Atractaspis engdahli, also known commonly as Engdahl's burrowing asp, Engdahl's burrowing viper, and the mole viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is endemic to Africa.
Etymology
The specific name, engdahli, is in honor of Swedish missionary , who collected the holotype.
Geographic range
A. engdahli is found in north-eastern Kenya and in Somalia.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of A. engdahli are savanna, shrubland, and grassland, at altitudes from sea level to .
Behaviour
A. engdahli is terrestrial and nocturnal. It is often found in termite nests and in holes in the ground.
Reproduction
A. engdahli is oviparous.
References
Further reading
- Lanza B (1990). "Amphibians and reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: checklist and biogeography". Biogeographia 14: 407âÂÂ465.
- Lönnberg E, Andersson LG (1913). "On a collection of reptiles from Kismayu". Arkiv för Zoologi, Uppsala 8: 1âÂÂ6. (Atractaspis engdahli, new species, pp. 5âÂÂ6, Figure 1, three views of head).
- , , , (2004). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. London: A & C Black Publisher Ltd. 543 pp. .
- Spawls S, Howell K, , (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (Atractaspis engdahli, p. 474).