Spider-tailed horned viper

Common card · No. 237068

The spider-tailed horned viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) is a species of viper, a venomous snake, in the family Viperidae and genus Pseudocerastes. The genus is commonly known as "false-horned vipers". The species is endemic to western Iran and the Iran-Iraq border region. P. urarachnoides appears very similar to other Pseudocerastes species in the region, especially around the head, but the spider-tailed horned viper has a unique tail with a bulb-like end that is bordered by long drooping scales that give it the appearance of a spider, which is used in aggressive mimicry. A specimen was collected in 1968 and identified as Pseudocerastes persicus, with the unusual tip of the tail being attributed to a parasite, deformity, or tumors. Another specimen was found in 2003, and the species was described in 2006. The tail tip is waved around and used to lure insectivorous birds to within striking range.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Omid Mozaffari, Public domain