A heavy, irritable South Asian viper named for Scottish naturalist Patrick Russell, responsible for tens of thousands of fatal bites each year.
Description
Russell’s viper is a stout-bodied snake usually about a metre long, with rich tan or brown ground colour patterned in three rows of large dark oval blotches outlined in black and cream. The head is broad and triangular with a strongly raised V-shaped marking above the snout.
Behavior
A short-tempered ambush hunter, Russell’s viper coils in dry leaves and crops where rodents feed, striking with explosive force when stepped on. The venom is hemorrhagic and causes massive bleeding, acute kidney failure, and pituitary damage. Bites are a leading cause of snakebite death in South Asia.
Range
Found across the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, with related species across Southeast Asia and Indonesia. The species is one of the Big Four medically important snakes of India along with the cobra, saw-scaled viper, and common krait.
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