Silent Slumber

A female White Lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris), in a state of brumation, while in her enclosure at a Local Snake Park. This species of Pit Vipers is an arboreal, nocturnal hunting, snake species that are found in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Being arboreal, they spend most their time in trees, where they bask in the sunlight, collect water, and/or ambush unsuspecting prey (i.e. birds or small mammals), that are unfortunate to cross their path while foraging around. Their venom is primarily haemotoxic.

To help them better camouflage themselves into the jungle surroundings, White Lipped Vipers are green in colour, with yellow eyes and red tails. However, males and females are dimorphic by nature, where male White Lipped Pit Vipers are usually smaller in size and have distinctive white side lines, that run along the entire length of their bodies. Females are slightly larger, but do not have any side lines.

Both males and females possess thermal pits, situated on either side of their head, between the nostrils and eyes, as seen in this photo. These pits function as heat seekers that allow the Vipers to detect warm-blooded prey and track their movement, especially at nighttime, while waiting for the perfect moment to strike.