Pit vipers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pit vipers
Timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae Oppel, 1811
Synonyms
Crotalini Oppel, 1811 Crotales Cuvier, 1817 Crotalidae Gay, 1825 Crotaloidae Fitzinger, 1826 Cophiadae Boie, 1827 Crotaloidei Eichwald, 1831 Crotalina Bonaparte, 1831 Bothrophes Fitzinger, 1843 Crotalinae Cope, 1860 Teleuraspides Cope, 1871 Crotalida Strauch, 1873 Bothrophera Garman, 1884 Cophiinae Cope, 1895 Lachesinae Cope, 1900 Lachesinii Smith, Smith & Sawin, 1977 Agkistrodontinii Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981 Agkistrodontini Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1983

Pit vipers, also called crotaline snakes, are a group of venomous vipers. They are found in Asia and the Americas.

There are many different kinds of pit vipers. Scientists have found 18 main groups (called genera) and 151 different species. About 7 groups and 54 species live in the Old World (Asia and Europe). The other 11 groups and 97 species live in the New World (the Americas). Pit vipers are the only vipers found in the Americas. Some well-known pit vipers include rattlesnakes, lanceheads, and Asian pitvipers.

What Pit Vipers Look Like

Pit vipers come in many sizes. The smallest is the hump-nosed viper, which is about 30–45 centimetres (12–18 in) long. The largest is the South American bushmaster, which can grow up to 3.65 metres (12.0 ft) long. This makes it the longest venomous snake in the New World.

Some pit vipers live in trees (they are arboreal). Others live on the ground (they are terrestrial). One special kind, the cottonmouth, even spends time in the water (it is semi-aquatic).

Where Pit Vipers Live

This group of snakes lives in many places around the world. In Europe and Asia, they are found from eastern Europe all the way to Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

In the Americas, they live from southern Canada down through Central America to southern South America. You can find pit vipers in many different habitats, from dry deserts to wet rainforests.

Pit Viper Reproduction

Most pit vipers are viviparous. This means the female snakes give birth to live young, instead of laying eggs.

However, some pit vipers are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. It is believed that these egg-laying pit vipers guard their eggs to keep them safe. Many young pit vipers have tails that are brightly colored and look different from the rest of their body.

Types of Pit Vipers

Here are some of the different groups (genera) of pit vipers:

• Moccasins (Agkistrodon)
• Jumping pitvipers (Atropoides)
• Palm-pitvipers (Bothriechis)
• Forest-pitvipers (Bothriopsis)
• Lanceheads (Bothrops)
• Malayan pitviper (Calloselasma)
• Montane pitvipers (Cerrophidion)
• Rattlesnakes (Crotalus)
• Hundred-pace pitviper (Deinagkistrodon)
• Asian moccasins (Gloydius)
• Hump-nosed pit vipers (Hypnale)
• Bushmasters (Lachesis)
• Mexican horned pitvipers (Ophryacus)
• Mountain pit vipers (Ovophis)
• Hognose pit vipers (Porthidium)
• Ground rattlesnakes (Sistrurus)
• Asian lanceheads (Trimeresurus)
• Temple vipers (Tropidolaemus)

See also

In Spanish: Crotalinos para niños