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"Pit Vipers" of Cyprus
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by Gin on May 10, 2001
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When I was excavating on Cyprus, we frequently encountered little creatures which were referred to as "pit vipers," but I'm really not sure what they were --
Tiny (about 6 inches long,) pink and threadlike, they could easily be mistaken for worms exept they have eyes, little feeler-like fangs on their head, and blood. They lived underground like worms and supposedly fed off insects and worms. They looked harmless, but apparently had a nasty bite if you picked them up, resulting in swelling and shock (though I never saw anyone bitten). These could be quite serious becuse we were several hours away from any decent medical faclity, and so they were ususally killed on sight.
But what were they really? I've never seen or heard of anything like them.
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RE: "Pit Vipers" of Cyprus
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by filthy on May 10, 2001
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Hi Gin,
There are some 50+ species of "worm" snakes and also some legless lizards, many of them coming close to your description. I'm not sure which your's is, but I can tell you for certain that it is completly harmless. They feed on worms, insect larvae and so forth. The smallest, venomous snake in the world is Africa's Namaqua Dwarf Adder (Bitis schnideri) at a little over a foot long.
Hope this helps.
f
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