Daboia russelii

Russell's viper (reptile)

August 2014

I chose to read an article on the Russell's viper, because its the most venomous, and the most aggressive snakes out there. The article that I read was mainly about how deadly the viper's venom is. The Russell's viper is one of the most dangerous snakes in Asia, mostly being responsible for thousands of deaths each year, those were some of the things I really liked about the article. What I learned from the article is, Russell's viper lives in mainly of grassy areas in southeast Asia including India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and Taiwan. Also, Once the viper has bitten a victim, the snake delivers up to 112mg of venom and the effects begin, almost immediately. As soon as ten minutes after the bite the victim may feel pain, and death can occur in as little as 2.5 hour. You can't purchase them at all because of how dangerous they are. There's only one other color morph and that is albino. If one were do to keep a viper in a zoo, then you would need to fill out forms and need a permit. there is controversy about this animal because many people are afraid they're too dangerous to handle. this animal would most likely be an expert animal to take care of. Most interesting thing about this animal is how the venom of the snake turns blood into gelatin.

Albino Russell's viper

Requirements for survival:

• Russell's viper It is most common in plains, coastal lowlands and hills of suitable habitat, But Humid environments, like marshes, swamps, and rain forests, are avoided.
• This snake is terrestrial and is a nocturnal forager, but during cool weather it will alter its behavior and become more active during the day.
• It feeds primarily on rodents, especially rodents. However, it will eat just about anything; including rats, mice, shrews,squirrels, land crabs, scorpions.
• Mating generally occurs early in the year, reaches sexual maturity by 2-3 years of age.