A heavy-bodied Near Eastern viper formerly considered the same species as the Ottoman viper, common across rocky hillsides from Turkey to Iran.
Description
The Levant viper is a stout grey or tan viper usually 1 to 1.5 m long with a row of dark grey-brown dorsal blotches that may merge into a zig-zag. The head is broad and triangular, distinctly set off from the slim neck, and the snout has slightly raised lateral edges.
Behavior
A nocturnal hunter in summer and a diurnal one in cooler seasons, the Levant viper preys mostly on rodents and ground birds. Its venom is potent and hemorrhagic, making it a leading cause of envenomation in much of the Middle East and Caucasus, especially in agricultural regions.
Range
Found from Cyprus and Turkey east through the Levant and Caucasus to Iran, Pakistan, and parts of Central Asia. Several subspecies differ markedly in adult size and colour pattern across this wide range.