bush viper
Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson
December 31, 2023 ·  2 min read

The Bush Viper Looks Like An Ancient Dragon

Do you regularly avoid humans and spend most of your time relaxing until it’s time to eat? You may be a bush viper.

When I first came across the Spiny Bush Viper, I was almost positive that it wasn’t a real creature. It has scales, or spines, that resemble pretty much every single fictitious dragon I have ever seen or imagined.

To my surprised pleasure, these snakes are in fact the real deal.

Their scientific name is Atheris, and they are a genus of venomous vipers known as bush vipers. They are found only in tropical sub-Saharan Africa. These snakes live in Congo, Uganda, and Kenya, but are rarely seen in the wild because they inhabit regions that are distant from the human settlements. For the same reason, an exact number of remaining spiny bush vipers in the wild is unknown.

Growing in lengths of up to approximately 23-29 inches, they might not be the largest snake in the world, but they don’t need to be big to do some damage.

Bush Vipers are ambush predators who live in trees and spend most of their time in the highest branches in order to find unsuspecting prey. And they’re nocturnal, so they know when to find the easiest meal.

It’s a good thing they tend to avoid humans, and that humans don’t typically enter their natural habitat. Why you ask? Well, these snakes are highly venomous and because of their rarity, it has been impossible to find or create an antivenom.

Usually, a bush viper snake can be found in a variety of colors that have a similarity with the outdoors, such as green, olive green, bluish colors, or some type of brownish color, but there are some strikingly unique variations that have been spotted and captured on film.

Beautiful bush viper

bush viper

Look at those scales! They are beyond perfection and it is stunningly beautiful.

bush viper

This snake usually appears in shades of green, brown, red, and blue with variations of all hues being seen in some species.

bush viper

Just looking at these creatures makes me instantly think of dragons, don’t you agree?

bush viper
bush viper

They truly are amazing snakes, and even if you don’t like snakes, you have to admit that these are beautiful and magical beings. Let’s hope they stay away from humans for another few centuries.

Keep Reading: What Snake Venom Does To Your Blood