Atheris

Atheris is a genus of vipers known as bush vipers. They are found only in tropical subsaharan Africa and many species have isolated and fragmented distributions due to their confinement to rain forests. Like all other vipers, they are venomous. In an example of convergent evolution, they show many similarities to the arboreal pit vipers of Asia and South America. Seventeen species are currently recognized.

Description

They are relatively small in size, with adults ranging in total length (body + tail) from for A. katangensis to a maximum of for A. squamigera. Members of this genus come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, often within a single species. A. Ceratophora and A. Squamigera are particularly variable. ==Location==

Location

They inhabit rainforest regions and forests, mostly in remote areas far from human activity. They are found in tropical subsaharan Africa, excluding southern Africa. Some species have only isolated populations, surviving in small sections of ancient rainforest. They once had a much wider distribution but are now declining. ==Conservation status==

Conservation status

Some species are threatened by habitat destruction. ==Behavior==

Behavior

All species have extreme aggressive tendencies. All species are arboreal, although they can sometimes be found on or near the ground. ==Captivity==

Captivity

A. squamigera is reported to do very well in captivity, needing only arboreal access and having no particular temperature requirements. Captive specimens take mice and small birds. However, there have been reports of cannibalism. Food may be refused during the African winter months of July and August. ==Venom==

Venom

Limited understanding exists about their venom, except that it is strongly hemotoxic, causing pain, swelling, and blood clotting problems. A case of a bite from A. nitschei caused local tissue injury, hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, hypofibrinoginemia, coagulopathy, and increased elevation in D-dimer. Envenomation cases from A. chlorechis and A. squamigera have shown similar symptoms. One case was fatal. ==Species==

Species

• (Not including the nominate subspeciesT) Type species ==Taxonomy==

Taxonomy

Other species may be encountered in literature, such as: Until relatively recently, the following species, all of which are terrestrial, were also included in the genus Atheris: • Montatheris hindii (Boulenger, 1910) – montane viper • Proatheris superciliaris (W. Peters, 1855) – lowland viper Together with Atheris, these three genera are sometimes referred to as the tribe Atherini. ==References==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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