| Summary Information |
| Living Organisms
/ Animalia / Craniata / Reptilia
/ Squamata
/ Viperidae / Vipera /
Species |
| Alternative Names |
- Vipera berus berus
- Adder
- Northern viper
- Vipere (French)
- Kreuzotter (German)
|
| Description |
Length:
- Total usually up to 65cm, exceptionally may be nearly 90cm; females
generally larger than males (B159).
- Newborn: about 16.0cm (B160)
- By first hibernation: about 17.0cm (B160)
- One year: 26.0cm(B160)
- Two years 35.0cm (B160)
Appearance:
- Heavy-bodied snake with short tail, well-defined triangular head,
constricted neck
- Small eye with vertical pupil, no eyelids,
- Dorsal body scales strongly keeled.
- Snout flat (not upturned), almost always several large scales on top of
head, single row of small scales (subocular scales) below eye.
- Mid-body usually has 21 dorsal rows of scales.
- (B159, B160)
General description:
Colouration:
- Usually clearly marked zig-zag vertebral stripe. Rarely has distinct
central paler band, is straight-edged, broken, faint or absent.
- Often also smaller round/oval spots along sides.
- Head may be black; often dark chevron or "X" shape.
- Dark streak from eye to commisure of jaw and sometimes backwards onto
neck.
- Lips whitish or yellow.
- Throat white/yellow, with brown/black markings, often more in male.
- Iris copper-coloured, pupil vertical.
- Males usually pale grey/whitish/cream/light olive with
markings of intense black.
- Females usually brownish/reddish/golden with dark brown
markings.
- Abdomen: grey-blue/grey/grey-brown/black; sometimes with pale/white spots
or stippling
- Tail tip ventrally may be yellow orange or red.
- (B159, B160)
Variations:
- All-black.
- Abdomen blue.
- Balkans: more variable. Back may be marked with cross
bars. May have two rows of scales below eye.
- North-western Iberia: vertebral stripe may be straight,
wavy or zig-zaged, with paler centre sometimes wide enough to reduce dark areas to series
of spots on either side of pale line.
Similar species and distinguishing features:
- Distinguished from Vipera aspis by lack of clear upturn on snout, single row
(usually) of scales below eye, central head scales not fragmented. (B159)
- In Britain: distinguished by relatively thick, heavy body, short
tail, vertical pupil, large head; also by patterning (B160)
|
| Range and Habitat |
Range:
- Most of Europe, north to beyond Arctic Circle, southwards to
north-western Spain, northern Italy, much of northern Balkans. Central Europe and southern
areas rather sporadic. Eastwards across former USSR to Pacific coast and Sakhalin.
(B159,
B160)
- Britain: England, Wales and Scotland; Isle of Wight and Anglesey, but not
Isle of Man (B160)
- Not found in Ireland (B160).
Habitat:
- Various habitats, including moorlands, heaths, dunes, bogs, open
woodland, field edges, hedgerows, marshy meadows, saltmarsh.
- In south: mainly in mountain areas, up to about 3000m in
Alps; also in moist areas of lowlands e.g. in northern Italy.
(B159, B160) |
| Further Information |
Activity:
- Mainly diurnal.
- Relatively slow moving.
- Swim well.
- Bask mainly in early morning
- (B159, B160)
NB. venomous. most likely to strike if alarmed e.g. by sudden movement (B160)
Hibernation:
- In holes/cavities in the ground
- Start hibernation in October in Britain
- May be alone or in groups
- Emerge as early as February
Breeding:
- Live young (B159)
- Mating April/early May
- Males may engage in "dance" of rivalry.
- Mating: may last several hours (B160).
- Birth August to September
- Oestrous period several days B160
- Number of eggs/young: 6-20; usually 10-14 (B160)
- Rupture membrane by convulsive body movements and final forward thrust of
head (B160)
- Males sexually mature when reach about 40.0cm (B160)
- Females start to develop eggs in fourth year, first young born when five
years old, about 47.0cm (B160)
- Newborn young may shelter under the female (B160)
Food:
- Mainly small mammals, also lizards (B159)
- Lizards, also mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, bird eggs, nestling
birds, frogs, newts, slugs, worms, insects (B160)
- Juveniles probably eat mainly insects, spiders, worms (B160)
Feeding:
- Often hunt from cover.
- Strike rapidly, injecting venom and releasing, then tracking prey
- May eat amphibians without killing them first.
- (B159, B160)
Skin shedding:
- Whole skin usually shed at one time, in one or several pieces. eye becomes opaque prior
to skin casting (B160)
Predation:
- Predatory birds
- Hedgehogs
- Foxes
- Pike, eels
- (B160)
Organisations (UK Contacts):
Electronic Library
(further reading):
General Legislation:
Individual techniques:
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