Nose-horned viper

In Europe, the Nose-horned viper is distributed on the Balkan Peninsula, Northeastern Italy, Southern Austria, Southern Romania, Northern Asia Minor and Southwestern Georgia. In Bulgaria it is found throughout the country up to 1 450 m above sea level, and the nominated subspecies inhabits Northwestern Bulgaria (including Sofia). It also inhabits the Kresna protected area.

In Bulgaria, the Nose-horned viper reaches size up to 90 cm. The head is triangular, clearly separated from the body, and is covered on top with scales similar to the dorsal ones. On top of the snout almost always has a small horn covered with scales. The upper side of the body is light grey or grey-brown with a dark zigzag stripe. The abdomen is greyish with a pink tinge, with dark spots. Males have a more contrasting color, with a pronounced black edging, which in females is absent or weakly expressed. The end of the tail below is reddish or pale orange. These species are daily active, but sometimes come out at night during the summer heat. They feed on rodents, shrews, birds and lizards, but rarely on other snakes. They hunt mainly on the surface, sometimes in rodent holes. Their copulation is in May-June, and in August-September females give birth to 4 to 8 (in some exceptions 20) young. Тhe Nose-horned viper usually spends the winter together a lot in one place. The species prefers dry and stony habitats with sunny slopes with bushes and sparse forests. The habitats also include karst terrains with sparse vegetation, and the species can sometimes be found in vineyards and small arable land.

Unknown.

The Nose-horned viper is a protected species included in Annex 3 of the Biodiversity Act (BDA) and Annex II of the Bern Convention. The species is also included in Annex IV of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). The Nose-horned viper is included in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species with category Least Concern (LC).

*Note: For the description of amphibians and reptiles is used information from: Golemanski, V. & al. (eds). 2015. Red Data Book of the Republic of Bulgaria. Vol. 2. Animals. BAS & MoEW, Sofia [English ed.: ISBN 978-954-9746-22-8 (IBER – BAS), 978-954-8497-18-3 (MoEW)]; Biserkov, V. (Editor), 2007. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Bulgaria. Sofia, Green Balkans, 196 pp.; the website of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).