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 Theodor Engdahl, 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 500 m (1,600 ft).
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: 407–465.
- Lönnberg E, Andersson LG (1913). "On a collection of reptiles from Kismayu". Arkiv för Zoologi, Uppsala 8: 1–6. (Atractaspis engdahli, new species, pp. 5–6, Figure 1, three views of head).
- Spawls S, Howell K, Drewes R, Ashe J (2004). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. London: A & C Black Publisher Ltd. 543 pp. ISBN 0-7136-6817-2.
- Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Atractaspis engdahli, p. 474).
