Bitis caudalis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The horned adder (Bitis caudalis) is a viper species. It is found in the arid region of southwest Africa, in Angola, Botswana, Namibia; South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It is easily distinguished by the presence of a single, large horn-like scale over each eye. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all other vipers, it is venomous.
The species is commonly known as the horned adder, horned puff adder, or horned viper. A short, stout little viper, it usually averages 30–40 cm (12–15.5 in) in total length (body + tail). The largest specimen reported being seen is a female from southern Botswana measuring 51.5 cm (20.3 in) total length.
The snake is found in far arid regions of southwest Africa: southwest Angola, Namibia, across the Kalahari Desert of southern Botswana, into northern Transvaal and southwestern Zimbabwe. In South Africa, it is found from the Northern Cape province south to the Great Karoo.
Its type locality is given as "... the sandy districts north of the Cape Colony..." [South Africa]. Horned adders are mostly found in sparsely vegetated desert and semiarid scrub country. Bites are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | National Marine Aquarium of Namibia | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Horned Adder sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to June
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Horned Adder in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Horned Adder sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Namib-Naukluft National Park, in our data
Namib-Naukluft National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Horned Adder sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Horned Adder is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Namib-Naukluft National Park (62 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
