Cerastes (sehr-ahs-tees)

Cerastes or Great Horned Serpents were large, nonvenomous, desert snakes. They were nocturnal creatures who burrowed deep under the sand to keep out of the unbearably hot temperatures during the day. At night, they continually sought out other small desert animals for digestion. At a maximum length of 32m (104.98 ft) male cerastes were noticeably larger than their 25m (82.02 ft) female counterparts. Their status as kings of the dessert did not make camouflage very important. Prey could see their trademark scales from several kilometers away. Males were further characterized by the presence of their central horn. Females only had the two horns on the side of their head. The cereastes was an expert constrictor. Using their thick bodies, they could squeeze prey and swallow them whole. An awful lot of prey had to be digested in order to satisfy their hunger. A single serpent could eat about 350 kgs (771.61 lbs) of food per day.