Species group · Reptiles

Vipers

WAnimals has 12 species of viper, all in the family Viperidae.

12 species

1 family

136 countries

308 parks

Weight: 50 g – 11 kg
Length: 30 cm – 1.9 m
Lifespan: 10 – 22 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 12.

All 12 species of vipers on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Adder

Vipera berus

45 countries6 parks

Desert Horned Viper

Cerastes cerastes

32 countries4 parks

Rhinoceros Viper

Bitis nasicornis

12 countries19 parks

Phoorsa

Echis carinatus

39 countries24 parks

Puff Adder

Bitis arietans

47 countries76 parks

Lataste's Viper

Vipera latastei

19 countries24 parks

Gaboon Viper

Bitis gabonica

43 countries29 parks

Nose-horned Viper

Vipera ammodytes

14 countries50 parks

Western Russel’s Viper

Daboia russelii

12 countries39 parks

Eyelash Viper

Bothriechis schlegelii

10 countries41 parks

Asp Viper

Vipera aspis

7 countries28 parks

Near Threatened

Seoane's Viper

Vipera seoanei

3 countries19 parks

Conservation status

9 Least Concern1 Vulnerable1 Not Evaluated1 Near Threatened

1 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 136 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

It is the only venomous snake native to the United Kingdom.
From Adder
It is ovoviviparous, an adaptation that lets it survive in cold climates.
From Adder
Many females do not breed until their eighth season.
From Adder
It buries itself in the sand within seconds by vibrating its whole body, until only its eyes and horns show: it can spend days like that, invisible, waiting for prey to pass overhead.
From Desert Horned Viper
It appears in Egyptian hieroglyphs as the consonantal sign for the letter F, one of the few animals of Ancient Egypt with a hieroglyph of its own in phonetic use.
From Desert Horned Viper
The horns, each formed by a modified scale above the eye, appear to shield the eyes from sand, though there are hornless populations living in exactly the same environment.
From Desert Horned Viper
Its skin, patterned in geometric blues and greens, makes it invisible in the leaf litter.
From Rhinoceros Viper
It is probably the most colourful snake in Africa: a mosaic of purple, blue, green, red and yellow that, against the damp leaf litter of the forest floor, works as perfect camouflage despite looking impossible in the hand.
From Rhinoceros Viper

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one