Species profile
About the puff adder
The puff adder is a heavy-bodied viper patterned in chevrons of tan, brown and cream that vanish against leaf litter and dry grass. Its defence is to stay absolutely still, which is precisely why it is bitten into: people and livestock step on a snake that never moved.
It hunts by ambush, lying motionless beside a rodent runway for days if necessary, and strikes with exceptional speed. It is common throughout Tanzania's savanna and woodland. On a game drive it is most often seen basking on a warm track in the early morning.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
A sit-and-wait ambush hunter that may hold one position for days. Puffs and hisses loudly when threatened — the sound that gives it its name.
Social life
Solitary. Males perform a wrestling combat dance in the breeding season, and several may trail a single female.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
Camouflage good enough that even predators walk past it, and a strike among the fastest measured in any snake.
