Threat to the Green Dragons

This blog is about an animal which majority of the people are not even aware of. People are aware of tigers moving towards extinction, people are aware of the Northern Black Rhinos moving towards extinction but surprisingly people are not aware of a snake whose population is more than 10 times less than the Northern Black Rhinos or Tigers. Every year a huge amount of money is being spent to save them but hardly any money is spent to educate people and conserve a snake that is truly on the verge of extinction. The ugly truth behind this is that people are more concerned about Tigers and Rhinos but snakes are looked upon by most of the people.

Here I am talking about the Mangshan Vipers. They are one of the most magnificent vipers found on the planet, endemic to the mountainous regions of Hunan and Guangdong in southern China living only in an area of 105 km2 and discovered in October 1989. They are called by many other names like the Mountain Mang Pit Viper, Mangshan Iron-Head Snake, Chinese Pit Viper or Ironhead Viper but locally it is known as the Green Dragon.

Mangshan Vipers (Protobothrops mangshanensis) belong to the Viperidae family of snakes and are the largest viper species found in China. The adults can weigh up to 3 to 5 kg and can reach up to a length of 6 to 7 feet. These nocturnal snakes are also a true camouflage artists as can be seen through the mix of colors they possess, surely it is difficult to spot them in areas with heavy vegetation. Usually most of the Vipers are viviparous i.e. they directly give birth to the young ones but unlike most of the vipers, Mangshan Vipers are oviparous i.e. they lay eggs and do not give birth directly to the young ones.

Now lets talk about the hunting mechanism of these eye capturing snakes. Apart from them being able to camouflage, they use another trick to lure their prey in their striking range. The tip of the tail of the Mangshan Vipers is white. As soon as they sense a potential prey nearby, they start to wiggle the tip of their tail to mimic a worm or a small insect. And as soon as their prey comes close in their striking range, they attack in a split of a second and enjoy a happy meal. This behavior is known as Caudal Luring.

The Manghans are nocturnal and therefore they hunt during the night time, but how are they able to see and hunt in pitch dark? Mangshan Vipers are Pit Vipers and they have heat sensing pits in between their nostrils and head on both the sides. These pits help them to sense temperature changes in the environment as infrared rays which helps them to locate warm blooded animals such as a rodent.

A pit basically has 2 chambers. The internal or the interior chamber measures the internal temperature of the snake whereas the outer or exterior chamber changes its temperature according to the environment. For example when a snake is close to a heat source like a warm blooded animal, its outer chamber heats up thus helping the snake to detect the temperature difference. This system is so accurate that a Pit Viper can detect temperature change of as small as 0.002 degree celsius.

The Mangshan vipers possess a venom which is a combination of both Hemotoxic and Cytotoxic properties. The Cytotoxic part of the venom majorly affects the site or place of bite. The venom causes immense pain and swelling around the wound. Also necrosis can set in, destroying the muscle, tissues and cells. The immense pain leads to an increase in your heart rate which makes the venom spread faster. As the venom eats away the tissue cells, it also enters the blood stream which then goes to the other organs with the venom mixed in it, this then can lead to even organ failure and potentially death. It venom can also cause improper functioning of the kidneys or even amputation of the limb.

The Hemotoxic part of the venom does more of an internal damage than an external damage. This venom destroys the red blood cells and prevents the blood from clotting. This can lead to internal bleeding which can be a cause of death. The venom causes pain, swelling, necrosis (The death of most or all the cells in an organ or a tissue) and haemorrhage. It destroys the muscle tissue at the place of bite and damages the circulatory or cardiovascular system.

Where most of the Hemotoxic venom prevents the capacity of blood to clot, some can also lead to blood clotting. This takes place in the veins which prevents the blood from flowing and the heart has to pump even faster to allow blood circulation, this leads to overwork by the heart which is a cause of heart attack. Hemotoxic venom can also lead to kidney problems as the kidney will have to filer large amounts of dead blood cells which can lead to clogging. Sometimes blood blisters can also develop around the wound which is caused due to bleeding just under the skin surface through the tissues.

But what makes its nasty venom, more nastier is that there is no anti-venom for its venom. The reason is that their current population is so low that the scientists cannot risk even an individual to be used for the production of anti-venom.

Their current population is less than 500 and on top of it, it is an endemic species which if somehow vanishes from the mountain ranges of China, will be eradicated from the entire planet. It is listed as an Endangered species according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Successful breeding programs have been established in China, Germany, and the U.S. to maintain insurance populations.

Threats to the Mangshan Viper

Construction of roads and development of the area for tourism leads to habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation. Another reason for habitat loss in the area is illegal harvest of bamboo shoot. Illegal collection for pet trade and zoo displays is also a significant reason. The price of the Mangshan Viper in the black market is more than 1000 US dollars per kg. There only hope is us. Humans have made a lot of mistakes in the past and this might be an opportunity to correct some. The concerned authorities will and are playing their part. Our part is only to educate ourselves and the others around us because our ignorance can have a serious impact on an entire species. Mangshan Vipers are one of my personal favourites, I hope that I was successful to educate you about a snake unknown to the masses and contribute my bit for their conservation.