Video: Deadly Puff Adder Strike in Slow Motion
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.17.14
Puff adders are among the deadliest snakes in the world. These medium-sized vipers are known for having a venom so potent that it is suspected to carry a 52 percent mortality rate and can cause rapid necrosis. But you are not likely to run into one of these dangerous critters in North America.
Puff adders live across a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and are known for causing more deaths than any other snake on the continent. Despite their ability to kill large prey, these adders restrain their diet to small mammals and birds. Puff adders attack by coiling their body and then striking hard. Some of the time, the raw force of the impact is enough to kill prey, rather than the venom.
In this rare video, we get to see a puff adder strike in slow motion. It was probably not all that happy over getting a mouthful of water.