Western Russell's Viper

Russell's viper ( Daboia russelii ) on branch of tree. Venomous snake living in South Asia.

Photography: © Photo by Jaroslava V/Shutterstock

(Daboia russelii)

The western russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) is a large, highly venomous snake found across parts of South and Southeast Asia. It belongs to the viper family, Viperidae, and causes many serious snakebites each year.

Description

It has a sturdy body and a head clearly wider than its neck. Unlike some vipers, it lacks a heat-sensing pit between its eye and nostril.

Its body is usually light brown or earthy in colour, making it well suited to many of the habitats it lives in. Three rows of large, dark-edged brown markings run along its back. These markings are often surrounded by lighter colouring, giving the snake a distinctive pattern. The distinctive pattern varies between individuals; therefore, do not use colour and markings as a reason to approach or handle a snake. The scales along most of its body are strongly ridged, or keeled, rather than smooth. Its eyes have vertically shaped pupils.

Most individuals are around 1.5 metres long, although larger snakes can reach approximately 1.8 metres.

Important: Colour, markings and overall appearance can vary considerably between individual snakes. Photographs, descriptions and information on this website should not be relied upon to identify a potentially venomous snake. If you encounter a snake, keep your distance and leave identification and removal to trained professionals.

Distribution

The western russell’s viper has a wide but uneven distribution across South Asia. It occurs from Pakistan through India and Bangladesh, with populations also found in Sri Lanka. It is widespread in parts of India, including areas of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Records also come from other parts of the region, although some isolated records require further verification.

Habitat

This adaptable snake is not restricted to a single habitat type.

Often found in grassy areas, forested plantations or farmland, this species is a major cause of snakebite deaths, with thousands of fatalities reported each year. Their close proximity to humans, as they hunt rodents through farmland, has had a significant impact. Bites are more common during periods when rice fields are being planted or harvested. This species avoids dense forests and prefers more open, bushy areas where food sources are more abundant.

Diet

Rodents, particularly mice, make up much of the western russell’s viper’s diet. It may also eat small mammals, such as shrews, domestic cats and squirrels, and has been known to consume arthropods, such as scorpions or land crabs.

Its preference for rodents also helps explain why the species is frequently found around farms and human settlements, where rodents can be abundant.

Young snakes are usually very active hunters, and they mostly eat lizards.

Behaviour

The Western russell’s viper is mainly a ground-dwelling snake and is most active at night.

During cooler weather, however, it may also be seen during the day.

Adults are often slow-moving when undisturbed, but their behaviour can change dramatically when they feel threatened. A disturbed snake may become highly defensive and strike. As with all venomous snakes, the safest response is to keep well away and let it move away on its own.

Young snakes are generally more active than adults and may bite more quickly when disturbed.

Reproduction

The western russell’s viper gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Females can produce large litters, with 20–40 young being common, although recorded numbers can range from 5 to 50.

Mating generally occurs early in the year, and pregnancy lasts more than six months. Young are usually born between May and November, with most births occurring during June and August.

Like other snakes, a newborn russell’s viper is born with venom and can deliver a significant bite.

Venom

The western russell’s viper is considered one of the most medically important venomous snakes in Asia.

Its venom can interfere with the body’s normal blood-clotting system. Instead of allowing blood to form a normal clot, venom components can disrupt clotting, potentially causing widespread bleeding.

A bite can cause severe pain and swelling around the bite site. More serious effects can include blistering, abnormal bleeding, problems with blood clotting and kidney failure. Venom can also affect other parts of the body, and the severity of envenoming can vary between bites.

Predators

Urban development can destroy its habitat, limit food supply and has led to a decline in populations. Human persecution threatens this species, which is sometimes collected in India and Sri Lanka for the illegal venom trade. Despite these threats, population numbers have not been significantly affected across its range.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the russell’s viper as a species of least concern.

Fangtastic Fact

This species' venom can affect the body’s blood-clotting ability.

When we are injured, our blood normally forms a clot to help stop bleeding. Some parts of russell’s viper venom can interfere with this process, causing the blood to lose its ability to clot normally.

But the venom also contains a special enzyme that can switch on a clot-making protein called Factor X. This ability has made russell’s viper venom an important subject of scientific and medical research. Scientists have harnessed this unusual property and created the Dilute Russell's Viper Venom Time (dRVVT) test.

This test helps doctors find a problem called lupus anticoagulant, which is a type of antibody that can interfere with normal blood clotting.

In simple terms:

The venom “turns on” factor X.
This lets scientists watch how quickly the blood forms a clot.
If the blood takes longer to clot than normal, it can mean the person has lupus anticoagulant.

This gives doctors a controlled way to check how well part of the clotting system is working in the patient’s body and is an important tool in medical diagnosis and treatment.

Disclaimer

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Content on this website is provided for general educational purposes and is not suitable for identifying snakes or guiding interactions with them. While reasonable care is taken to ensure accuracy, no guarantee is made regarding completeness or suitability for specific circumstances. Wild snakes should not be approached or handled, and professional snake catchers should be contacted if assistance is required. By using this website, users acknowledge and accept these terms.

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