The native venomous snake is already the most dangerous predator in the wild. However, both venomous and also know how to lure prey with its tail, the strange spider-tailed snake has raised the hunting skills of this species to a new level.
Spiders are known to be one of the most venomous and dangerous snakes. They have two horns on their head, rough skin and especially a “deformed” tail that is quite similar to a 6-legged spider.
The venomous snake with a spider’s tail, scientifically known as Pseudocerastes urarachnoides, was first discovered in 1968, but it was not until 2006 that scientists had an official description of its existence in western Iran. .
The biggest difference of this snake from its fellows lies in the unique way of hunting. The tail has a shape covered with many scales that look like spider legs, acting as a form of attracting prey.
When hunting, the snake will lie almost motionless and move the “spider tail” to move just like a real spider. When an animal mistakenly thinks that the snake’s spider-like tail is prey, the impact on it will be pulled by the snake to the head and finish the ill-fated prey.
Just like in the clip, the snake with camouflage skin identical to the surrounding ground lies still and only moves its tail like a spider. This attracted a curious bird. The poisonous snake is just waiting for that, reaching out to take a definitive bite is always a delicious piece of food.
It’s unique, but it’s very difficult to see the spider-tailed snake with your own eyes because this species only appears in Iran in extremely small numbers.
Instead of chasing prey, spiders use an extremely interesting and unique way to trap their prey.
The spider-tailed snake is a species of viper, endemic to the desert regions of western Iran. This snake was first discovered by scientists in 1968, but it was not until 2006 that scientists got a living specimen to test and determined that this was a completely new species of snake.
As a snake with deadly poison, the spider’s tail uses a very special and interesting way to hunt.
Accordingly, the tail of this snake has hard scales, fringed like spider legs, making the snake’s tail exactly like a complete spider. That is also the reason this snake is called spider-tailed snake. Instead of hunting or chasing prey, spiders will lie hidden in the sand or rocks, raise their spider-like tails high and wiggle to attract prey.
Not only the spider-like shape, the tail of this snake also mimics the way the spider moves to look like a real spider. This spider’s tail will attract the attention of spiders, especially insectivorous birds. When these birds dive to hunt, they do not expect themselves to become prey for spiders.
In addition, the spider-tailed snake also uses its tail to seduce and hunt some other snakes in its living area.
Although a snake with deadly venom, the spider-tailed snake has become a favorite pet of a part of reptile lovers in Iran because of its unique tail and impressive hunting method. Poaching of this snake has been quite common in Iran, although the number of this snake in the wild is not much.