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Viper

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Viper
Scientific Classification
Genera

Subfamily Azemiopinae

Subfamily Crotalinae (Pit vipers)

Subfamily Viperinae

Vipers were created on the fifth day of creation. Viperidae are venomous snakes commonly called vipers. A lot of people use the term viperid instead of viper, in order to avoid confusion from viperines (subfamily Viperinae). All have long fangs that deeply penetrate and inject venom in its prey.[1] Vipers are mainly classified into two groups, pit-viper and old world viper. The pit viper is in the subfamily Crotalinae and the old world viper is classified under the subfamily Viperinae.

Contents

Anatomy

Vipers tend to have broad, triangular heads. Most are heavy-bodied with short, slender tails. A lot of vipers have abundant and heavily keeled body scales. Long fangs allow them to penetrate and envenomate their prey. A hinged-fang mechanism allows them to store prey against the roof of their mouth when they aren't using it. The configuration of this mechanism is very strange and unique. The lateral process of the palatine bone is missing, each one of the maxilla has one enlarged maxillary tooth and is cuboidal in shape. The maxillary fang has a duct on its anterior face. A long ectopterygoid serves as a lever-type mechanism to raise and lower the fang. Some vipers can be as small as the Bitis schneideri, approximately 11 in., and some can be as large as 10 ft., (Lachesis muta).[2]

Pit vipers are a very special viper. They have sensitive receptors called pit organs. They transmit high-resolution thermal data to the brain. It is thought that this is processed and integrated through the optic tectum. This helps in finding and attacking it's prey. The pit organ was originally studied as an infared detector. Investigations through thorough physiological and theoretical studies showed that the organs responded to thermal, as opposed photonic stimuli. However further studies of optical sensitivity and selectivity of the pit organ show that it response to a wide range of radiation from infrared detectors to ultraviolet. The pit organ shows structural specialization indicating a high-resolution thermal detector. The temperature-sensing terminal nerve endings support pit membrane, the membrane is approx. 25 µm. The membrane is like a heat-sensing surface, this and the terminal nerve endings are held in the facial cavity, in front of an inner air space, this gives the pit organ a very low thermal mass. It also has a very rich capillary system, thought to act as a rapid heat sink. The mixture of low thermal mass and rapid heat dissipation adds to the exact temporal and spatial resolution of thermal stimuli.[3]

First Aid

Infected viper bite, that has been untreated after three days
Infected viper bite, that has been untreated after three days

In past years snake bite victims have used slicing, freezing and squeezing to stop the poison from spreading before they got medical attention. Quite a few health-care professionals use a few basic first-aid techniques:

  1. .wash bite with soap and water
  2. .don't move the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart
  3. .Get medical attention

However the best thing to do is quickly get to a hospital, most bites do not happen in an isolated area. If a victim cannot get to a medical facility within 30 min. After the bite occurred, they should wrap a bandage between two and four inches above the bite. This may help slow the flow of the venom. The bandage shouldn't cut off blood flow, it should be loose enough that a finger could fit under it. If you live in an are where snake bites are fairly common then you should probably buy a snakebite kit, a kit usually includes a suction cup to draw out poison.[4]

Venom

Viperid venoms are mainly proteolytic. This means that it quickly destroys blood and tissue. This also helps in the digestive process, because most vipers have a poor digestive system and need the venom to partially digest it. The stomach fluid digests the meal outside in and the venom digests inside out.

However there is always exceptions. Some viperid species secrete venoms that is somewhat or fully neurotoxic, which makes them very dangerous. Some vipers like this are the tropical rattlesnake, some Mojave rattlesnakes, and rare mountain adder.

Because of the nature of proteolytic venom, a viper bite is a very painful experience, if not taken serious it may become fatal. Even if you get bit and immediately get medical attention it can still leave scars. The overall damage of the bite is determined on the size and potency of the poison.[5]

Reproduction

Vipers find their mate through the sense of smell. The males go through a ritual called "the dance of adders" when they compete for the same female. They look towards each other with the head and forepart of the body held up, and they try to push the other down. This dance can go on for hours, however they do not bite each other.

Several types of vipers are ovoviviparous, which means they produce eggs inside the body, so the young are born fully alive without placental attachment. Those that lay their eggs stay and protect them until they hatch. The female holds the fertilized eggs in her body, where the baby snakes is held in a fibrous membrane "shell". When the baby snakes are completely developed, they hatch out of the egg inside the oviduct or they hatch after the eggs are laid.[6] Most snakes are live-bearers, however some are ovoviviparous, and oviparous. The types of vipers that are ovoviviparous include Bitis, Echis carinatus, and most Vipera. The types of vipers that are oviparous include, Calloselasma, some Trimeresurus, Lachesis, Causus, and Echis coloratus.[7]

Ecology

Vipers can be found on all continents except Australia. Vipers can be found in most habitats from tropical rain forests, to deserts. Some can even be found on high mountains. Crotalines have arboreal, terrestrial, and aquatic species. Most vipers eats small animals like birds, rats, mice, etc.[8]

Crotalinae (pit vipers)

Agkistrodon bilineatus, Ornate Cantil

Atropoides picadoi, Picado's pit viper

Bothriechis nigroviridis, black-speckled palm viper

Bothrops asper, Terciopelo

Calloselasma rhodostoma, Malayan pit viper

Crotalus scutulatus, Mojave rattlesnake

Deinagkistrodon acutus, sharp nosed viper

Lachesis muta muta, bushmaster

Sistrurus catetanus tergeminus, Western Massasuaga

Trimeresurus albolabris, White-lipped tree viper

Viperinae (old world viper)

Atheris ceratophora, Horned bush viper

Bitis arietans, Puff adder

Cerastes cerastes, Desert horned viper

Daboia russelii russelii, Russell's viper

Echis Carinatus, Saw-scaled viper

Macrovipera lebetina, Blunt-nosed viper

Proatheris superciliaris, lowland viper

Pseudocerastes persicus fieldi, False horned viper

Vipera latastei latastei, Lataste's viper

Related References

See Also

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