Vipera renardi

(Christoph, 1861)

Vernacular names
English : Steppe meadow viper
French : Vipère des steppes, Vipère de Renard

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Family : Viperidae
Notes : 5 subspecies known.

Identification
Slender-bodied viper reaching up to 70 cm but often smaller. Head ovoid with light labial scales. Coloration grey to brown with dark zigzag pattern on back (pattern occasionally broken into blotches). Large scales on top of head.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in eastern Europe and central Asia, from Romania and Ukraine to south Russia, Kazakhstan and north-west China. Lives in dry plains, grasslands with rocky outcrops, in lowlands up to 1000 meters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has been split from Vipera ursinii, listed as Vulnerable. It has a large range but could be threatened by collection and habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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