Page 6 - BBC Focus - August 2017

E Y E OP ENER

Slippery
customer

NAMIB DESERT,
NAMIBIA

If you find yourself
wandering through the vast
deserts of Namibia, watch
where you put your feet!
The Peringuey adder, also
known as Bitis peringueyi,
spends much of its time
buried under the sand. As
an ambush predator, the
snake needs to remain
unseen, and the sand
provides the perfect
camouflage.
Dr Brian Crother from
Southeastern Louisiana
University says: “The desert
adder burrows into the
sand, leaving its eyes, that
sit on top of his head, and
its black-tipped tail
exposed. The black tail tip is
gently waved about and
used as a lure to bring
lizards [its prey] within
striking distance.”
As a desert-dweller, the
snake has a number of
adaptations to survive in
the harsh environment.
First, it can travel using a
form of locomotion called
‘sidewinding’, where just
two points of its body are in
contact with the sand at a
time. This allows it to move
quickly across loose terrain,
and reduces contact with
the hot sand. Second, water
from morning fog
condenses on its body,
which it then drinks.

PHOTO: ALAMY

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