The viper in Vietnam has a unique and scary appearance.

Although it is called a green snake, this snake does not have the usual green scales, but has a scary appearance with a pair of horns on its head.

Venomous snakes endemic to Vietnam

The creature mentioned above is the horned viper , also known as the Fan-si-pan horned viper, with the scientific name Protobothrops cornutus.

Despite its name, the horned viper does not have green scales. Instead, it has a body with gray-brown scales, a dark stripe down the middle of its body, and a light brown side. This color helps the horned viper camouflage well in its habitat to hunt prey and avoid predators in the wild.

Horned vipers have distinct heads and necks, and long, slender bodies (Photo: iNaturalist).

Like other vipers, the Fansipan horned viper has a large triangular head, clearly distinct from the neck and body. This is a small snake, with males being smaller than females. Adults are usually only 0.6 to 0.9 m long and weigh 0.6 to 1.3 kg.

The head of this snake has two prominent scales above the eyes, resembling sharp horns. Males usually have larger "horns" than females. This feature gives the horned viper its name and its terrifying appearance.

The scales above this snake's eyes protrude, resembling horns, giving the animal its name (Photo: Research Gate).

Habitat and food of Fansipan horned viper

Fansipan horned vipers often live in limestone mountains or granite cliffs, humid forests and tropical forests at altitudes from 250m to 2,000m.

In Vietnam , this snake species is distributed in Lao Cai (Sa Pa, Van Ban), Ha Giang (Khau Ca), Cao Bang (Ha Lang), Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu), Quang Binh (Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park), Thua Thien Hue (Bach Ma National Park). This is a rare snake species, with a fragmented and scattered habitat.

The Fansipan horned viper is a nocturnal species . This behavior helps them avoid potential predators in the wild. During the day, this snake species often takes shelter in tree holes or under dense foliage… its body color helps it to hide well in its habitat.

The body color helps this snake camouflage well in its habitat (Photo: Yan).

This snake hunts at night. Thanks to heat-sensing pits on its face, the horned viper can hunt in the dark by sensing the body temperature of its prey.

They feed mainly on small mammals, birds, lizards and frogs. This snake uses an ambush hunting strategy, patiently waiting for prey to come close before attacking, injecting venom into the prey and consuming it.

How poisonous is the Fansipan horned viper?

The Fansipan horned viper is a species of snake in the Crotalinae subfamily of the viper family, possessing dangerous blood venom.

When bitten, the victim will experience pain, swelling, and blood clotting disorders that cause continuous bleeding. If the victim does not receive timely medical care, it can lead to wound necrosis or even death.

However, because the Fansipan horned viper usually lives in high mountains, in areas with few human inhabitants, and this snake species itself is rare, the number of collisions between humans and horned vipers is rare, so there are few recorded cases of humans being bitten by this snake.

Conservation status of Fansipan horned viper

The six-horned snake is a rare species and needs to be preserved (Photo: oldfears).

Because the Fansipan horned viper has a fragmented habitat and degraded habitat due to stone mining, exploitation and encroachment on forest land, this snake species is threatened.

Currently, the Fansipan horned viper is listed as a "vulnerable animal" in the Vietnam Red Book, a rare animal species that is easily threatened with extinction if it has a negative impact on its habitat, so Vietnamese law prohibits hunting and trading this snake species.