Discover Amazing Snakes with Horns

Horned Puff Adder The horned puff adder lives in South Africa, typically in deserts with light vegetation. This venomous snake gets its name from the prominent horns sticking out above each of its large, cat-like eyes. The horned puff adder may look like a menacing desert dragon, but this small snake only grows between 12-15 inches long..

Nose-Horned Viper Like its name, the nose-horned viper has a large scaly “horn” on the tip of its nose, usually around ¼ of an inch long. These snakes live in temperate habitats in Europe and grow between 30-36 inches in length. Nose-horned vipers prefer living on the edges of forests and shrublands, and along rocky hillsides.

Matilda’s Horned Viper The Matilda’s Horned Viper lives in southwestern Tanzania, where it was first discovered in 2011. This colorful snake has strongly keeled or ridged scales, with striking bright yellow and black patterns. Matilda’s horned vipers also have large heads with 2-3 distinct hornlike scales protruding just above each of their piercing green eyes.

West African Gaboon Viper The West African gaboon viper has a large, thick body that can grow more than 6 feet long and weigh more than 45 pounds! This big beauty also has a large head shaped like a flattened triangle, with a gnarly set of horns on its nose. These two large nasal scales jut out of the end of the snake’s nose and curl back toward its head. 

Lataste’s Viper The Lataste’s viper is a master of camouflage in the snake world. This snake has a grey, light brown, or tan body with a dark zigzagging stripe that runs along the middle of its back, and smaller spots along its sides. It has a large, triangular head with a curved horn on the end of its snout. 

Rhinoceros Viper or Butterfly Viper This snake has a pattern similar to the West African gaboon viper, but with spectacularly striking colors of blue, green, red, yellow, and black.The top of its large triangular head has a black arrowhead-shaped mark, and there are 2-3 pairs of horns on its nose. 

Madagascan Langaha or Leaf-Nosed Snake The Madagascan Langara has a head unlike any other—instead of having a horn on its snout, its entire snout forms one single horn! Male snakes are brown in color, with a flat head and elongated snout that tapers into a pointed horn.

Many-Horned Adder Like its name, the many-horned adder has a lot of horns. There are several raised scales above each of the snake’s large coppery eyes that culminate in 2-5 horn-like scales protruding up and out like feathered fans. These snakes are grey, brown, or reddish-brown, with dark rectangular-like blotches running along the length of their heavily keeled bodies. 

Sidewinder Rattlesnake Sidewinder rattlesnakes also have several upturned scales above each of their eyes like horns. Because of this, sidewinder rattlesnakes are also called horned rattlesnakes. Although we do not know exactly why these scales exist, it is likely that their “horns” protect the snake’s eyes from the sun and sand.

Tentacle Snake The tentacle snake has some of the most unique horns in the snake world, shaped like two tentacles protruding from the snake’s snout. Scientists do not know the exact function of these scaly tentacles. However, these tentacle horns may possibly help the snake to detect movement in the water, attract prey, or assist as part of its cryptic camouflage.