#viperidae

European Adder (Viperia berus), family Viperidae, Sweden

Venomous.

A European asp (Vipera aspis) in France

Reptiles don't have hair, but that hasn't stopped the hairy bush viper from rocking a killer 'do! This species gets its name from the raised scales that run along its back, giving it a shaggy appearance. While it does look very cool, the main function of this unique style is likely to help it blend in with its leafy surroundings.

i think they are so charismatic !

[VIDEO TAKEN: JULY 11TH, 2025 | Video ID: A video showing a mossy log, standing on its end, being overturned to reveal a sizable brown eastern copperhead snake, calmly resting underneath it /End ID.]

This beauty is an eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), a venomous, albeit low potency, pit viper! One of many various creatures you might find when rooting through logs, rocks, leaf litter, or good hiding spaces in general!

Now, I'm not as much of someone with a wide knowledge of snakes as I am of bugs (Herpetology enjoyers please do add or correct), but I wanted to use this find to get across two things!

Firstly, this is one of the reasons why, when overturning anything in the wild, you should be very careful, be aware of what species live around you, and always overturn them with the underside facing away from you rather than towards you! The majority of things you find in these situations will be perfectly harmless, especially if you know what you're doing, but do always keep an eye out and stay safe in the wild, because you never know what you might uncover.

However, secondly, copperheads are not aggressive snakes! Nor are they particularly fatal having a death rate of only 0.01%, with roughly 6 confirmed fatalities in the USA in the last century (relevant Wikipedia article). Which is something I say with the asterisk that any snake bite that results in you receiving venom will be very painful and will at least result in temporary sickness (especially in children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised). Due to being very common, they still deliver more confirmed bites than any venomous species in North America. It's safe to say that you should take this snake very seriously, however, claims that they are aggressive snakes that will chase you down are highly exaggerated and likely originate from a general misunderstanding of snakes (especially those that are venomous) and their behaviors.

In fact, here are some additional photos! I would not recommend getting in this range, however, I have encountered a lot of snakes, specifically copperheads, and recognized its behavior as relatively calm and/or defensive rather than being prepared to strike. That and I mostly stayed behind the log, not touching or getting my hands close enough to startle the snake.

[PHOTOS TAKEN: JULY 11TH, 2025 | Image IDs: Five photos of a brown copperhead resting amongst leaf litter and dirt /End IDs.]

What a pretty creature!

Large Scaled Pit Viper (Craspedocephalus macrolepis or Trimeresurus macrolepis), family Viperidae, suborder Serpentes, order Squamata, Kerala, India

Venomous

Saved this baby viper from vicious human vehicle