Localized, but in the right time of year there is a reasonable chance; primarily by road cruising. Peering carefully into the scrub in front of us, we try to pinpoint the source of the radio signal beeping on our receiver.

Although capable of striking incredibly fast, studies have shown that Russell’s vipers are actually hesitant to bite and will try to hide from or hiss loudly towards a potential threat. Why then are there still so many bites from this species? [15] is the founder director of The Gerry Martin Project, and has been involved with herpetological research and conservation, documentary filmmaking, education and eco-tourism over the past decade. However the body shape is totally different. Mohali – 160062, Punjab, United States Calloselasma rhodostoma – Malayan Pit Viper is another brown terrestrial and dangerous viper. These have heat-sensing pits, and a different body pattern with square blotches.

Haemotoxins; D. russelii is known to have neurotoxins, some scientific papers state the D. siamensis has similar components, though other sources seem to deny that, Adults prey primarily on rodents, but also take other prey like birds; Juveniles tend to prey mostly on geckos and use caudal luring. The Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (Thai Red Cross) produces a monovalent “Russell’s Viper” antivenin: Length: up to about 1.6m: Diet: Adults prey primarily on rodents, but also take other prey like birds; Juveniles tend to prey mostly on geckos and use caudal luring: How easy to find Photo: Gerry Martin. This makes it one of the largest vipers in the world, up there with the Bushmaster and the Gaboon Viper.

The Russell’s viper has one of the most advanced venom dispatching mechanisms in the snake world. +1 (425) 454-2113 We’ve found that the species eats more regularly than we had previously thought and takes rodents of all sizes. Of all these calls, only one was because someone had seen one of our snakes. popeiorum – Pope’s Pit Viper (Western region), Trimeresurus gumprechti – Gumprecht’s Pit Viper, Trimeresurus kanburiensis – Kanburi Pit Viper, Trimeresurus macrops – Large-eyed Pit Viper, Trimeresurus popeiorum – Pope’s Pit Viper, Trimeresurus venustus – Beautiful Pit Viper, Tropidolaemus wagleri – Wagler’s Pit Viper. This adaptation makes them exceedingly difficult to spot, and people frequently step on them while working in their fields and plantations. All Rights Reserved. Another hadn’t moved for weeks despite being right next to where someone had done their ‘morning business’ while the snake was right there! Cool season, November seems to be the month that males start to move around, in search of females.

November – April is likely the best period as it is the dry season.

One in particular comes to mind: an approximately 40-cm-long female Russell’s viper that had eaten an adult palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) and could barely move.

This has given rise to numerous myths: one claims the snake’s breath can cause leprosy, another says even touching it makes your flesh rot, and so on. Relatively the eye is larger in the cat snake, and the scales are smooth while in the Siamese Russell’s viper the scales are strongly keeled. However the Malayan Pit Viper has heat-sensing pits, large scale plates on the head, a sharp pointed nose, and a different body pattern. Mating usually occurs early in the year, although pregnant females may be found at any time. HerpingThailand.com © 2020.

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The cat snake is arboreal, while the Russell’s Viper is terrestrial. This study has been quite revealing and we’re looking forward to understand more about this elusive, cryptic and hugely misunderstood snake.

Harvesting season puts snakes and people in dangerously close quarters. Interestingly, the species seems to be on the menu for a lot of predators from various birds of prey to spectacled cobras.

© RoundGlass 2020, India TERMS OF USE Enabling Holistic Wellbeing & Meaningful Living, Enabling Wholistic Wellbeing & Meaningful Living, PRIVACY POLICY In my experience, people will tolerate any other species, but, when it comes to Russell’s vipers, they draw the line. Photo: Gerry Martin Although it has a striking pattern, the Russell’s viper blends into the ground so well it is incredibly difficult to spot, particularly in its favoured habitat of grassy open farmland.

A coconut plantation owner who has two of our tagged snakes on his property at the moment told us that he killed eight Russell’s vipers last year while clearing up one pile of coconut fronds, in just one morning.

When the rains start the vegetation start to get too thick making them almost impossible to find.

Oligodon fasciolatus – Small-banded Kukri Snake can be similar in coloration.

The Russell’s viper has a blunt rounded snout and large curved fangs with which it is believed to inject about 75 per cent of its stored venom into its victim.

1756 114th AVE SE

Much more slender and would normally not exceed the thickness of a finger. There’s hardly 15 cm of vegetation on the ground and it takes us a couple of minutes to spot the telltale patterns of our subject — T18, a male Russell’s viper that measures nearly a … An adult Russell’s viper will eat any rodent that comes by from tiny field mice (Mus species) to large lesser bandicoots (Bandicota bengalensis). So it would seem that the number of bites that do occur would be much higher if this species was more inclined to bite than to hide. [6] It is more slender than most vipers.

They tolerate being approached and sometimes, even being stepped on.

We’ve caught snakes from fields and farms, brought them to our base, surgically implanted radio transmitters into them and released them exactly where we found them. Few other species seem to occur at these densities and the number of rodents that Russell’s vipers are eating is significant.

This is probably because they need to be as opportunistic as possible, since they wait in ambush for prey to come by. albolabris – Red-eyed White-lipped Pit Viper, Naja siamensis – Indochinese Spitting Cobra, Naja sumatrana – Equatorial Spitting Cobra, Bungarus multicinctus – Many-banded Krait, Malayopython reticulatus – Reticulated Python, Python brongersmai – Brongersma’s Blood Python, Calloselasma rhodostoma – Malayan Pit Viper, Daboia siamensis – Siamese Russell’s Viper, Ovophis monticola – Himalayan Mountain Pit Viper, Protobothrops kelomohy – Omkoi Lance-headed Pit Viper, Trimeresurus albolabris – White-lipped Pit Viper, Trimeresurus cf. The installation of a tiny transmitter will enable researchers to follow this snake for almost three years. The bite cases that we’ve come across have almost invariably been when people have stepped hard on the snake.

A Russell’s viper will freeze when it senses danger, and therefore is more likely to be accidentally stepped upon.

Russell’s Viper Behavior: Published 28-11-2018. Dimensions: Its average length is about 120 cm but it can go beyond 150/160 cm.

IT C-7 KMG Tower On the flip side, having that many Russell’s vipers around is definitely good for farmers.

Photo: Wolfgang Wuster. They are also known to feed on ground-feeding birds. Truth is these snakes are actually very reluctant to bite.

A mature Russell’s Viper can reach a length of nearly 72 inches (182 cm) but on average most of these vipers are about 48 inches (121 cm).

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Russell’s vipers are, conceivably, the most maligned, reviled and feared species of snake found in India.

It also enables them to safely tackle large prey. There are numerous reports of cobras eating Russell’s vipers and we believe that two of our snakes might also have been eaten by cobras as we only found the transmitters left behind where the snakes had settled.

Their venom is a cocktail of toxins, primarily attacking blood and tissues, making the bitten animal internally bleed out rapidly.

Most likely the use of heavy machinery on farm lands, human persecution, and road kills especially in mating season, Boiga multomaculata – Many-spotted Cat Snake has a very similar pattern and coloration as the Russell’s.

Trimeresurus cf. Russell's vipers are ovoviviparous which means that females give birth to live young. Photo: Gerry Martin. So far, there are no reports of them feeding on reptiles or amphibians, although, these are quite possibly included in the diet of juveniles.

Russel’s Viper lives mainly in the plains and hills of Southeast Asia but can also be found in small but not too thick woods. Bellevue, WA 98004. Like all vipers, they have long, hypodermic needle-like, hinged fangs in the front of their mouths. Russell’s vipers are incredibly good ambush predators, staying absolutely still until they need to strike at their prey.

This enables them to inject venom very efficiently with just a jab, as opposed to having to cling on to their prey. It also contains various cytotoxins, destroying cells, resulting in necrosis and major tissue damage in larger victims. D. russelii can grow to a maximum length (body + tail) of 166 cm (5.5 ft) and averages about 120 cm (4 ft) on mainland Asian populations. After a big meal they generally try and get as much basking time as they possibly can to help digest their meal. One of our tracked snakes was found about 20 cm from the feet of a goat herder collecting leaves for her goats.

In the ten months that we’ve been following our snakes, we’ve been called over forty times to move Russell’s vipers from within the study area. There’s hardly 15 cm of vegetation on the ground and it takes us a couple of minutes to spot the telltale patterns of our subject — T18, a male Russell’s viper that measures nearly a 140 cm in length. We’ve seen some snakes totally gorged on prey that may seem far too big for them. Island populations may be slightly smaller on average. Ovophis monticola and Ovophis convictus – Mountain Pit Vipers are also brown terrestrial vipers.

Though these kukris have smooth scales, the head is indistinct from the neck/ body, unlike the viper which head is much broader than its neck.

To begin with, we believe that there are a lot more Russell’s vipers around than we think.

This large adult was spotted in the North Canara district of Karnataka. +91-11 39585644 Cover Photo: Omcar Pai.

Young are produced from May to November, but mostly in June and July. Usually avoid swampy areas. Very dangerous, deadly; front-fanged, foldable hollow fangs, very potent venom; it’s well camouflaged, terrestrial, easy to strike, and is almost solely found in human populated areas. Over the first eight months of 2019 we followed eighteen Russell’s vipers (Daboia russelii) around the patchwork of fields and plantations that surround Rathnapuri village near Hunsur in Karnataka. The gestation period lasts more than six months.



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