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Mexican Horned Pit Viper
Ophryacus undulatus
The Mexican Horned Pit Viper is a stunning, venomous montane snake endemic to Mexico, best known for the dramatic, horn-like protective scales towering above its eyes.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Viperidae
Subfamily:Crotalinae
Genus:Ophryacus
Species:Ophryacus undulatus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
65 - 80 %
Day temperature
18 - 22 °C
Ambient temperature
18 - 22 °C
Night temperature
12 - 15 °C
Basking spot
26 - 28 °C
Adult size
70 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 120 L
Brumation temperature
10 - 13 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the montane regions of central and southern Mexico, including the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Guerrero. It primarily inhabits humid pine-oak forests, cloud forests, and moist montane scrublands at elevations between 1800 and 2800 meters.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the family Viperidae, subfamily Crotalinae, genus Ophryacus. This species is a medium-sized pit viper. Genetic lineage shows specialized adaptations to cooler, high-altitude humid environments, differentiating it from tropical lowland vipers.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal and crepuscular ambush predator. It exhibits semi-arboreal tendencies, frequently climbing low shrubs and branches to forage or thermoregulate, though it remains largely terrestrial. It hunts lizards, small rodents, and occasionally frogs.
Morphology: Features a slender, slightly compressed body with a partially prehensile tail. Its defining morphological feature is the presence of enlarged, spine-like supraocular scales forming distinct flexible horns over each eye. Adults typically reach lengths between 50 and 70 cm.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a medium-sized terrarium (e.g., 80x50x60 cm / 32x20x24 inches) with a mix of horizontal and vertical climbing space. Provide sturdy climbing branches, dense artificial or real foliage, and a soft forest floor substrate covered with sphagnum moss and leaf litter.
Lighting and Heating: Cool-climate species. Maintain a distinct thermal gradient with a basking spot of 26-28°C (78-82°F) and ambient daytime temperatures of 20-24°C (68-75°F). A significant nighttime drop to 15-18°C (59-64°F) is essential. Low-level UVB lighting is recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: Needs high relative humidity (70-85%). Perform daily misting with clean, de-chlorinated water. Excellent ventilation is critical; stale, waterlogged air will cause respiratory issues. Provide a small water dish, though they prefer drinking droplets.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feed appropriately sized mice every 10-14 days. Juveniles may require lizard-scented prey to trigger a feeding response. Always use long feeding tongs and safe shifting protocols; never handle the snake directly due to its venomous nature.
Compatibility: Strictly solitary. This is a highly venomous pit viper with hemotoxic venom. It is not compatible with any other animals. Handling must be restricted to professional tools like snake hooks, tongs, and acrylic tubes.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly susceptible to respiratory infections (RIs) if the enclosure lacks adequate ventilation. Muddy or soaked substrates will lead to blister disease (dermatitis). Mouth rot (infectious stomatitis) can also occur if humidity levels drop too low.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Endemic to the montane regions of central and southern Mexico, including the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Guerrero. It primarily inhabits humid pine-oak forests, cloud forests, and moist montane scrublands at elevations between 1800 and 2800 meters.
Origin
Central America and Caribbean
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 70 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 70 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 70 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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