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European asp, Vipera aspis "Asp" is the modern anglicisation of the word "aspis", which in antiquity referred to any one of several venomous snake species found in the Nile region. [1] The specific epithet, aspis, is a Greek word that means "viper". [2] It is believed that aspis referred to what is now known as the Egyptian cobra. [3]
The snake which supposedly killed the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra is named by Velleius Paterculus as an asp, and by Martial as a viper. Virgil mentions two snakes but does not name their species, while Plutarch mentions twin prick marks on her arm but does not state that these were toothmarks, so they could also have been from a poisoned hair pin.
Atractaspis aterrima, commonly known as the slender burrowing asp or mole viper, is a species of fossorial, venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] The specific epithet , aterrima , meaning "blackest", is the superlative form of the Latin adjective ater , meaning "black".
This snake is active mainly at night, and is found in arid or semi-arid desert areas. It dwells in underground burrows (hence the name "mole viper" or "burrowing asp"), is found under rocks, and is seen basking on roads on warm nights.
[7] [8] Many snake experts have cited the black mamba and the coastal taipan as the world's most dangerous, albeit not the most venomous snakes. [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] Both species are elapids , and in several aspects of morphology, ecology and behavior, the coastal taipan is strongly convergent with the black mamba.
By Steven Benna Just imagine you looked down and spotted a rattlesnake. What would you do? Most people would run. Some might stare for a moment and slowly walk in the other direction.
Deadliest animals as of 2016 [1] This is a list of the deadliest animals to humans worldwide, measured by the number of humans killed per year. Different lists have varying criteria and definitions, so lists from different sources disagree and can be contentious.
A recent Washington Post analysis of government data between 2001 and 2013 found that the main culprits are flying insects such as bees, wasps, and hornets which kill an average of 58 people annually.