Pit Vipers

Pit vipers are venomous serpents found throughout the new world. They can be found in every habitat in tropical and temperate climes. Pit vipers are heavy bodied and slow moving, though packing a rapid strike. Their characteristic triangular-shaped head is due to large venom glands located behind the eyes. They are named for their "pits," a pair of sensory holes in the face located between the nostrils and eyes on the upper jaw.

Pit vipers rely on their sense of smell to tell them about the world. When moving, alarmed, or interested, a forked tongue flickers in and out of their mouths, conveying scent particles to a sensory organ on the roof of their mouth. The forks let the viper detect scent gradients, so it can follow where the scent is strongest. The eyesight of pit vipers is poor, lacking both focus at long distances and the neurological capability for object recognition. They react visually primarily to motion. Pit vipers can hear low frequency sounds. They have trouble picking up airborn sounds but are quite able to detect vibrations through the ground. This alerts them to the footfalls of approaching predators, so they can get out of the way. Pit vipers have a unique sense, shared only by boas and pythons, of being able to "see" heat. They can form images of warm objects and temperature differences in the environment. This allows them to hunt warm blooded prey even in pitch darkness.

Pit vipers are ambush hunters. They lay coiled, camouflaged by their pattern and stillness, waiting for prey to wander by. When an unsuspecting victim happens within range, the viper strikes. A pair of fangs that are normally stored folded against the upper jaw swing forward and jab into the snake's target. Venom is forced through the hollow fangs into the prey's body. The strike is over in an instant, the venom delivered, and the pit viper recoils back to wait for the venom to take effect. The victim usually takes off, for no venom is instant, but it eventually succumbs to the poison coursing through its veins. The pit viper casually follows the scent trail left by its envenomated victim, for it can smell its own poison. When it comes on its incapacitated quarry, it settles down for a feast, swallowing its meal whole. Pit vipers prey on small mammals, birds, and occasionally other reptiles.

Pit vipers are not aggressive. They do not seek out people to attack. No pit viper could swallow even an infant, let alone and adult, and their venom is to precious to waste when it could be used for procuring dinner. However, they will use their venom to defend themselves. When a person or other large animal comes wandering by, the pit viper will slither for cover and hide. If discovered or caught out in the open, the pit viper will tend to hold its ground or slowly retreat, putting on a threat display to let its antagonist know that the snake is dangerous. The most famous of these threat displays is that used by the rattlesnakes - a rattle of loose scales on the end of the tail is shaken to produce a characteristic buzzing sound that alerts unwary pedestrians to the presence of the potentially deadly serpent - the snake's way of saying "I'll make you a deal, you don't mess with me and I won't mess with you." However, if caught by suprize or if too cold to move, they cryptic habits and excellent camouflage of a pit viper may mean it is unsuspectingly trod upon. Other times, some critters or people just don't take the hint. If assaulted or harrassed, the snake will strike its assailant. Often, it will bite without injecting any venom - a warning that does not exhaust the snake's resources. If pressed, however, the snake will expend its stores of toxins to defend itself.

A pit viper bite will cause immediate pain, followed by swelling and discoloration of the surrounding tissue. The tissue in the area of the bite may die, possibly leading to lost extremities or limbs. Fluids leaking from the poisoned area will decrease blood pressure, possibly leaidng to shock. Shock may be enhanced by other toxins in the venom. Most damage occurs within the first several hours, but will continue for a day or two after the bite. Most humans will recover from a pit viper strike without medical treatment or any lasting injury, although they will be miserable and may wish they would just die to get it over with. The danger of lost limbs or even death is very real, however, and any bite victim should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Any bite treated within an hour at a modern hospital by competent medical staff will almost certainly lead to a full recovery.

Pit vipers spend most of their time resting and waiting. Since they are cold blooded, they will move from warm to cool spots to regulate their body temperature. When not hunting, they prefer to stay under cover, squeezed into some tight and inaccessible spot. If the weather gets too cold for digestion or activity, pit vipers will go dormant, waiting in their den for warmer times. Where the weather gets seasonally cold, rattlesnakes are known to gather in huge numbers to share a winter den. The knowledge of a good den is critical to their survival, when moved to a new location, or if their den is destroyed, it usually measn the end of that rattlesnake.

Pit vipers are not complex animals. They don't need much intelligence to sit and wait. They cannot comprehend the emotions of others, and have no empathy whatsoever, treating all other creatures as no more than obstacles or (potentially dangerous or tasy) objects. This extends to their own kind. They may occasionally group together in dens, and rattlesnakes do prefer to spend time in proximity to their kin, but a pit viper will never get lonely or need company. Pit vipers give birth to live young, which may spend a few days with their mother but are capable of looking after themselves from the time they are born.

Back to Critters