Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am doing some research before buying my first venomous snake and have decided on either a copperhead or a horned viper.

Question..... are there any known regional variations in the level of toxity (spelling ?) in these snakes ? Thanks

Hi mate

Regional variations in venom and toxicity are well established for many snakes. For an example, have a read of the study we did on regional variations in death adder venoms.

No doubt the same is true for both the species you are asking about.

Cheers
B
Death adder variations in toxicity and response to antivenom

With horned vipers sometimes you're not even sure which species you're getting. Telling the difference between hornless C. cerastes and C. viper or gasperetti is nearly impossible. At any rate, C. cerastes itself has a pretty big range, but I'm pretty sure most imported specimens come from Egypt, if that helps.