That one is the Bushmaster viper and it has re-evolved egg laying." And all New World pit vipers but one have live birth. "But," he added, "That is not true of some basal Asian pit vipers. That means the eggs are fertilized and incubate inside the mother and she gives birth to live young. Most vipers are ovoviviparous, Savitzky said. The venom breaks down lipids, acids and proteins in the prey during the digestive process. Since they swallow their prey whole, digesting it is a big job not helped by vipers' generally inefficient digestive systems. In addition to killing prey and injuring predators, viper venom helps vipers digest their food, according to Sfetcu. All viper bites should be treated seriously and medical attention should be paid. Death usually occurs from a dramatic collapse in blood pressure. It causes intense swelling, pain and necrosis, which is cell death and decay. "Vipers in general tend to have enzymetic venom that affects general tissues," Savitzky said. Savitzky pointed out that European vipers (adders) have relatively moderate venom that is not highly lethal, while Gaboon vipers, which are found in sub-Saharan Africa, have highly potent venom. The severity of a viper bite depends on the species and if it was a wet or dry bite, which contains no venom. The bitten prey wanders off, dies and the viper uses its sense of smell to find it. They then immediately release the prey so that it cannot bite back. This means that once they have identified their prey, they strike it and inject venom. Vipers engage in a hunting activity called prey relocation, according to an article in BMC Biology journal. When their prey is dead, they swallow it whole. Prey includes small mammals, birds, lizards and eggs, according to Savitzky. Vipers eat a variety of food depending on the size of the snake. Because they're not expending a lot of energy, low resting metabolic rate, and eat large things, they can afford to do that." "They detect where prey is most likely to be chemically and just wait. "Most vipers are ambush predators," said Savitzky. Their perceived sluggishness impacts their hunting tactics. For example, Africa's puff adder can strike at a speed of a quarter of a second, according to Perry's Bridge Reptile Park in South Africa. Nevertheless, vipers have a speedy strike. They are more inclined to blend in with the surrounding brush, rocks or ground cover when being approached by a predator than to slither away. This is because many vipers rely on their camouflage for protection rather than their ability to move quickly. They often appear sluggish compared to other snakes, according to Nicolae Sfetcu, author of " Reptiles: Crocodiles, Alligators, Lizards, Snakes, Turtles" (Lulu Press, 2011). They live in mountains, rainforests, fields and deserts. Vipers' habitats vary across their nearly worldwide range. Dry bites enable vipers to conserve their previous venom, which can run out and takes a while to replenish, according to an article in the journal Tropical and Geographical Medicine. This is known as a dry bite and is common in human snakebites. Vipers can extend their fangs and bite without injecting venom. This allows their fangs to grow relatively long, according to Andrew Solway, author of " Deadly Snakes" (Heinemann-Raintree, 2005). When not in use, vipers’ hinged fangs fold up and lie against the roof of the snake’s mouth. Their mouths can open nearly 180 degrees so the ability to rotate their fangs within that space is an advantage. Vipers can rotate their fangs together or independently, which allows them to wait until the last second to erect their fangs. Venom travels down through the follow teeth to be injected into prey as the viper bites. These fangs connect to venom glands located behind the eyes at the back upper part of the jaw. Vipers are known for their extreme fangs, which are long, hollow, hinged and rotatable, according to an article in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. Additionally, most vipers have keeled scales, vertically elliptical pupils and coloring and patterns that serve as camouflage. Some nonvenomous species have evolved a similarly shaped head in order to potentially trick predators into thinking they are vipers. This head shape is due to the placement of their large venom glands in the mouth. Almost all vipers have a distinctive triangular head, according to Discover magazine.
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