Another member of the Big Four snakes in India, Russel’s viper is mostly found in open, grassy, or bushy areas and in highly urbanized areas and settlements in the countryside. As a result, people working outside in these areas are most at risk of being bitten. These snakes are primarily nocturnal but during cool weather, they become more active during the day. They are usually sluggish in nature unless pushed beyond a certain limit, after which ...
they can become very aggressive. When threatened, they form a series of S-loops, raise the first third of the body, and produce a loud hiss. When ready to strike from this position, they can exert so much force lifting most of their body off the ground, and may react violently to being picked up. The quantity of venom produced by individual specimens of these species is 130-250 mg, 150-250 mg, and 21-268 mg. For most humans, a lethal dose is about 40-70 mg, well within the amount that can be delivered in one bite.
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