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Taxa

Atractaspididae

Reptile Families

Atractaspididae is a family of venomous snakes commonly called mole vipers, stiletto snakes or burrowing asps, found only in Africa and the Middle East. The family holds roughly a dozen genera with species counts ranging from one to about fifteen per genus. It is taxonomically unusual in including fangless, rear fanged, fixed fanged and hinge fanged species within one family. Some members can stab sideways with a single fang even while the mouth stays closed, a trait that makes ordinary snake handling holds unsafe with this group.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Family 2
Member Count Band
10 to 100 Species 3
Era First Appeared
Neogene 4
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Africa

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ840931, descriptionView the Source
2. Wikipedia: Atractaspididae
Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    The Atractaspididae (atractaspidids) are a family of venomous snakes found in Africa and the Middle East, commonly called mole vipers, stiletto snakes, or burrowing asps.
  • In Group: Snake Families (Serpentes), Lead
    The Atractaspididae (atractaspidids) are a family of venomous snakes found in Africa and the Middle East, commonly called mole vipers, stiletto snakes, or burrowing asps.
View the Source
3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Atractaspididae
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
Quote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 68
View the Source
4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Atractaspididae
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Atractaspididae" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 5.333 ... "early_interval": "Zanclean"
View the Source
Wikidata: Atractaspididae
Wikidata Q840931, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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