The stiletto snake sounds dangerous, and it can be. Yet if you go to Africa, you probably won’t see one; if you see one, it probably won’t bite you; and if it bites you, you’ll probably get better. The name of the stiletto snake comes from the odd way in which it administers its venom rather than from its ferocity or its power to kill.

Most of the time, the stiletto snake is underground. Another common name for it is the burrowing asp, for the stiletto snake digs tunnels, and is especially fond of beginning these under rocks. It travels through the ground to hunt, and therefore sightings of the stiletto snake are rare. The prey of the stiletto snake are creatures that also spend time underground, such as small mammals in their nests or other burrowing reptiles.

In the small spaces that animals make underground, there is not much room for vertical movement. It may be that this limitation of space is what led to the development of the stiletto snake’s attack method. Most venomous snakes rear back a bit and open their mouths wide to bite down on their prey, a broad gesture that would get the stiletto snake nowhere in a narrow tunnel. The circumstances require a quick, tight action, like the knife strike of an assassin standing behind his victim. That is what the stiletto snake delivers by way of its unusual retractable fangs, which, in their resemblance to the sharp and slender blades called stilettos, give the snake one of its names.

Stiletto snakes have fewer teeth than other snakes because the mechanism of their retracting fangs occupies most of the space of their jaws. At rest, the fang lies horizontally within the snake’s mouth. When the snake attacks its head lies directly over its prey. Muscles rotate just one of the fangs outward so that it flips like a switchblade and passes through the still-closed mouth. The stiletto snake then stabs the prey by moving its head sideways and backwards. It uses the fang as a pinion to hold the prey in place while the venom takes effect.

With its ability to stab backward, the stiletto snake presents a challenge to herpetologists, those who study snakes, because to grasp it behind its head offers no protection from its fangs, or fang. For most people, however, the stiletto snake poses little danger. It doesn’t willingly depart from its tunnels underground, except when seeking a mate and sometimes on nights after a rain. When stiletto snakes do encounter people, the snakes don’t necessarily strike, and tend in fact not to, even when very close by. If a stiletto snake does bite a person, the effects are painful and unpleasant, but not fatal. Severe swelling of the affected area, disorientation, and nausea are some symptoms of the venom, but it is not powerful enough to cause human paralysis and death.

Southern Africa is home to the stiletto snake, though some occur also in the Middle East. Recognizing a stiletto snake, if it comes above ground, relies mostly on its characteristic outline, almost perfectly cylindrical with a narrow tapering head. This shape reflects its habit of digging. Size and coloration depends on the species, of which there are 15. The various species of stiletto snake comprise the genus Atractaspis, part of the family Atractaspididae.