Echis coloratus

Arab sand race Lotter (E. coloratus )

The Arabian sand race Lotter ( Echis coloratus ) is a species of vipers ( Viperidae ) and in the genus of sand race wabble ( Echis ) belonging. The snake is common in the Sinai and the Arabian Peninsula.

Features

The Arabian sand race Lotter is similar in appearance to very strongly of Commons sand race Lotter and accomplished as this an average length of about 60 to 80 cm. It is, however, built a little slimmer.

The body coloration is highly variable; The spectrum of color ranges from yellow brown to gray-brown to reddish brown. The back is usually darker in color than the sides of the animals and has a drawing of bright oval - rhomboid spots or short transverse bands, surrounded by dark scales, and can be centrally light gray or stainless pink. These bars extend from the neck to the tail. The body sides are characterized by blue-gray spots. The head has at the top also a bright, variable drawing as well as a temporal band that stretches over the eyes to the corners of the mouth.

The head is clearly separated from the head and has the shape of a rounded triangle. The eyes are very large and have vertical slit pupils. The top of the head is covered by many uneven and keeled scales. Below the eyes are the most important distinguishing feature of commons sand race Lotter three to four rows of Under Eye shields ( Supraocularia ) instead of just two rows. Among them are 12 to 15 upper lip shields ( supralabials ).

The scales of the body are also strongly keeled and can generate a typical rattling sound, which gave the sand race wabble its name from rubbing. Around the middle of the body are 23-27 rows of scales. Unlike all other vipers all members of the genus Echis have undivided under tail- shields ( Subcaudalia ).

Distribution and habitat

The Arabian sand race Lotter is common in the desert areas of eastern Egypt across the Sinai Peninsula to the Arabian peninsula including Saudi Arabia and thus lives sympatric in much of their habitat with the Commons sand race Lotter

As a habitat, the animals prefer mountainous rocky scree with only sparse thornbush vegetation. The animals may occur at altitudes of 2600 m above sea level.

Way of life

The common sand race Lotter may be active during the day, but is mainly nocturnal and feeds mainly on small mammals such as mice and rats and other small animals such as birds, lizards, frogs and other snakes. Your movement is carried meandering or spiraling page. By rubbing the edge shed the snake produces a typical rattling sound as a warning sound when they feel disturbed. When threatened, they also rolled up dish-shaped and comes very quickly, by allowing the head forward fast.

The snake is oviparous ( oviparous ) and lays seven to nine eggs per litter. This tape them on hard ground, such as under stones or in crevices where the young snakes hatch later without parental care.

Snake venom

The poison of the Arabian sand race Lotter is very strong hämorrhagin, ie through blood vessel damage to internal bleeding and bleeding from body orifices, and zyototoxisch, can therefore tissue die and thus leads (especially around the bite around) to necrosis. Furthermore, contained in the venom of the Arab sand race Lotter procoagulants that lead to blood clots and a disturbance of the blood clotting factors, so that the clots can not be resolved and can lead to fatal pulmonary embolisms or strokes and thrombosis in rare cases. A medical treatment with an adequate antivenin is necessary. The strong irritability, and proximity to human agricultural areas leads to frequent bites, there are at least four deaths so far known.