Adder

This page refers to the type of snake. For an electronic adder, see Adder (electronics).

Adder is a another name for viper. Most snakes called adders belong to the family Viperidae, more precisely to subfamily viperinae (by contrast to pit vipers). An exception is the Australian Death adder, which despite its name is not a viperid at all, but rather a member of the cobra family, Elapidae.

Common Name Technical Name Geographic Range

Death Adder Acanthophis antarcticus Australia, New Guinea

Dwarf Sand Adder Bitis peringueyi Namibia, Angola

Horned Adder Bitis caudalis South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia

Many-Horned Adder Bitis cornuta cornuta Namibia, South Africa

Namaqua Dwarf Adder Bitis schneideri SW South Africa

Mountain Adder Bitis atropos atropos Zimbabwe, South Africa

Puff Adder Bitis arietans arietans Africa, Yemen

Rhombic Night Adder Causus rhombeatus Africa

Common Name	Technical Name	Geographic Range
Death Adder	Acanthophis antarcticus	Australia, New Guinea
Dwarf Sand Adder	Bitis peringueyi	Namibia, Angola
Horned Adder	Bitis caudalis	South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia
Many-Horned Adder	Bitis cornuta cornuta	Namibia, South Africa
Namaqua Dwarf Adder	Bitis schneideri	SW South Africa
Mountain Adder	Bitis atropos atropos	Zimbabwe, South Africa
Puff Adder	Bitis arietans arietans	Africa, Yemen
Rhombic Night Adder	Causus rhombeatus	Africa

Etymology: The word was in Old Eng. noedre, later nadder or naddre; in the 14th century a nadder was, like a napron, wrongly divided into an adder. It appears with the generic meaning of serpent in the older forms of many Teutonic languages, cf. Old High Ger. natra; Goth. nadrs. It is thus used in the Old English version of the Christian Scriptures for the devil, the serpent of Genesis.

Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed