What is Mangrove Pit Viper?

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Class: Reptilia
• Order: Squamata
• Suborder: Serpentes
• Family: Viperidae
• Subfamily: Crotalinae
• Genus: Trimeresurus
• Species: T. purpureomaculatus
• Scientific Name: Trimeresuruspur pureomaculatus

Mangrove pit viper is a venomous pit viper native to India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. The male is 66.5 cm (26.2 in) long and the female is 90 cm (35 in) long. 

Mangrove pit viper is a very beautiful specimen with yellow checkered pattern on the lips .

The colors of Mangrove pit vipers are quite variable, so depending on what part of world because they are spread all across a lot of areas in Southeast Asia wherever you can find a suitable mangrove habitat. Besides, depending on the exact location or country where they are from, their colors and patterns can actually vary quite a lot. In Thailand, they are usually dark brown. But in some parts of Malaysia, you can even get a completely black ones or completely even greenish ones in some area. 

Mangrove pit vipers are similar and in the same genus as the white-lip pit viper.

Normally, mangrove pit viper coils motionless and looks like a branch in a mangrove tree. It is more active at night. Its pattern and color are ideally suited for blending into the habitat on the mangroves where it lives. 

This venomous pit viper can strike quickly from a long distance and is very aggressive. It is notorious for its bad temper. When distressed, it wags its tail very hard and makes a rattling sound. It is notoriously unpredictable and should be treated with caution. This snake gives no warning signals, and will strike easily in case of any threat. Its powerful blood toxin can cause serious disease and even death. During the day, it perches on low branches a metre or two above the ground.

It eats lizards, frogs and other small animals, and possibly small birds. Like other pit vipers, it has heat-sensing pits on its lips, which are used to detect prey.