| Echis ocellatus, the African Saw-scaled Viper or West African carpet viper
is a venomous viper species found mainly in West Africa. Named after the distinctive series of "eye-spots" that run the length of its body. It is smallish in size - the maximum length is 65 cm, possibly more, while the average length is 30-50 cm. It is found in West Africa from Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea, through, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, southern Niger and Nigeria. Also found in northern Cameroon and southwestern Chad. |
