Incredibly for a snake with a relatively small range it is along with the puff adder often cited as being responsible for the highest number of snakebite related fatalities in africa.
Carpet viper range.
Painted saw scaled viper painted carpet viper burton s carpet viper palestine saw scaled viper arabian saw scaled viper mid east saw scaled viper.
The ocellated carpet viper or echis ocellatus inhabits the countries of senegal gambia and gulf of guinea in the african continent.
Map indicating the distribution of the west african carpet viper echis ocellatus in africa this is a savanna species.
The saw scaled or carpet viper echis carinatus whose range extends from senegal to bengal probably bites and kills more people than any other species of snake.
They have a characteristic threat display rubbing sections of their body together to produce a sizzling warning sound.
It is very common in its range and accounts for many snakebites and fatalities a year.
On the arabian peninsula it has been recorded from saudi arabia yemen and oman.
It is found in the middle east in sinai israel and jordan.
Burton s carpet viper is the name given to echis coloratus or painted saw scaled viper of eastern egypt palestine syria and israel.
This is typically a desert species.
The name echis is the latin transliteration of the greek word for viper ἔχις.