Vipera ammodytes
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Vipera ammodytes, commonly known as horned viper, long-nosed viper, nose-horned viper, and sand viper, is a species of viper found in northern Italy, the Balkans, and parts of Asia Minor. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs (up to 13 mm) and high venom toxicity. The specific name, ammodytes, is derived from the Greek words ammos, meaning "sand", and dutes, meaning "burrower" or "diver", despite its preference for rocky habitats. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
V. ammodytes grows to an average total length (snout-tail) of 85 cm (33.5 in), although individuals usually measure less than 75 cm (29.5 in). Maximum length also depends on locality, with northern forms distinctly larger than southern ones. In one field study on Golem Grad island (in North Macedonia), for example, females averaged 35 cm., and males at 37 cm.; the largest captured during the study was a male, at 66 cm. long. This indicates some degree of regional or insular dwarfism.
The head is covered in small, irregular scales, that are either smooth... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chomutov Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Parken Zoo | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 7 | Ljubljana Zoo | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 8 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Zagreb Zoo | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 12 | Zoo di Pistoia | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 13 | Cherkasy Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 14 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 15 | Freiland-Aquarium und -Terrarium Stein | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 16 | Public Aquarium and Tropicarium | 🇷🇸 Serbia | |
| 17 | Public marine aquarium of Trieste | 🇮🇹 Italy |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Nose-horned Viper sighting in Triglav National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 11 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and November
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Nose-horned Viper in Triglav National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Nose-horned Viper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Nose-horned Viper sightings, Triglav National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Nose-horned Viper is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Triglav National Park (61 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
