Canthus (snake)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In snakes, the canthus, or canthus rostralis,[1] is the angle between the flat crown of the head and the side of the head between the eye and the snout.[2] More specifically, between the supraocular scale and the rostral scale. It is defined as a sharp ridge in many viperids, but is rounded in most rattlesnakes, for example.[3]

[edit] Cited references

  1. ^ Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. ISBN 0-88359-029-8.
  2. ^ Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. ISBN 0-89464-877-2.
  3. ^ Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.