Wildlifeof China
Pope's Pit Viper
Vipers
Photo: (c) Brodie Cass Talbott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Trimeresurus popeiorum
Basic stats
Diet
Frogs, lizards, birds and rodents (especially rats and squirrels)
Habitat
Forest; nocturnal and arboreal
Range
North-east India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China (Yunnan)
Size
Up to about 77 cm
Pope's pit viper (Trimeresurus popeiorum) is a venomous, nocturnal and arboreal pit viper of north-eastern India and Southeast Asia, reaching China in Yunnan. It feeds on frogs, lizards, birds and rodents, especially rats and squirrels. (The Reptile Database; Wikipedia, general species account)
It is green above and pale green to whitish below, with a bicoloured orange-or-brown and white stripe along each side in males and a white stripe in females. It may grow to about 77 cm, with hatchlings about 18 cm, and it vibrates its tail when threatened. In India, females give birth in April and May, with an average clutch of 10. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Pope's Pit Viper eat?
- Frogs, lizards, birds and rodents (especially rats and squirrels)
- What habitat does the Pope's Pit Viper live in?
- Forest; nocturnal and arboreal
- Where is the Pope's Pit Viper found?
- North-east India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China (Yunnan)
- How big is the Pope's Pit Viper?
- Up to about 77 cm