Bush Viper

Genus Atheris

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about bush vipers. Be sure to strike the sub button before leaving. Thank you to Terhi Herukka for today’s request. So, I dunno about you, but to me these snakes look like they were born from dragons. Their scales are keeled, meaning that instead of being smooth, they have a ridge that runs down their middle and makes them look way more menacing. Just slap some wings on ‘em and you have yourself a dragon. Except… please don’t actually do that, it’s not very nice and these snakes could also kill you. There are just under twenty described species of bush vipers as of this recording, and they all come with a powerful bite with the potential to kill a human. Humans aren’t on the menu, of course, but rodents, frogs, birds, and other snakes: beware the bush viper’s bite. These snakes are found in Africa. Many species are sporadically spread in small patches across the central part of the continent, though the most common and well known species is more widespread. This would be the green bush viper, though that might be the worst common name they could have. Sure, they do come in green, but they also come in red, orange, blue, grey, black, brown, and more PLUS their color can change throughout their lifetime. So, yeah, kind of a misnomer.

Bush vipers are arboreal snakes and spend hardly any time on the ground. They can use their tails to hang onto branches and may sit in the same spot for days on end waiting for a meal to pass by. It’s not lazy, it’s… energy conservation. This behavior helps keep them camouflaged, as well. Even though they have dragon scales, they’re not completely immune to harm and they may be taken by predators willing to chance their venomous bite. At the end of the day, their biggest predators are just bigger snakes, sometimes even snakes of the same species. It is literally a snake eat snake world out there, people.

Because they spend so much time in the trees, bush vipers are most at home in places with lots of them. They seem to have a preference for moist forests, preferably far from human settlements - though they have been found living in or near agricultural areas and this is usually how they come into contact with us. On the plus side, they eat the rodents we consider pests, there’s just that whole, y’know, deadly venom thing to worry about. Bush vipers aren’t generally considered aggressive, though, and seem to only attack when provoked.

The longest bush vipers can be just over two feet (61 centimeters) long with females coming in slightly larger than males. During the wet season, these snakes pair up after the males perform dances for their ladies. The male will even puff up to show dominance over smaller males in order to get the girl. They’ll mate and then be on their way because bush vipers are generally solitary snakes. The female will retain the eggs and when they hatch about two months later she’ll give birth to about ten live young. The baby bush vipers are on their own from birth, and though it’s not documented how long they can live in the wild, bush vipers have been known to live to twenty years of age in captivity.

For more facts on bush vipers, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.