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Fat burrowing asp

Atractaspis corpulenta
Rear-fanged snakes๐Ÿฆท Bites
Danger to people: SeriousA bite or sting needs a doctor. Deaths are very rare.

Fat burrowing asp belongs to the group: Rear-fanged snakes. It lives in: Africa.2

Lives in
Africa2
Length
45 cm (1.5 ft)2
typical adult size
Top speed
about 4.6 km/h (2.9 mph)
On land, rough guess

Venom power

Bites

Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: SeriousA bite or sting needs a doctor. Deaths are very rare.

๐Ÿš‘ If it bites or stings

  • Wash the bite, keep the person calm and get medical help. Some species (like the boomslang) can be deadly hours later.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

โ›‘๏ธ Stay safe

  • Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
  • Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
  • If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

How big is it?

How long is it?

Fat burrowing asp about 45 cm long (1.5 ft)๐ŸŒA banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)A house cat about 50 cm (1.6 ft)A dog about 1 m (3.3 ft)
as long as 2.5 bananas end to endas long as 14 toy building bricks in a rowcould cover 100 metres in 78 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)

How big is Fat burrowing asp compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

For venom experts

Scientific name
Atractaspis corpulenta
Group
Rear-fanged snakes
Family
Atractaspididae1
Order
Squamata
Continents
Africa
Danger to people
3 / 5: Serious2

Where the facts come from

  1. Atractaspis corpulenta (iNaturalist): names and classification.
  2. Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@venomwiki.app and we will fix it.

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More from the same group: Rear-fanged snakes

Also lives in: Africa

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