The most common snake in the Sahara is the horned viper, also known as the sand viper. This venomous snake buries itself just under the surface of the sand to ambush its prey. Pythons are also common in the Sahara; however, rather than use poison to kill their prey, pythons use constriction by wrapping their bodies around their prey and suffocating it to death. The reticulated python can grow up to 25 feet long, but the African ball python rarely grows longer than six feet and is less dangerous.
Two lizard species indigenous to the Sahara are the spiny-tailed lizard and the monitor lizard. Spiny-tailed lizards are mostly gray, though they can be yellow, brown or red, and grow to just under six inches long. They are very territorial and solitary. While they are mostly herbivorous, they will occasionally eat insects. The monitor lizard, on the other hand, can grow up to four-and-a-half feet in length. Unlike the spiny-tailed lizard, the monitor is carnivorous and will eat any animal it can.
The sulcata tortoise is found on the southern edge of the Sahara. Growing up to 30 inches in shell length and weighing as much as 110 pounds, they are the largest mainland African tortoise. Their shells are flattened and a yellow or brown color. Defying the common perception of tortoises, the sulcatas are strong and like to move around frequently. They eat constantly, their diet consisting mainly of the grasses found in the desert.
