Habitat

Geographic range:
Pit vipers span a huge portion of the world.  In Asia, pit vipers extend from eastern Europe to Japan and Indonesia.  Specifically, the Bamboo pit viper is mostly found in the dense jungles of Southern India.  Some Individual snakes may be in other southeast Asia countries like China and Nepal, but for the most part this species is isolated in southern India.

                                          

Habitat:
    The Bamboo pit vipers prefer the cool environment created by dense jungle or bamboo foliage.  Bamboo pit vipers are often found close to streams, where there is an abundance of small prey to hunt.  The thick foliage provides for coverage for the Bamboo pit viper to hide from prey and predator, as well as coverage from the unpredictable jungle weather.  The climate in Southern India is mostly a warm, wet, tropical climate.
  Like most snakes, pit vipers are solitary creatures, coming together only to mate.  However, Bamboo pit vipers interact with smaller prey and larger predator mammals.  Ideally a Bamboo pit viper would live in an environment where there is only prey and no predators.  Obviously, this is unlikely, so the Bamboo pit vipers have many adaptations that allow them to hide from predators and catch prey.  The pit vipers also share their environment with other organisms such as the Asian elephant and the red panda, though there is not much interaction between Bamboo pit vipers and larger animals.
     Like many other organisms, the Bamboo pit viper is threatened by human expansion into their habitat. India's population is increasing very rapidly, and as humans tear down the jungles in southern India, they are destroying the Bamboo pit vipers home.  Because these pit vipers are only found in a small part of the world, destroying their habitat can happen quickly, and the Bamboo pit viper could become extinct in a very short time.  Hopefully, laws will soon be created to protect the Bamboo pit viper's home before its too late.

   

 

 

  
                                                              Learn about the Bamboo pit viper's adaptations
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