One of the 12 vipers on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Viperidae
Seoane's Viper
Vipera seoanei
It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary
It is all but endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and remarkably polymorphic, with as many as five recognised colour patterns.
Weight
279 g on average
Size
60 cm – 80 cm
Lifespan
10 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- It is the only venomous snake across much of northern Spain, where it is also known as the Basque viper.
- It eats small mammals, lizards and amphibians.
- It lives along damp meadow-and-woodland edges in the Atlantic climate of northern Iberia.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Damp meadow-and-woodland edges in the Atlantic climate of northern Iberia and south-western France, from sea level to 1,900 m
- Birth weight
- Born fully developed
- Size at birth
- Born fully developed
- Sexual maturity
- 3-4 years
- Gestation / incubation
- Viviparous: about 3-4 months of gestation
- Litter / clutch size
- Up to 10 live young per litter (an ovoviviparous species)
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 19 years
Sources consulted: World Species; Snakes and Lizards; IUCN Red List API; Animalia.bio (Seoane's Viper); Citizendium; Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno; PMC (venomics Iberian adder study)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From March to October, in mid-morning, on heaths, meadows and field edges of the Cantabrian coast and northern Portugal.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 19 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Seoane's Viper — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Asp Viper
Vipera aspis
Lataste's Viper
Vipera latastei
Ocellated Lizard
Timon lepidus
Four-lined Snake
Elaphe quatuorlineata
Bearded Vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Iberian Emerald Lizard
Lacerta schreiberi
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about seoane's viper.
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