Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Atheris desaixi (Atheris desaixi), recorded as Endangered
Atheris desaixi (Atheris desaixi). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Atheris desaixi

Atheris desaixi

Atheris desaixi, called the Mount Kenya bush viper, Ashe's bush viper, or Desaix's bush viper, is a venomous species of viper endemic to Kenya, where only two isolated populations are known.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Atheris desaixi
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Squamata · Viperidae · Atheris

Appearance

The eyes are set well forward in the head and are surrounded by 14–17 scales. Interorbital scales number 8–11. The eye is separated from the nasal by two to three scales and from the supralabials by two.

Adults of A. Desaixi average 40–60 cm (about 16-24 inches) in total length (among them tail), with a maximum total length of 70 cm (28 in). Newborns measure 17–22 cm (6.5–8.5 in) in total length.

Range and habitat

There are two isolated populations of A. Desaixi in Kenya: one in the forests at Chuka, south-eastern Mount Kenya, and the other near Igembe in the northern Nyambeni range. The type locality is listed as "near Chuka, Lat. 0° 20' S, Long. 37° 35' E, in rain forest at an altitude of c. 1,600 meters ", Kenya. The original specimens, for that field notes were taken, were found in dense rain forest at 1,600 m (5,200 ft), collected in clearings and along pathways in the dense foliage about 2 m (6.6 ft) above the ground.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

As of 2019, the species A. Desaixi is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Atheris desaixi is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Atheris desaixi, Wikidata item Q2869038. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

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Quick answers

What is Atheris desaixi?
Atheris desaixi is a viper in the family Viperidae.
What is the conservation status of Atheris desaixi?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Atheris desaixi. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Atheris desaixi live?
There are two isolated populations of A. Desaixi in Kenya: one in the forests at Chuka, south-eastern Mount Kenya, and the other near Igembe in the northern Nyambeni range.
Why is Atheris desaixi in crisis?
As of 2019, the species A. Desaixi is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Atheris desaixi?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Atheris desaixi a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.