The Chinese green tree viper is a bright green venomous snake of the forests of southern China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, often with a rusty-red tail tip; it isn't found in the wild in the United States. In Taiwan it is one of the snakes responsible for the most snakebites. It's also called Stejneger's bamboo .
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small snake, usually 30–35 in (75–90 cm) long at most, with a triangular head. Bright to dark green above and pale green to whitish below. Eyes are rusty brown to brick red with vertical pupils. Most males have a white side stripe edged below with red; females usually have just the white.
Look-alikes
This harmless snake has an oval head, round black pupils, no side stripes, a green tail, and shiny scales. The viper has a triangular head, red eyes with vertical pupils, white side stripes, a reddish tail, and dull scales.
Why they get mixed upBoth are common all-green snakes in Taiwan, and the harmless one is often mistaken for the viper and killed.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- mountain forests
- stream banks
- rice paddies
- roadside ditches
- Range
- Native to southern and eastern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, and parts of northeastern India. Not found in the wild in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Prefers forest from sea level up to about 6,600 ft (2,000 m). In Taiwan it is most common below about 4,900 ft (1,500 m), often near mountain streams.
Behavior
- Diet
- Mainly frogs, plus small mammals, lizards, and birds.
- Activity
- Mostly active at night and often rests on plants by day. It's quite cold-tolerant, staying active down to about 57°F (14°C).
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs.
- Litter size
- 2–15 young, born in summer (Taiwan)
- Time to maturity
- About 1 year after birth
Cautions
- Cautions
- Dangerously venomous. Its venom attacks blood and tissue; bites are extremely painful, swell and bleed, and can kill skin and muscle around the wound. Bites are common in Taiwan, where the government makes an antivenom for them.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Two subspecies are often listed: the widespread T. s. stejnegeri and Chen's bamboo pit viper (T. s. chenbihuii) of Hainan Island, though some researchers doubt the Hainan form is distinct. Older records from Myanmar and Thailand are now assigned to other species (Trimeresurus yunnanensis and T. vogeli, among others), and the northeastern Indian population may be separate too. It has also been placed in the genus Viridovipera.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The species is named for Leonhard Stejneger, a Norwegian-born American herpetologist who worked at the Smithsonian Institution for more than 60 years.
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