A photographer traveled to Namibia to capture well-camouflaged snakes that exclusively live in the sub-Saharan African country.

Peringuey’s adder

Marisa Ishimatsu captured magnificent photos of a Peringuey’s adder who are perfectly adapted to hide themselves in the soft sands of the Namibian desert.

“They sidewind effortlessly across the dune slopes and they bury themselves in soft sand at the base of bushes, both to ambush lizards and to protect themselves from predation,” Ishimatsu tells PetaPixel.

“Their eyes are on the top of their heads and their nostrils are reinforced and on the top of their nose so when they are completely buried, they can still see and breathe.”

Ishimatsu went with a group from Europe and the United States who wanted to find all of the dwarf adder species that inhabit Namibia. There are six species of viper in the country.

“Like my friend, most of my vacations are spent looking for snakes and other wildlife all over the world so searching for these animals in Namibia sounded like an excellent time,” she says.

The crew hired Dayne Braine from The Naturalist Collection who helped them find the elusive snakes.

“With Dayne’s help and knowledge, we found all six of the species of viper so we accomplished exactly what we went there to do,” says Ishimatsu.

“From a photographic perspective, I don’t think I could ever capture everything I wanted to in Namibia, but I am incredibly proud of the shots I captured.”

The photographer used her Nikon D850 to capture amazing imagery of not just the Peringuey’s adder, but other vipers too.

“The trip was incredible. Namibia is a beautiful country, and I found myself taking photos of everything — from the plants to the invertebrates to the snakes and the charismatic megafauna,” adds Ishimatsu.