It’s vacation time, and in the mountains, in particular, there is a risk of viper bites. Doru Panaitescu, a trainer at Fauna României – Conservation through Education and author of several books and photo albums on outdoor themes (caving, birds, off-road, reptiles), explains which viper species live in our country, where they can be found, how to identify them, and what to do to avoid being bitten by these snakes.
„When you go to the mountains in the warm season (right now it’s July and serious vacations are starting), you have the chance to find both the common viper and the horned viper on the trail. Note that vipers are not only found on rocks but also on edges, in rare forests, in meadows, and other open and semi-open habitats, being quite adaptable animals,” Panaitescu emphasizes in a Facebook post.
Here are the viper species that live in Romania and where they can be found:
Common Viper (Vipera berus)
- It is a medium-sized viper (smaller than the horned viper, at least for populations in our country) and can be found from low altitudes up to mountain ridges (even over 2,000 meters above sea level).
- Individuals can also be almost black or completely black - this is not another rare and reappeared species, as you may find in sensationalist media - it is just the typical chromatic variability of the species. On the left, you have a female with a less pronounced zigzag, on the right a male with a more pronounced zigzag. You can see individuals of various colors, as the species has a pronounced chromatic variability.
- It can be found in all counties in Banat, Crișana, Transylvania, plus western Oltenia, northern and central Moldova, and northern Muntenia. It is absent in southern Moldova (Galați), Dobrogea, and the Romanian Plain (absent in the counties east of the Jiu River from Dolj to Brăila).
Horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes)
- It is a large viper (larger than the common viper, at least for populations in our country) and can be found from low altitudes up to 800-1000 m (rarely above 1,000 m, at least in our country, for example in the Metaliferi Mountains - near Deva).
- Contrary to some local legends, it is not introduced by rangers in national parks and does not spread due to global warming, as you may find in sensationalist media. On the left, you have a female with a less pronounced zigzag, on the right a male with a more pronounced zigzag. You can see individuals of various colors, and this viper also has a pronounced chromatic variability.
- It can be found in Dobrogea and in the western and central parts of the country (in certain places in the counties of Timiș, Caraș Severin, Mehedinți, Gorj, Hunedoara, Alba, Sibiu, Vâlcea).
"And one last secret - the best antivenom is a distance of at least 1 meter from the animal!" warns the expert.
Here's what to do in case of a viper bite: How to avoid a viper bite and what to do if you get bitten by a snake