Directory

Encyclopedia

NodeWorks
                              ENCYCLOPEDIA

Link Checker

Home
Encyclopedia : V : VI : VIP :

Viper

 

Viper


Adenorhinos Atheris Azemiops Bitis Cerastes Daboia Echis Eristicophis Macrovipera Montatheris Proatheris
Pseudocerastes Vipera

This page is about Viper snakes. For other uses see Viper (disambiguation).

Vipers are venomous snakes belonging to the Viperidae family (consisting of roughly 150 species). They are characterised by long erectile fangs, which are folded back when not in use. They also have triangle-shaped heads with a distinctly narrower neck. The broad areas of the head house the venom glands. Their eyes have iriseses like those of a cat. Being 0.3–3 m long, vipers feed on small animals, which are injected with venom and then followed until they die.

Closely related groups

  • Adder
  • Pit Vipers may be treated as a subfamily (Crotalinae) of the viper family Viperidae (with "true vipers" or pitless vipers in the subfamily Viperinae), or as a family of their own, Crotalidae.
  • Saharan Horned Viper

    References

    • Mehrtens, John M. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishing, 1987. ISBN 080696460X.
      ----



  • NodeWorks boosts web surfing!
    Page Returned in 0.044 seconds - HTML Compressed 68.0%

    This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available
    under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
     GNU Free Documentation License
    © 2008 Chamas Enterprises Inc.