Species Fact Profile: Mangshan Viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis)

Mangshan Viper

Protobothrops mangshanensis (Zhao, 1990)

Range: Hunan and Guangdong Provinces (southeastern People's Republic of China)

Habitat: Subtropical Montane Forest (700-1300 meters elevation)

Diet: Frogs, Birds, Small Mammals, Insects

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction:  Nests in leaf litter.  Lay 13-21 eggs, which the female guards until hatching after about 50 days, at which point the young are independent.  Egg-laying is very unusual among vipers, being displayed only by this species and the bushmasters of the Neotropics.

Lifespan: 25 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Endangered

•       Body length up to 2 meters, weigh 3-5 kilograms
•       Body is bright green and yellow-green, with brown blotches along the back and side
•       The last few centimeters of the tail are white; the snake will wriggle this visual conspicuous part of its body around as a lure to attract prey within striking range.  
•       Hunts by positioning itself along logs or rocks by animal trails to ambush passing prey.  Senses presence of prey using heat-sensitive pits on the face, then strikes and envenomates
•       Early reports suggested that this species was able to spit its venom like a spitting cobra, but this has not been supported by further study
•       Endangered due to its very limited geographic range (300 square kilometers), exacerbated by collection from the wild for both the pet trade and for local consumption, as well as loss of habitat
•       Unknown outside of its natural range until 1989, at which time it was already thought to be nearly extinct in the wild.  Breeding populations have since been established in Europe and the United States.