Dasypeltidae

plural noun

Das·​y·​pel·​ti·​dae

ˌdasəˈpeltəˌdē

: an African family of egg-eating snakes containing a single species (Dasypeltis scaber) having the hypapophyses of the cervical vertebra extending into the esophagus where they form a rasp used in breaking eggshells see elachistodontidae

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Dasypeltis, type genus (from dasy- + Greek peltē small shield) + -idae

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