# Puff adder (*Bitis arietans*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/puff-adder  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is a snake in the family Viperidae, subfamily Viperinae, within the order Squamata of the class Reptilia. It falls in the medium size class, with a representative adult body mass of 2.381 kg. Its lifespan is given as 15.8 years, and its litter or clutch size is recorded as 156. The IUCN Red List assesses the puff adder globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.38 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 15.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Young per litter or clutch | 156 |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Viperidae
- genus: Bitis
- species: *Bitis arietans* (Merrem, 1820)

Synonyms: *Bitis lachesis somalica*, *Cobra arietans*, *Cobra clotho*, *Cobra lachesis*, *Echidna arietans*, *Vipera arietans*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the puff adder?

The puff adder is a snake, a reptile in the family Viperidae and subfamily Viperinae.

### How heavy is a puff adder?

An adult Puff adder has a representative body mass of 2.381 kg, placing it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).

### How long does a puff adder live?

The puff adder's lifespan is given as 15.8 years.

### How many young does a puff adder have?

The puff adder's litter or clutch size is recorded as 156.

### Is the puff adder endangered?

No. The puff adder is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### What is the scientific name of the puff adder, and who named it?

The scientific name is Bitis arietans, with the authority (Merrem, 1820).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Puff adder (Bitis arietans). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/puff-adder