Indonesian Pit Viper

Southeast Asia Snakes

Snakes ~ Vipers ~ Indonesian Pit Viper

Indonesian pit-vipers are one of the few arboreal Southeast Asian viper species that lays eggs instead of bearing young. They are commonly distributed across the Peninsular in lowland to mid-level rainforest. The Indonesian pit-viper, sometimes called 'hagen' for short, is light green in colouration with a row of white spots along the flanks on the dorsum as well as a white ventrolateral stripe.

A orange postocular stripe may be present but some specimens have been recorded without stripes or spots on the body. They hunt frogs, lizards and small mammals in the wild, packing a powerful venom that should be considered highly dangerous. In Southeast Asia, this species also occurs in Thailand and Indonesia (Sumatra).