Identifying Pit Vipers

Identifying Pit Vipers

Pit vipers have the following features, which help differentiate them from nonvenomous snakes:

  • Arrowhead-shaped (triangular) heads

  • Elliptical pupils

  • Heat-sensing pits between the eyes and nose

  • Retractable fangs

  • A single row of subcaudal plates extending from the anal plate on the underside of the tail

In these topics