Cerastes

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This article is about the legendary creature. For the genus of snakes, see Cerastes (genus).

The cerastes (Greek: κεράστης cerastēs ‘having horns’[1]) is a creature of Greek legend, a serpent that is incredibly flexible—so much so that it is said to have no spine. Cerastae can have either two large ram-like horns or four pairs of smaller horns. The cerastes hides its head in the sand with only the horns protruding out of the surface; this is meant to deceive other animals into thinking it is food. When the animal approaches the cerastes, the cerastes promptly kills it.

The legend is most likely derived from the habits of the horned viper, whose genus Cerastes is named after the traditional creature. They are desert-dwelling animals, which can have horn-like protrusions over their eyes, and are ambush predators, though not nearly large enough to take prey items much larger than a mouse or small lizard.