Roman's saw-scaled viper

Scientific Name: Echis leucogaster

Nick Name: White-bellied carpet viper

Size: The average length is 30-70 cm, with a maximum of 87 cm

Appearance: The scalation of the head is similar to E. carinatus. The body is rather stout, the cross-section of which is cylindrical or subtriangular. The dorsal scales are rough and heavily keeled. At midbody, there are 27-33 rows of dorsal scales. The ventral scales number 165-180.

        Coloration and pattern are both variable, ranging from brown to gray to reddish and everything in between. It generally consists of a series of light, oblique, dorsal crossbars or saddles set against a darker ground color. The flanks are lighter in color, normally with a series of triangular, subtriangular or circular, dark markings with light or white edges. The belly is an unbroken pale cream, white or ivory.

Type of Venom: Hemotoxic

Nature: Large individual

Distribution: In West Africa: northern Nigeria, western Niger, Burkina Faso, central Mali, northern Guinea, and Senegal. In Northwest Africa: southern Mauritania, Algeria (Ahaggar), Western Sahara and the extreme south of Morocco. Roman (1975) described the type locality as "Boubon, à 20 km au Nord de Niamey, Niger.

Habitat: Not a true desert animal, it is found along its edges. Associated with arid savannah, semi-desert, Sahel and well-vegetated dry river beds (wadis) and oases

Feeds on: Takes a wide variety of prey, including invertebrates (especially scorpions and centipedes), small mammals and reptiles

Side Line:

• Known to lay eggs. Hatchlings are 12-16 cm in length