Pope's Pit Viper in Threatening Posture
Pope's Pit Viper (Trimeresurus popeiorum)
Photo by: Yu Zeng, Aug 2009, Malaysia
Yu Zeng, IB Grad student works in the Wake Lab and Dudley Lab.
A Pope's Pit Viper (Trimeresurus popeiorum) was encountered by the photographer at night in a fieldtrip on Genting Highland, Malaysia. This is a venomous species that widely distributes over SE Asia. Their green coloration helps them to hide on shrubs or trees, where they coil and ambush preys, including amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and birds. The infrared sensors located in the pit organs near their eyes can facilitate their tracking and targeting of warm-blooded preys.
