SUMMARY

• VENOM: Toxic - Requires immediate medical attention

• PREVALENCE: Very common

• ACTIVE PERIOD: Active at night

• KEY ID FEATURES: Bright green body and yellow belly, triangular head, normally positioned to strike

• BEHAVIOR: Ambush predator usually stays still and ready to strike, will bite readily if scared or grabbed

• SIZE: Small/Medium - 40-60cm (males), 60-90cm (females)

• IUCN: LC - Least Concerned

• OTHER: Can be mistaken with Greater Green Snake

VENOM REVIEW*

• COMPOSITION: Procoagulants, Haemorrhagins (possibly present), Nephrotoxins (likely not present), Necrotoxins (likely not present).

• LOCAL EFFECTS: Serious envenomation possible, potentially lethal, local pain, swelling, bruising, blistering, minimal local necrosis.

• GENERAL EFFECTS: Nausea, headache vomiting, general pain, dizziness, diarrhoea, collapse and/or convulsions, moderate to sever coagulopathy + haemorrhagic effects, possible renal damage, possible shock.

• TREATMENT: Antivenom.

*INFORMATION ON VENOM OBTAINED FROM WWW.TOXINOLOGY.COM

GALLERY

IMPORTANT: Many snakes have significant variance in coloration and pattern even within the same species. There can also be extreme differences in appearance from juveniles to adults so it is important to never assume you have properly identified a snake.

See us find a Bamboo Viper in the wild in the YouTube video below:

DESCRIPTION

Bright green with yellow belly. Males are smaller than females with a distinctive white stripe above the lip running laterally down the length of the body giving rise to it's formal common name the 'White-Lipped Viper'. Both male and female have characteristically triangular shaped head with yellow/gold eyes containing vertical pupils. Can have orange/brown coloration on the tail.

BEHAVIOR

Active at night and occasionally roosting in bushes during the day. The Bamboo Viper is an ambush predator that will wait in a single position ready to strike. They are a viper and have relatively long retractable fangs and will bite readily at anything that comes within range that they think is a food item. Generally not prone to give chase but will hold their ground if they feel cornered. Not actively aggressive but will not hesitate to bite if touched or scared. A bite from a Bamboo Viper should be considered very serious and medical attention should be sought immediately. Although not known to be deadly serious damage can occur from a bite even if treated and complications can always arise. (Click here if the video block does not load: https://youtu.be/DqQ7WdrlzXo)

HABITAT

Found all over Hong Kong, generally in forested areas along open spaces like trails or water culverts where geckos and other prey can be ambushed. Previously not known to position near populated locations with artificial light, this species has been observed by the authors more and more frequently near street lamps and other man made locations.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

NO SNAKE SHOULD EVER BE HANDLED BY ANYONE BUT EXPERTS: Often confused with the harmless Greater Green Snake. See that page HERE for comparison details. No viper should ever be approached or handled. If found observe from a safe distance. Visit the 'Practical Venomous Snake ID' section of the Snake ID page for tips on identifying some of the more common venomous species.

BAMBOO VIPER vs GREATER GREEN

Key Differences: The Greater Green is longer and thinner relative to the Bamboo Viper in general, but the major differences are the head, scales, tail and active periods.

HEAD: the Greater Green has a long thin head that is only slightly distinguishable from its neck vs the Bamboo Viper which has a wide jaw that is much wider than its neck, especially when viewed from above. As a subset to differences in head shape the Greater Green has round pupils and the Bamboo Viper has vertical pupils but this is not a great means to distinguish the two as you would need to be very close and in certain light conditions the Bamboo Vipers pupils may appear almost round.

SCALES: The Greater Green has completely smooth sales that do not overlap vs the Bamboos Viper which has keeled scales that do overlap. A “keeled” scale is one that has a ridge down the middle and gives the scales a more rough matte appearance vs smooth scales which are relatively shiny. In addition, the Greater Green has large well defined head scales vs the Bamboo Viper which has tiny granulated scales. Finally Greater Green’s have green scales on top with yellow/green belly or “ventral” scales vs the Bamboo Vipers which have similar coloured belly scales but often also display a row of white scales down their sides just above the belly scales.

TAIL: The Greater Green has a long green tail vs the Bamboo Viper which has an orange coloured tail.

ACTIVE PERIODS: The Greater Green is a diurnal snake which means it is active during the day and sleeps in trees and bushes at night vs the Bamboo Viper which is nocturnal positioning low on slopes, fences, bushes and trees at night and normally hides during the day.