The African Bush viper is both arboreal and terrestrial, meaning it thrives both on the ground and trees. It is a small to medium-sized viper with a rough-looking appearance caused by its keeled dorsal scales.It goes by several other names including the spiny bush viper, the rough scaled viper, and hairy bush viper.. During the day time, it usually hides in ravines or the deep grass. But it is reported that its venom is primarily neurotoxic- meaning it can paralyze the nerves. Most bush vipers will drink readily from a water dish on the bottom of the cage but some may have difficulty recognizing this as the drinking source.
Top 10 Cat Gecko Facts – the gecko with a cat tail?
When the temperature and humidity is again elevated breeding often takes place. The dorsal color varies from sage green or light green to green, dark green, bluish, olive or dark olive brown. And like its other related species, it ambushes its prey.
Live Birth
The African Bush viper is a nocturnal reptile. They are sometimes captured for food by humans, but only when they encroach on fishing or agricultural activities. However, as the snake matures, the coloration of the scales becomes more uniform, and luring prey via this method does not work. Providing they have not been seriously dehydrated or otherwise mishandled during capture and transport, the variable bush viper is a hardy animal. This serves as a warning sign to other threatening animals. The African Bush viper is both arboreal and terrestrial, meaning it thrives both on the ground and trees. Not simply designed for sitting, a wombat’s bum is its best defence against attack. There are plenty of other pet snakes to consider if you want to own one. [7], Feeds on mammals, frogs, lizards, and sometimes birds.
Unlike other vipers, the eyes are oval, large, and surrounded by at least a dozen circumorbital scales. What is the Habitat of the Spiny Bush Viper. The growth of the baby bush viper is initially fast but as the snake approaches 24 months, the growth slows down. The two main predators for the bush viper are other snakes, or humans. This is mostly due to their unique looks. [2], The head has a short snout, more so in males than in females. It has a gland located on the upper jaw, which supplies venom to its tubular, long, and hollow fangs. An African bush viper is a rough-scaled, highly venomous viper. [11], A number of subspecies of A. squamigera may be encountered in literature. Bush vipers are severely venomous, and a bite from them is potentially lethal. The African bush viper has a wide habitat ranging from the sea level forests, dense woods, and knee-high vegetation in the foothills and lowlands of the mountain forests. One reason the snake is studied is for the creation of antivenom. Since the species is remarkably polymorphic, occurring also in reds, oranges, grays, yellows, black, blues, olive, and various shades of brown, as well as green, all with or without darker or lighter crossbands, the name of green bush viper is notably inaccurate. Not much is known about their venom except that it is mainly neurotoxic. Rough Scaled Bush Viper - Adaptations Explained Current Adaptations Thick, green or yellow scales that come to a point As we put stress on the vipers' rainforest habitat, it gets harder for them to survive due to lack of prey.
Females are usually larger than males. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Even the spacing between the eyes is separated by 6-9 scales. Return to top. It is possible that there is a variation in morphometric characters related to habitat:[2], The coloration is the same in some populations, but variable in others. This really is a ‘look but don’t touch’ situation, because as stunning as that blue viper is, it’s not the kind of creature you want to mess with. This viper grows up to 18 – 24 inches (46 – 60 cm).
Unlike other vipers, the Spiny bush viper does not have heat-sensing pits but instead relies on vision, olfactory, and vibratory senses to detect prey. Top 10 Slender Glass Lizard Facts – The Lizard With No Legs? Even still, some people do like to own dangerous snakes as pets. All rights reserved. When competing for a female, the male will try and make himself larger by lifting the body upright. The bite and venom of the African bush viper has not been well studied. It also is found from northwestern Tanzania southward to northwestern Angola, as well as on the Island (formerly Fernando Po). The anal scale is single. Of the latter, the anterior 2 or 3 touch the chin shields, of which there is only one small pair. Keep up to date with our stylish calendars and diaries. Compared to other snake species, it has larger eyes and has elliptical pupils. Heck, you can even buy a viper on undergroundreptiles.com. The African bush viper is a deadly snake for humans. It is not usually kept as a pet. And if you do, be sure to keep it in a separate building other than your main dwelling. “In the green tree python (Morelia viridisi), when a female is gravid (pregnant) with eggs, the hormonal change in her body can lead to increased blue colouration,” Mahony explains. There are 152 to 175 ventral scales and 45 to 67 undivided subcaudals. It’s a dead giveaway when identifying a venomous snake, though some nonvenomous snakes have triangular shaped heads too. The snake prefers to inhabit vines, low branches, and shrubs, where it can seek prey and also hide from other predators.