Top 10 Species of Venomous Pit Viper Found in India

The venomous pit vipers snake species includes hump-nosed pit viper,Mangrove pit viper and Malabar Pit Viper. Russell’s Viper and Saw-scaled Viper are two most venomous vipers species found in India and member of big four poisonous and deadliest snakes in India.

Hump Nosed Pit Viper

Hump Nosed Pit Viper is the most poisonous pit vipers species and one of the deadliest snakes found in India, especially in the Western Ghats. The Hump Nosed Viper is responsible for most snakebites in south India and one of the medically important venomous snake.

Malabar Pit Viper

Malabar Pit Viper is a highly venomous snake mostly found in southern and western India. They are nocturnal and found on the ground,rocks and trees near streams of the Western Ghats region of India.

Andaman Pit Viper

Andaman Pit Viper is found only in the Andaman Islands of India, This venomous pitviper subspecies is endemic to Islands of Andaman. There is separate island in Andaman named as viper Islands.

Mangrove Pit Viper

Mangrove Pit Viper is one of the venomous pit viper species native to India. Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus is also known as the Purple Mangrove Viper because of its dark purplish and brown color.

Bamboo Pit Viper – Indian green pit viper

Bamboo Pit Viper also known as Indian tree viper or green tree viper, found only in southern India. This arboreal and nocturnal bamboo viper is very aggressive in nature and an amazing green tree snake found in India.

Horseshoe Pit Viper

Horseshoe Pit Viper is another pitviper species found in the Western Ghats. Trimeresurus strigatus is a venomous pitviper species mostly available in green,brownish and yellow in colour.Image source- IndianSnake

Himalayan Pit Viper

Himalayan pit viper is a highland venomous pit viper species of snake found in high altitudes and slopes of the Himalayas. This slow moving nocturnal and terrestrial snake is one of the known venomous pit vipers species of Indian snakes, found in Himalayas of India.

Large Scaled Pit Viper – Western Ghats

Large scaled pitviper is one of the green coloured venomous species of pitviper, endemic to the trees of mountains of Western Ghats. This arboreal tree viper is one of the most dangerous species of snake found in Southern part of India.

Red Tailed Pit Viper –

Red Tailed Bamboo Pitviper (Trimeresurus erythrurus) or Spot Tailed Pit Viper is found in most of the north east region of India. This Green coloured Pit Viper is venomous pit viper species endemic to Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim and Ganges Delta of India.

Brown Spotted Pit Viper – North East

Brown Spotted Pit Viper species is endemic to Asia, Found in northeastern Indian state of Assam, Mizoram and Sikkim. This pointed scaled pit viper also called as habu is an amazing snake found in the cool jungle regions of North East India.

Other known species of Pit Viper snakes found in India are :

Mountain Pit Viper , White Lipped Pit Viper, Jerdon’s Pit Viper, Stejneger’s Pit Viper, Popes’ Pit Viper, Medo Pit Viper, Hutton’s Pit Viper, Motuo Bamboo Pit Viper, Brown Spotted Pit Viper, Cantor’s Pit Viper, Nicobar Bamboo Pit Viper.

Kaulback’s Lance Headed Pit Viper – It is new species of pit viper found from North East India.

Salazar’s pit viper A new species of venomous snake discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, The species belongs to green pit vipers.