 FAUNA GUIDE
We don't mean to list here all the wild animals and other wildlife existing in the Sinai Peninsula. It is rather that we would like to introduce some of the species which you might encounter during your trips in the desert...
The popular image of the desert is that of a desolate, barren wilderness, an endless sea of sand devoid of water and life. Whilst this image may hold true for a very few areas of the world's deserts, it is, for the most part, false. It is an undeniably hostile environment, but it is a varied one and one that supports a surprising diversity of life. The desert animals have all evolved to survive in conditions where water is a rare and precious commodity and where daytime temperatures can be furnace-like but at night can slip below freezing.
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 Sinai is home to the sand viper, a secretive creature, difficult to find and often misunderstood. Vipers are members of a well-defined and advanced family of snakes found throughout the world. Their most distinctive characteristic is a pair of shortened maxillare, each attached to a single long, hinged fang. Venom is forced through a long, enclosed channel in the fangs. Vipers are typically short and stocky with broad heads. Some of the vipers in different parts of the Sahara have horns (the horned viper).
The viper is considered to be one of the seven most venomous snakes in the world.
The cerastes, or sand viper, can reach a length of 85 cm and can be indentified by its very broad head. Moving in a sidewinding motion, it follows the form of an Arabic number 4 over the soft sand which is its favourite habitat. It has long been adapted to the desert with beige colouring and brown blotches over its back. Many are well-camouflaged snakes that ambush their prey. The crotalinae, a subgroup of the viper family, are unique among snakes in possessing a pair of large, heat-sensitive pits between the eye and nostrils.
The viper lays twenty eggs and feeds on mammals and lizards. Since lizards are swifter movers than vipers, sand vipers use the submerging method as a means of ambush. At night when the temperature drops, they return to the cracks.
SNAKEBITE EMERGENCY FIRST AID INFORMATION
What to do if bitten by a venomous snake?
FIRST, DON'T PANIC!
- Allow the bite to bleed freely for 15-30 seconds.
If the bite is on the hands, feet or arms, wrap as quickly as possible below the joint to immobilize it. Leave the area around the fang marks open. Wrap no tighter than for a sprain.
- Bites to the face, torso or buttocks are more of a problem. Disinfect them first and then use an extractor kit if available.
- Antivenom is the only and best treatment for snake bites and one should get it as soon as possible.
Viper catching
Viper catching can be extremly dangerous. To do it is by using a forked stick, held approximately one metre away from the snake's head. Move it in such a way as to distract the viper, then swiftly apply the stick to the head, pinning it to the ground. Then insert the stick into the ground on either side of the head, rendering the viper immobile. It is then easy to lift by the head and place it in a secure, ventilated container.
Extreme care should be taken throughout this process.
CAUTION: Sand vipers also feed on mice which are attracted by trash so a piece of advice for people spending overnight in the desert: "Don't leave trash around, always dispose of it by fire".
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