Mangshan Pit Viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics

Body measurements

• An enormous, grass-green to yellow-green pit viper marked with large brown blotches along the back and irregular brown side blotches
• Last 10 cm (4 in) of the tail is white
• Head large, triangular
• Eyes green
• Snakes in the Viperidae family typically have (Pough & Groves 1983):
  • Stout bodies
  • Large heads
  • Fangs on upper jaws (maxillae) that rotate to inject venom
• All pit vipers have a tiny depression of infrared-sensitive tissue (pit-organ) between the eye and nostril, on each side of the head (Zug 1993)
  • Allows the snake to sense heat emitted by potential prey or predators

• Males have slightly longer tails (email to author, Boyer 2010)
• Females slightly more robust and heavier (Gumprecht et al 2002)

• Large, tube-like fangs 2 cm (.8 in) long (Chen 1990)
  • In pit vipers, length of fangs related to overall snout/vent length (longer snakes have longer fangs) (Pough and Groves 1983)
  • Fangs are the only teeth; replacement fangs lie behind functional fangs (Zug 1993)
• Venom of Mangshan pit viper (Mebs et al. 2006):
  • Large amount can be injected from one fang - 960 mg (0.03 oz)
  • Toxins have high coagulant (clotting) and hemorrhagic (bleeding) capacity in human and bovines
  • Myotoxins may cause muscle damage, swelling
  • Venom very similar to that in other members of Protobothrops
  • No specific antivenom developed yet
  • Degrades in sunlight (Pough et al. 1978)
    • Protective melanin accumulates in scales around venom glands to prevent damage to venom
• Pit viper adaptations for guiding a strike (Hayes et al. 2002):
  • Eyes
  • Temperature-sensitive facial (loreal) pits; true vipers lack these pits
  • Tactile receptors in mouth and jaws

Body scales of a Mangshan pit viper.

Protective melanin pigment accumulates in scales around the snake's venom glands. This prevents the venom from degrading in sunlight.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Boyer (2010)
Chen (1990), translated in David & Tong (1997)
Daltry et al. (1996)
Daltry et al. (1997)
Gumprecht et al. (2002)
Hayes et al. (2002)
Mebs et al. (2006)
Pough et al. (1978)
Pough & Groves (1983)
Zug (1993)