horned viper

American  

noun

1. a highly venomous viper, Cerastes cerastes, of northern Africa and extreme southwestern Asia, having a process resembling a horn just above each eye.

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horned viper British  

noun

1. Also called: sand viper.  a venomous snake, Cerastes cornutus, that occurs in desert regions of N Africa and SW Asia and has a small horny spine above each eye: family Viperidae (vipers)

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Etymology

Origin of horned viper

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

The zoo is home to species including an African grey parrot, a vervet monkey, giant lizards known as Nile monitors, a desert tortoise, a horned viper snake and a Nubian spitting cobra.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2023

Indeed, the best footage here is captured at night, from the slinkings of the bizarre horned viper to the evasive tactics of the lesser jerboa, a tiny rodent with kangaroo-like hind legs.

From The Guardian • Feb. 22, 2013

He met in succession a hungry porcupine, an alligator, a horned viper, and some ants, of all of whom he made friends by feeding them the things he had taken along.

From Primitive Love and Love-Stories by Finck, Henry Theophilus

A young girl accompanying them saw how all of them were bitten by a horned viper and ran back to tell the news.

From Primitive Love and Love-Stories by Finck, Henry Theophilus

Among reptiles are several kinds of venomous snakes—the horned viper, the hooded snake and the echis.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various