Diurnal or crepuscular, although animals have been found active well into the night as well. Over much of its range the species depends greatly on trans-Saharan bird migrants that land in the desert for rest and shelter. The species is particularly common (or noticeable) in very open deserts with little shelter; here even the smallest refuge has great potential for attracting migrant birds. Each isolated hill in the Sahara is apt to have one or more of these snakes.
Least Concern
A medium to large, slender snake. Largest Egyptian specimen has a total length of 1,500 mm (specimen from Giftun El Saghir Island). Tail long, tail / total length = 0.28-0.30; nostril in a divided nasal; loreal very elongate, longer than nasals; 9 supralabials, fifth and sixth enter the eye, 12-14 infralabials; 183-203 ventrals, 110-116 paired subcaudals, dorsals smooth, 17-19 scale rows around mid-body, anal divided. Dorsum clay-colored, plain; a light-brown stripe with a dark edge extends from snout to the temporal area, some faint marbling on top of head shields. Venter yellow in young, becoming increasingly covered with minute reddish and black spots with age. Some adults are salmon-red ventrally. Infralabials are also suffused red in adults.
Western Desert, Eastern Desert, and South Sinai, generally south of 30°N. Recorded from all of the large oases of the Western Desert. There is ample evidence of the occurrence of this species in the southern part of the Western Desert. Scortecci (1935) reports two specimens of P. schokari collected in 1933 from El-Auenat (= Gebel Uweinat), which are probably referable to aegyptius. Capocaccia (1977) reports two examples collected from Karkur Tahl (= Talh), Gebel Uweinat. FMNH 10058 from Ain Murr, in the Sudanese part of Gebel Uweinat, is also referable to P. aegyptius. Desiccated remains and shed skins of this species were found in the winter of 1997 throughout the Gilf El Kebir area and on many of the hills in the intervening desert between Gilf El Kebir and Dakhla Oasis; also in Kurkur and Tarfawi oases.
It has been recorded throughout the Eastern Desert, from near Suez south to the upper reaches of Wadi El Allaqi; and from the coast at Hurghada and Ras Banas up to about 1,000 m near Gebel Qattar. Also recorded from Red Sea islands of Giftun El Saghir, Shadwan, andTiran (Anderson 1898, Goodman et al. 1985, Lanza 1968,Werner 1973).
In Sinai the species is restricted to the south, where it is widespread, reaching an elevation of about 1,500 m. The record from El Arish (Werner 1973) is likely to be erroneous and probably concerns a stripeless P. schokari, which are prevalent in the sands of North Sinai. Specimens of this species reported by Stein and Helmy (1994) from various parts of the Delta and its margins are also almost certainly misidentified P. sibilans or P. schokari.
Algerian Sahara, Libya to Egypt into southern Israel.
A species of absolute desert, found in sandy and rocky deserts with little or no vegetation, e.g., in middle of the Great Sand Sea and in the central Eastern Desert.
Common and widespread. Found regularly with animal traders.
