Horned viper | Facts & Information

Area: South Tyrol, Venice, Carinthia, Istria, former Yugoslavia, Romania, Northwestern Bulgaria.

Speed: snake fast in attack, but moving slowly.

Colors: the color varies from Gray in males, to brownish, reddish and brick shades in females. Both sexes have black or brown zigzags on their backs.

Particularities: it is a fast venomous snake in attack, which camouflages very well.

The horned viper is a subspecies of venomous snakes of the viperid family (Viperidae) widespread in southeastern Europe, including Romania. In Romania, it is found in the south-west of the country, on a discontinuous area, from the Banat Mountains to Cozia, in the Oltenia Carpathians and the south-west of Transylvania, to the north of Mures, Sacaramb, Zlatna. In Romania it is a mountain element, in the hilly region it meets exceptionally (Deva). It lives on rocky coasts with covering vegetation from the Cazanile clisura and on the valleys of the Danube and Cerna tributaries, on the Neva Valley. It has also been reported on The Hill of Deva Fortress, as well as in Retezat mountains up to an altitude of 2184 m. it lives on rocky slopes with shrubs, often close to the shore of waters (eg. Cernei Valley) and in the deciduous forests (at the foot of the Domogled mountains).

Having cold blood, it prefers sunny areas, thickets and even the edges of deciduous forests. This species has suffered over time, especially because the locals in the areas where it is found kill it. At the same time, among the dangers to which this species is exposed are the illegal collection for the purpose of venom production, or for illegal marketing, but also the destruction of habitats. The horned viper is declared a strictly protected species due to the dramatic decrease in the number of specimens in the last century and the destruction of habitats. In Europe, the area occupied by this species is restricted to several regions in the Balkans and Central Europe.

The horned viper's preferred habitats are usually dry, rugged places with up-to-date rock and scrub vegetation. They hibernate in rock fissures and underground cavities, often in groups of several dozen.

FEEDING HORNED VIPER

Food consists of small vertebrates: mice, moles, occasionally birds and lizards (wall lizard, etc.). The chicks feed at first on frogs and lizards. Homeotherms (mammals and birds) are first killed by biting and inventing and then swallowed head first; poichilotherms (lizards and frogs) are often swallowed alive.

APPEARANCE HORNED VIPER   

Males have a grayish or yellowish to whitish-yellow background color, and females have shades to brown or copper. On the back they have a zigzag stripe, often wavy, formed by a succession of rhombuses. In the male this zigzag stripe is brown or black and strongly contrasting, and in the female, tan or brown and less distinct. On the sides of the body there are large dark spots of the color of the zigzag stripe. The abdomen is yellow-brown or light dirty-brown with dark, grey-brown or blackish dots. The tip of the tail is orange to brick-red, rarely yellow. On the head they have a pound-shaped spot, indistinct in Old individuals. Males have a narrow brown-black spot on their head that runs between their eyes and the corners of their mouths. On the mandible has two large black spots on a whitish background.

The biggest difference from common Vipers is the triangular head and horn on the upper jaw, hence the popular name of horned viper.

BEHAVIOR HORNED VIPER 

The horned viper is the largest of the European Vipers, and a simple bite contains a lethal dose of Venom enough to kill an adult. It is a shy animal, slow in movements, without a tendency to aggression. In the presence of humans or other animals it remains motionless or tries to hide under rocks and vegetation. If it is cornered, it hiss briefly and loudly and tightens its tail trying to intimidate the aggressor. Experts say the reptile only attacks if provoked. In other words, it's not an aggressive snake if left alone. The bite of the horned viper and in general of any European Viper is not life-threatening only in special cases (bite in the neck, face, chest, or if the person in question suffers from serious health conditions).

HORNED VIPER BREEDING

Breeding takes place in April-May and through august-September gives birth to live chicks. Chickens are 15-20 centimeters in size.