Common name: Hajar Saw-scaled Viper
Scientific name: Echis omanensis
Family: Viperidae

Size:
Total length: 40–60 cm

Identification:
A small to medium-sized viper with a stout body and a short tail. Coloration typically matches its rocky environment, ranging from sandy beige to grey or brown, often with zigzag or irregular pale patterns along the back. The scales are strongly keeled, giving it a rough texture. Like other Echis species, it can produce a distinctive rasping sound by rubbing its body coils together.

Habitat:
Rocky mountains, wadis, gravel plains, and arid slopes. Strongly associated with the Hajar Mountain range and surrounding dry landscapes.

Status in the UAE:
Native and locally present, mainly in mountainous regions such as the Hajar range including Ras Al Khaimah.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds on small rodents, lizards, and occasionally insects.

Behavior:
Nocturnal and highly alert. Often remains well camouflaged among rocks during the day. When threatened, it coils into an S-shape and produces a warning rasping sound before striking. Venomous and medically significant. Relies on ambush hunting.

Conservation status:
Not Evaluated (IUCN Red List)