they rear up and tangle their bodies together. Then, they hiss repeatedly at each other until one backs down.
Life of a Fang[]
A replacement fang (1) grows behind each of the puff adder's functioning fangs (2). Every 2 to 3 months, the old fangs fall out and the new ones move into place. If a fang breaks off inside prey, the snake can still pump plenty of venom into victims through one fang until the replacement grows in.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Puff Adder shares it's Genus name, Bitis, with the Gaboon Viper and Rhinoceros Viper.
- The mini section on the front, "Puff the Deadly Adder", is a reference to the 1963 Peter, Paul and Mary song "Puff the Magic Dragon".
- The introduction paragraph erroneously calls the snake poisonous.
- The puff adder is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Size Them Up on Monster Mania 12.
- The puff adder is then featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 14.