Shadowind digitally painted a literal representation of the butterfly viper with a winged, colorful snake floating amongst a delicate array of flowers. With both butterfly wings and flowers referenced from those found in Africa, a great deal of research and detail went into creating this saturated composition.
Tag: Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper, also known as the rhinoceros viper, is a puff adder endemic to central and western Africa. As an ambush predator, this carnivorous snake relies on camouflage as it waits for prey. After striking, it sinks its hollow fangs into its victim and delivers a deadly hemotoxic venom.
Butterfly Viper
The average lifespan of the butterfly viper in captivity is 8.3 years.
Butterfly Viper
Butterfly vipers are sometimes found in shallow pools and have been described as powerful swimmers.
Butterfly Viper
Butterfly vipers display sexual dimorphism as females are larger and males have more subcaudal scales.
Butterfly Viper
After the butterfly viper sheds its skin, the bright colors fade quickly as silt from their moist habitat accumulates on the scales.
Butterfly Viper
Because of the butterfly viper's restricted geographic range, few bites have been reported and no statistics are available, but at least one death has occurred.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is a slow-moving snake that uses its scales for movement, stretching its skin across its ribs and releasing the tension to slither, like other snakes.
Butterfly Viper
Butterfly vipers are bred domestically and sold online in the exotic pet trade.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper's closest relative is the rhinoceros viper (Bitis rhinoceros), which has a duller color pattern, wider head, and lacks the distinct, black arrow mark on the head.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is known as the "River Jack" because of its moist habitat preference and often lives near water or in a swampy environment.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper's scales are so rough and heavily keeled that they can inflict cuts when being handled.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper has hollow fangs that deliver venom deep into the snake's victims but are folded into the roof of the mouth when not in use and shed every 6-10 weeks.
Butterfly Viper
Primarily nocturnal, the butterfly viper hides during the day in leaf litter and holes or around fallen trees and tangled roots of forest trees.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is viviparous, giving live birth to 6-38 offspring at the start of the rainy season in March and April.
Butterfly Viper
When approached, butterfly vipers often reveal their presence by hissing, said to be the loudest hiss of any African snake—almost a shriek.
Butterfly Viper
Although terrestrial, the butterfly viper uses its partially prehensile tail to climb into trees and thickets in search of food and has been found up to 3 m. above ground.
Butterfly Viper
Relatively little is known about the toxicity and composition of the butterfly viper's single hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom, but it's supposedly less toxic than that of a Gaboon viper.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is known as the "rhinoceros viper" but that name can cause confusion with its close relative, also known as the "rhinoceros viper", (Bitis rhinoceros).
Butterfly Viper
As an ambush predator, the butterfly viper is a non-aggressive, slow-moving, placid animal and will not bite unless provoked or hungry.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper can strike with lightning speed, up to half its body length, in any direction.
Butterfly Viper
No subspecies of the butterfly viper are currently recognized.
Butterfly Viper Trivia
Do you think you know the butterfly viper? Test your knowledge of butterfly viper FaunaFacts with this trivia quiz!
Butterfly Viper
The beautiful color patterns of the butterfly viper varies among individuals as Western specimens are more blue, while those from the East are more green.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is 1 of 15 puff adder species, named for their characteristic threat display in which they puff up and enlarge their bodies to twice their normal size.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is carnivorous and feeds on smaller prey than the Gaboon viper, such as toads, frogs, fish, and mice.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is one of the most dangerous and venomous snakes as just small doses of its venom can be deadly, destroying tissue and blood vessels and causing internal bleeding and massive hemorrhaging.
Butterfly Viper
One of the butterfly viper's most distinguishing characteristics is its small, flattened, narrow, triangular-shaped head with a dark triangular-shaped marking on the back.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper inhabits forested areas and tropical forests and rarely ventures into woodlands.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is endemic to central and western Africa and has a more restricted range than the Gaboon viper.
Butterfly Viper
Butterfly vipers are large, stout, heavy-bodied snakes that average 60-90 cm. in length, but can reach up to 2.1 m.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper has not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is thus classified as "Not Evaluated."
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is an ambush predator, relying on cryptic coloration as camouflage to hide from its prey.
Butterfly Viper
The butterfly viper is also known as the "rhinoceros viper" because of the 2-3 horn-like projections it has above each nostril.