Pit Viper - Pit Vipers

Sri Lankan Pit Viper (Trimeresurus trigonocephalus) is a moderately venomous snake endemic to Sri Lanka. It is one of the most colourful and attractive snakes in Sri Lanka. It is also arboreal and nocturnal, occasionally descending to the ground in search of food. This sluggish Pit Viper is usually encountered on low shrubs during morning hours. It is widely distributed in all three climatic zones of the island except the higher hills above an altitude of 1000 m and arid zones while relatively common in wet zone grasslands and rain forest areas and occasionally in plantations. It produces live young most of the time during months of June-July and usually a brood varies from 05 to 30. It has effective camouflage and usually makes every attempt to escape and avoid confrontation. Venom can be quite potent and occasionally can prove fatal. Therefore treatment and medical assistance is recommended. Majority of Sri Lankan Pit Viper bites cause only extensive swelling and pain. Kingdom Animal...

  Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Viperidae Genus 22 genera in the subfamily Crotalinae Species 150+ Species Niche Ambush Predator Length From 1 to 13 feet (30 cm – 4 m) Weight Up to 15 lbs (7 kg) Lifespan Varies by species Social Structure Typically solitary Conservation Status Least Concern to Endangered Preferred Habitat Variety of Habitats, depending on the species Average Clutch Size Between 2 and 86, depending on the species Main Prey Species Smaller rodents, reptiles, birds Predators Some mammals, large birds, humans Pit Viper is a common name used for species in the subfamily Crotalinae which share the defining feature of having infrared-sensing organs on the front of their face. “Pit Viper” actually refers to over 150 different species that are found around the world and occupy habitats as diverse as the desert and the jungle – from Australia to Arizona. This group includes rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, moccasins, the white-...

 The Vipera Latastei (Lataste´s viper) inhabits the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. It is found throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula except for a narrow strip that runs along the north from the extreme west of Galicia to the extreme east of Catalunya. In the African continent it is found in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.  Description It is a small snake, with an average length of 50 to 60 cm. (20-25 inch), only rarely some specimens may reach up to 75 cm (30 inch). The head has a triangular shape and is clearly separate from the rest of the body. The most remarkable feature in this species is the upturned snout. The dorsum of the head shows various degrees of ornamentation, nevertheless, two crescent moon shaped marks are almost always present. A dark postocular stripe is present on both sides of the head, which runs from the eye to the angle of the jaw. Unlike most colubrids, which have an eye with a round pupil, the Lataste´s viper has an elliptical pupil, which it alw...

The Asp viper is a venomous snake that occurs in southwestern Europe. The head of this snake is broad, triangular and quite distinct from the neck. The tip of the snout is slightly but distinctly upturned. Males are generally grey in color while the females can be grey, brown and various shades of orange. The dorsal markings vary strongly but only rarely take the form of a clear zigzag pattern. Distribution Asp Vipers are found in France, Andorra, northeastern Spain, extreme southwestern Germany in the southern Black Forest, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino, and northwestern Slovenia. These snakes have specific habitat requirements. They need warm areas that are exposed to the sun, structured vegetation and comparatively dry soils. In Italy and France, they are often found in areas with low mountains or hills, notably in limestone regions, but sometimes occur in lower plains. They prefer vegetated areas or environments with at least some coverage. Here they can be found on sunny slopes, ...

Southern American bushmasters are venomous pit vipers found in South America. They are the third longest venomous snakes in the world and world's largest Pit Viper. Their head is broad and distinct from the narrow neck. The snout is broadly rounded. The color pattern consists of a yellowish, reddish or grey-brown ground color, overlaid with a series of dark brown or black dorsal blotches; these blotches form lateral inverted triangles of the same color. The lateral pattern may be precisely or indistinctly defined, normally pale at the center. Range and Habitat The South American Bushmaster snake can be found in the Northern regions of  South America, east of the Andes. Their range also extends up into parts of Central America. They can be found in countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Bolivia and Brazil. They can also be found on the island of Trinidad. Their range extends up into Central America into Panama and Costa Rica. These snak...

Vipers are a large family of snakes; the scientific name is Viperidae. They are found all over the world, with the exceptions of Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, north of the Arctic Circle and island clusters such as Hawaii.  The family Viperidae includes adders, pit vipers (like rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copperheads), the Gaboon viper, green vipers and horned vipers.  All vipers are venomous and have long, hinged fangs. "Generally more venomous vipers are in tropical areas, particularly South America and Africa," said Alan Savitzky, a professor of biological sciences at Utah State University specializing in the biology of snakes. Vipers found in colder, northern climates, such as the black or European adder have more moderate venom.   Vipers range widely in size, though are generally stocky with short tails. One of the world’s smallest vipers is the Mao-Lan pit viper (Protobothrops maolanensis), which was discovered in China in 2011. They are less tha...

 Nose-horned vipers are found in southern Europe through to the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. They occur in Southern Austria, north-eastern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece (including the Cyclades), Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia. These snakes primarily inhabit dry, rocky hillsides with sparse vegetation, open woodland and scrub, and sand dunes. They may also be found in areas of human habitation, such as railway embankments, farmland, and especially vineyards if rubble piles and stone walls are present. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs, and high venom toxicity.  The most distinctive characteristic of theses snakes is a single "horn" on their snout. It grows to a length of about 5 mm (0.20 in) and is actually soft and flexible.  The color pattern is different for males and females. In males, the head has irregular dark brown, dar...

The Malayan pit viper is a medium-sized venomous ground snake, Calloselasma rhodostoma, of tropical Southeast Asia. It inhabits forest edges from Vietnam to Myanmar (Burma) and southward through peninsular Malaysia to the islands of Sumatra and Java. Adults are just under 3 feet (1 meter) long. The body is pinkish gray with a series of large brown triangles, bordered in white, along the sides. A thin black line extends along the back from neck to tail. The head is markedly triangular, with large plates on the crown. The eyes have vertical pupils. A pit or depression between each eye and nostril is a heat sensor that locates prey by their difference from the surrounding temperature. The snake shelters in leaf piles, thickets, or fallen logs during the day. It becomes active at dusk, prowling for small mammals, birds, and frogs. When disturbed, it coils its body and vibrates its tail, making a rattling sound among the leaves and debris. In defense against predators, it can spread its rib...

Called the White-Lipped Island Pit Viper (Trimeresurus insularis), it’s related to the White-Lipped Pit Viper (T. albolabris), endemic to Southeast Asia. But there’s a noticeable difference between the species. While most of them are emerald green in color as you might expect,  in certain places such as Komodo Island, the one with the dragon, this snake can also come in a beautiful shade of light blue. White-Lipped Island Pit Viper  are definitely getting more and more popular over the years. It is all because they're an odd bright sky blue color and it is in fact very odd as many snakes would prefer to blend into their surroundings. White-Lipped Pit Viper are part of the biggest tree Viper family of Asia with around 30 plus species and counting. Most species in this genus are rather small, slender with short and prehensile tails. These Pit Vipers are arboreal and spend most of their time in the trees. The White-Lipped lsland Pit Viper is very hard to find. At first scientists...

Pit Vipers have one of the most advanced venom injection systems in the world. Their bites are breathtakingly fast and if you are bitten by one you may only have hours to react. However, since their venom takes longer to affect their prey than other snakes, they will follow their prey while they die. This is called prey re-localization. Pit vipers track their dying prey by following the scent of their venom though that scent will also attack competing pit vipers to the kill. Vipers are ambush hunters and spend most of their lives hiding and wait for prey. Many species of Pit Vipers are arboreal and hide up in the trees. Once the target is in range, they can strike in a quarter of a second. When hunting or defending, Pit Vipers are incredibly dangerous most of the time. Viper's are very easy to tell apart from other snakes because of their scales. Most snakes are smooth but Vipers have keeled scales which means that they overlap with a leading edge giving them their distinct and bum...