第 0316 號，共 1 402 號

Russell's viper

Daboia russelii

名字的由來： It is named after Patrick Russell, a naturalist who described the snake in 1796. The genus name is thought to come from the Hindi word daboyā, meaning "that lies hid" or "the lurker".1

致命地球上最致命的動物之一。如果牠咬了你，要立刻求救。快速救援和抗毒血清能救活大多數人。立刻打緊急電話。

蝰蛇

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

Russell's viper is a highly venomous snake of South Asia. It is one of the "Big Four" venomous snakes of the region, known for a bite that is extremely painful. It often lives close to people because it hunts the rodents found in farms and villages.1

分布在

India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, in South Asia1

亞洲

首頁

It lives in open grassy or bushy areas, scrub jungle, forest plantations and farmland, mostly on plains, coastal lowlands and hills. It is often found in urbanised areas and villages, where rodents are common, so people working outside in these areas are most at risk of being bitten.1

長度

1,7 m (5,4 ft)1

最高速度

大約 3,9 km/h（2,4 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It feeds mainly on rodents. It also eats small reptiles, land crabs, scorpions and other arthropods. Young snakes hunt lizards at dusk, and they become rodent specialists as they grow.1

Russell's viper 的照片 — Russell's viper。照片：AChawla。 CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

A deep yellow, tan or brown body with three rows of dark brown spots running along its length1
Each dark spot has a black ring with a white or yellow rim around it1
A pair of dark patches on the temples, and a pinkish, salmon or brownish V or X marking on the head1
A flattened, triangular head that is clearly separate from the neck1
A stout, rounded body with a short tail, about 14% of total length1

常被誤認為： The rough-scaled sand boa, Eryx conicus, often has a colour pattern similar to Russell's viper. It is completely harmless, so care is still needed with any snake that looks like this.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its fangs are long and hollow, and it produces a large amount of venom, with adults yielding about 130 to 250 mg in some reports. Bite symptoms begin with severe pain and swelling, followed by bleeding from the gums and in the urine, a drop in blood pressure and a slower heart rate. Blistering can spread along the limb, and kidney failure occurs in about 25 to 30 percent of untreated bites.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

It is known for an extremely painful bite and is one of the "Big Four" venomous snakes of the region. The lethal dose for most humans is about 40 to 70 mg, which is within the amount one bite can deliver. Death can follow 1 to 14 days after the bite, or sometimes later, from infection, kidney failure, breathing failure or heart failure. In one study of people who survived bites, 29% suffered severe damage to the pituitary gland, which later caused hypopituitarism.1

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When threatened, it forms a series of S-shaped loops, raises the front third of its body and hisses loudly.1

如果牠咬人

Early medical treatment and early access to antivenom can prevent severe complications and greatly reduce the chance of a fatal outcome. Seek medical care as soon as possible after any bite.1
讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，讓被咬的手臂或腿保持在和心臟一樣的高度，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 3 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 9 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 92 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Russell's viper 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Russell's viper 大約 3,9 km/h (2,4 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

When it strikes, it can exert so much force that large individuals lift off the ground.1

Its hiss is said to be louder than that of any other snake.1

Adults are usually slow and sluggish and rarely attack unless provoked, but they can strike very quickly.1

A harmless sand boa has evolved a colour pattern that looks like this viper, which may help it avoid predators.1

The mother can take nearly 4.5 hours to give birth, as one recorded birth of 11 young shows.1

破解迷思

迷思： Russell's vipers chase people and bite them.

真相： They usually do not attack unless provoked. Their threat display of S-shaped loops and hissing has led to the belief that they chase people, but they are strong and may react violently if picked up.1

給毒液專家

學名: Daboia russelii
類群: 蝰蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 亞洲
寶寶: It gives birth to live young (ovoviviparous). Litters of 20 to 40 are common, though a litter may be as small as one, and the reported maximum is 75.1
對人的危險: 5 / 5: 致命3