Ocellate Mountain Viper Snake

Facts about Ocellate Mountain Viper. "Scientific name for Ocellate Mountain Viper snake is Vipera wagneri". Ocellate Mountain Viper snake is a poisonous viper variety of snake that belongs to the genus Vipera of the Viperidae family. The Ocellate Mountain Viper snakes are native to northwestern Iran and eastern Turkey, and they are commonly called by other names, such as the Wagner's viper. Generally, the Ocellate Mountain Viper snake live at altitudes, ranging from 1,600 meters to 1,900 meters (5,250 to 6,230 feet) above sea level in rock-strewn and grassy homes.

Features of Ocellate Mountain Viper snake

An adult Ocellate Mountain Viper is an average-sized snake that is capable of growing to a maximum length, ranging from 28 inches (71 cm)to 37 inches (94 cm). The Ocellate Mountain Viper snakes have a head that is relatively big, elongate, and discrete from their neck. They have a rounded snout and it is covered with minute keeled scales. The rostal of the Ocellate Mountain Viper snake is in contact with 2 to 3 apical scales. The eyes of these snakes are wide in contact with the big supraoculars and bounded by 12 to 15 circumorbital scales. Across the apex of the head of the Ocellate Mountain Viper, there are 6 to 7 interocular scales. Usually, there are 9 numbers of upper labials and 12 to 13 lower labials. The upper labials are alienated from their eye by 1 to 2 lines of scales. The nostril is situated inside a single nasal scale. The Ocellate Mountain Viper snakes have kneeled temporal scales, and they usually have one canthal scale on both sides of their head.

The Ocellate Mountain Viper has 23 chains of keeled dorsal scales on the middle part of their body. These snakes also have 23 to 31 paired subcaudals, 161 to 170 ventrals and 2 to 3 preventral scales. The anal plate of the Ocellate Mountain Vipersnake is single. The dorsal color pattern of these snakes is made up of a grayish ground color, covered with a central sequence of occasionally attached spots or blotches, which run from the back part of their head to their tail. These blotches are light tan to orange or yellowish brown in color, with black color borders, and each 4 to 8.5 scales broad.

Usually, the top of the head of the Ocellate Mountain Viper snake has two black color elongated marks that form a big dark open V mark, but devoid of an apex. Generally, a dark line runs from the bend of the eye to the mouth angle of the Ocellate Mountain Viper snakes.

Mostly, the Ocellate Mountain Viper is found in sparsely stagnated rock-strewn mountain slopes, regularly close to streams and rivers. They prefer to live in more thickly vegetated and cooler micro-homes found on the slopes, facing the north. The suitable home of the Ocellate Mountain Viper snakes is disjointed among the leading warmer home types in the region. The majority of the suitable home is focused in the northern part of its range with tiny, remote patches. The female Ocellate Mountain Viper is ovoviviparous, offering birth to 10 to 12 juvenile snakes per clutch.

Diet of Ocellate Mountain Viper snake

The Ocellate Mountain Viper mostly feeds on tiny creatures, reptiles and frogs.

Behavior of Ocellate Mountain Viper snake

The Ocellate Mountain Viper is a mountain-dweller snake that occupies arid, warm slopes where temperatures drop at night. Generally, these snakes are active only during the daytime. Their pattern of orange-brown color spots assists them to mingle with their surroundings.