Largely crepuscular, but also diurnal with some nocturnal activity, depending of temperature. Flattens and flares its neck in cobra-like manner as a defense or threat posture.
Least Concern
A medium to large, slender snake. Largest Egyptian specimen has a total length of 758 mm. Egyptian specimens of this species are much smaller than more southern and Arabian specimens. Tail / total length 0.19-0.26. Snout rather short, convex in profile and pointed in dorsal view. Rostral shield extending posteriorly between the internasals; nostril crescent shaped, pierced in a divided nasal; one loreal; 8 supral-abials, fourth and fifth enter the eye; 152-176 ventrals, 48-73 paired subcaudals, 17 scale rows around mid-body; anal divided. Dorsum sandy, with apattern of regularly spaced, round, diffuse, brown spots; two dark bars on the temporal region. Venter uniformly white or cream-colored
Although the species has been recorded from Sudan, in Egypt all of its records are from the northern half of the country.
North Africa from Morocco to Egypt, south to the Sahel, and Arabia, east to Iran.
Steppe-like open stony or gravelly desert, but also in fairly sandy areas. Not a species of deep desert, preferring fairly well-vegetated regions, and near cultivations. In Egypt mostly within the 30 mm precipitation isohyte. Most reports of the species from more arid regions are erroneous.
Uncommon but widespread
