Atractaspis engdahli, also known commonly as Engdahl's burrowing asp, Engdahl's burrowing viper, and the mole viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Atractaspididae. The species is endemic to Africa.Spawls S, Branch B (1995).The Dangerous Snakes of Africa: Natural History, Species Directory, Venoms and Snakebite. Revised edition. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis. 192 pp. .
Etymology The specific name, engdahli, is in honor of Swedish missionary Theodor Engdahl, who collected the holotype.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Atractaspis engdahli, p. 84).
Geographic range A. engdahli is found in north-eastern Kenya and in Somalia. www.reptile-database.org.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of A. engdahli are savanna, shrubland, and grassland, at altitudes from sea level to .
Behaviour A. engdahli is terrestrial and nocturnal. It is often found in termite nests and in holes in the ground.
Reproduction A. engdahli is oviparous.
References
Further reading Lanza B (1990). "Amphibians and reptiles of the Somali Democratic Republic: checklist and biogeography". Biogeographia 14: 407–465. Lönnberg E, Andersson LG (1913). "On a collection of reptiles from Kismayu". Arkiv för Zoologi, Uppsala 8: 1–6. (Atractaspis engdahli, new species, pp. 5–6, Figure 1, three views of head). Spawls S, Howell K, Drewes R, Ashe J (2004). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. London: A & C Black Publisher Ltd. 543 pp. . Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (Atractaspis engdahli, p. 474).