Causinae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Causinae |
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| A common night adder, C. rhombeatus | |
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Causinae
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Causus
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Night adders, also known as Causinae, are a group of venomous snakes. They are a type of viper found in sub-Saharan Africa. This group is special because it only has one genus (a type of animal group) called Causus. There are six different kinds, or species, of night adders.
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What Do Night Adders Look Like?
Night adders can grow to be about 60 to 90 centimeters (24 to 36 inches) long. That's about the length of a baseball bat! Their bodies are usually dark gray, light gray, light brown, or black. They often have gray or black blotches, which are like spots, on their skin.
Where Do Night Adders Live and What Do They Do?
Even though they are called "night adders," these snakes are usually active during the day. However, some of them do come out at night.
If a night adder feels attacked or bothered, it will often coil up its body. Then, it starts hissing loudly to try and scare away its enemy. Some night adders might even raise their head and neck off the ground. With their tongue sticking out, they can move forward like a Cobra does, which can look quite intimidating!
What Do Night Adders Eat?
Night adders mainly eat toads and frogs. But there are stories of some night adders eating almost anything they can find! They might eat so much that they can't swallow any more food.
How Do Night Adders Have Babies?
All night adders are oviparous. This means they lay eggs. This is quite unusual for most vipers! Most vipers are viviparous, which means they give live birth to their young.
Night adders lay around two dozen eggs at one time. These eggs take about four months to hatch. When the baby snakes hatch, they are usually 10 to 12.5 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) long. That's about the length of a pencil!
What About Night Adder Venom?
Night adders have very large venom glands. These glands can be around 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. Even though their venom glands are big, night adders don't always use their venom when they catch prey. The venom would kill their prey quickly. But often, they just grab their prey and swallow it whole.
If a person is bitten by a night adder, the venom usually does not spread throughout the body. It mostly causes swelling in the area where the bite happened. There have been no reports of anyone dying from a night adder bite.
Different Kinds of Night Adders
There are six known species of night adders:
- Two-striped night adder, C. bilineatus
- Snouted night adder, C. defilippii
- Lichtenstein's night adder, C. lichtensteinii
- West African night adder, C. maculatus
- Green night adder, C. resimus
- Common night adder, C. rhombeatus
Images for kids
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A young night adder, photographed in Kei Mouth, South Africa
See also
In Spanish: Causus para niños
