Russell's Viper

Russell's viper is a highly venomous snake of South Asia. It grows to a maximum body and tail length of 166cm and averages about 120cm in mainland Asia. The snout is blunt, rounded and raised, the crown is covered with irregular, strongly fragmented scales, and the eyes are large and flecked with yellow or gold. The dorsal scales are strongly keeled, and its fangs average 16.5mm (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is terrestrial and active mainly as a night forager. Mating is generally early in the year, young are produced from May to November, mostly in June and July, and gestation is more than six months. It feeds primarily on rodents, though it will also eat small reptiles, land crabs and scorpions, while juveniles are crepuscular and feed on lizards. Its range includes Nepal.