Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperetti) (IMAGE)

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperetti)

Caption

 Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperetti) coiled defensively and rubbing its scales to produce a deterring sound. This warning display is characteristic of Cerastes and Echis vipers and is mimicked by harmless Dasypeltis egg-eating snakes. Curiously, egg-eaters perform this display also in areas from which scale-rubbing vipers are absent. In their paper, Topper et al. suggest this as a possible example of Batesian mimicry occurring between geographically separate species, due to predators that migrate between their distribution ranges.

Credit

Akiva Topper

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