Mangshan Pit Viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Global population

• Approximately 460 individuals (based on 2007-2010 data) (Gong et al. 2013)
• Other estimates from ca. 2010 similarly estimate the population to be about 300-500 individuals (Boyer 2010; Zhou 2012)

IUCN

• Endangered (2011 assessment) (Zhou 2012, amended 2022)

CITES

• Appendix II (UNEP 2019)

Other (Zhou 2012)

• Present in the Mangshan Natural Nature Reserve
• Breeding in managed care has been successful in Germany, China, and the US

San Diego Zoo's conservation efforts (Boyer 2010)

• Working to establish a breeding program and studbook
• Helping sponsor a conservation program in China and conducting surveys of critical habitat

(Boyer 2010)

• Human illegal hunting for food and trade
• Global climate change
• Illegal logging
• Capture for terrarium trade not a primary threat

The small range of the Mangshan pit viper makes it vulnerable to extinction.

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

Boyer (2010)