Russell's Viper

Russell's viper is a highly venomous snake of the family Viperidae, native to South Asia. It was described in 1797 by George Shaw and Frederick Polydore Nodder from a specimen presented to the British Museum by Patrick Russell, after whom it is named. Its bite is known to be extremely painful, and it is counted among the 'Big Four' venomous snakes of the region, the species responsible for the most serious snakebites (Wikipedia, general species account).

Analysis of morphological and mitochondrial DNA data has shown that the eastern populations belong to a separate species, Daboia siamensis. The Sri Lankan form once named as the subspecies pulchella is now treated as a synonym of the nominate species. Nationally Least Concern (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).