Poisonous Snakas of fhe World 



iiiws \fiilrals l'2't 171; muIm-ihiiIhIs sIiikIc iiiitrrlorly 

 or imlrril tliniiiKliiMit, 'Jl *IS. 



Sharp-nosed Pit Viper, .[(/A'lxfntt/oii miiliii ((liiii- 

 tlior). 



Iilintiftraliiiii: A pit vI|iit with (In- siiuul t-iulliii; in 

 till ii|ilurii<Ml |H>liilr<l ii|>|i<'iiilMt;f mill liiruc sliiclil>; nii llii' 

 (•rt>wii. 



(iriiiiiul i-olor livny or lini« ii wllli diirk tinnvii cruss- 

 Imiiils imrrow at the ii-iitiT of the liaik. widi' on tlic 

 sides. \vld»> iinrts often lincfd with dull nrance; belly 

 (Team with larce lilack spots thai extend onto the sides; 

 to|> of liead dark lirown, sides lielow eye yellow. The 

 entire i-olor sihenie siiKKests tliat of tlie I'liiled Stales 

 eopperliead. 



.\vcrai;e leiiKth ;5."> to 4.'i imlies; niaxiiiiuiii iilioul ."i 

 feet. 



Figure in. — Sharp-no.sed Pit Viper, Agkistrodon acii- 

 ti/.*. The most dangerous i)it viper of the Far East. 

 Photo by New York Zoological Society. (See also 

 plate \', figure 1.) 



Distribidioii: Soiitlicru Cliina. norlliern Viet Xam, 

 Hainan. Taiwan. Found mostly in ro<k.v. wooded, hilly 

 country. 



Remarks: A sedentary snake but alert and irritable ; 

 it strikes without hesitation when alarmed. Data from 

 Taiwan indicate it is the most dangerous pit viper of 

 the Far East. Antivenin is produced by the Taiwan 

 Serum Vaccine Laborator.v, Tai(iei. 



Mamushi, Aykiatrodon halys (Pallas). 



Idoitifiration: Over much of its range the facial pit 

 alone suffices to identify this snake. Presence of large 

 crown shields distinguisli it from other pit vipers within 

 its range. 



Yellowish or reddish brown with wide dark brown 

 cro.ssbands. irregular in outline and margined with 

 black; side of head above eye dark brown or black, 

 below eye pale buff to white; belly white or cream with 

 black blotches. While the pattern and colors of the 

 sharp-nosed pit viper suggest those of the copperhead to 

 an American her|)etologist, the mamushi suggests the 





I'khthe 0."). — Korean Mainuslii, Ai/kistrodon halys hrc- 

 licaiidiiK. The .Japanese .Mainuslii. .1. Iidliix hidiiiliiiffii. 

 is similar hut has fewer blotches. Photo by New Y'ork 

 Zoological Soclely. (Sec also plale V. ligure .">. ) 



cottoiimouth moccasin. The resendilance is probably 

 not coincidental ; the American snakes ver.v likely 

 evolved from ancestors that migralc<l across a land 

 bridge from Asia. 



Average length of the mamushi is liO to L'U inches; 

 maximum about .S.~> inches. 



The above account is conlincd to the subspecies Ai/- 

 Icislniiliiii liiihi-t hhiniiilKiffii and .1. Ii. Iiri rii-diiiliix. 



IHnhiliiilidii: .[apan and the Honin and Pescadores 

 Islands; Korea; and eastern and northern China. II 

 evidently occurs in a wide variety of environments from 

 low marshy river valleys to mountains at elevations up 

 to 12.000 feet. It is occasionally foinul in the environs 

 of Tokyo and other large cities. 



UitiKirku: Generally an inoffensive diurnal snake that 

 seeks to escajie whenever possible. It flattens its body 

 and vibrates its tail when angry. Despite its mild disjw- 

 sition, some 2,000 to 3,000 snakebites are reported an- 

 nually In .lapan. Fatalities are known but are most 

 exceptional — about 1 per 1.000 bites. Woodcutters and 

 farmers are ino.st often bitten. Eight of O.'i patients 

 tre.ited at a metropolitan hospital were bitten while 

 preparing snakes for the table or for "Mamushi 

 Whiskey," a concoction probably more deadly than the 

 snake that goes into its manufacture. 



Antivenin is produced by the Institute for Medical 

 Science. Tokyo. 



CROTALIDAE: Genus Jnmeresurus Lacepede, 1804. 

 Asian lance-lii'aded vipers. 



.\liout HO species are currently recognized. All are 

 foiuid in southeast Asia and the adjacent island chains. 

 The large species are dangerous; many of the smaller 

 kinds can deliver a venomous bite which is very pain- 

 ful, hut seldom if ever fatal. 



There are 3 general groups of these snakes : 



1. Large, long-bodied and long-tailed terre.strial snakes 

 that are often brightly-colored with contrasting patterns; 



2. Small .short-bodied and short-tailed terrestrial 



136 



