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Celebrate the Year of the Snake

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A black and tan snake with highly textured scales coils in the dirt.
Adult South American bushmaster. Photo by Jamie Pham

This year鈥檚 Lunar New Year celebrations are ushering in the Year of the Snake鈥攆ang-tastic news since the Zoo is home to an especially wide variety of vipers, boas, pythons, and more. For a sneak preview of the snakes you鈥檒l see in the Zoo鈥檚 LAIR, as well as some fun facts, check out the photos in our gallery. These reptiles are nothing to hiss at!

Vipers

Vipers are venomous snakes known for their fangs. The animals鈥� long fangs are hollow, and when they鈥檙e not in use, they fold back into the snake鈥檚 mouth, ready to spring out filled with venom. The Zoo has many species of vipers, including both pit vipers like rattlesnakes and Old World vipers like the Gaboon.

Gaboon Viper

A cream colored snake with brown patches and an alert eye moves throughleaves.
The Gaboon viper has the longest fangs of any venomous snake, measuring two inches long or more. With the highest venom yield (the amount of venom held in their venom glands at one time) of all venomous snakes, Gaboon vipers have a deadly bite, but it鈥檚 rare for them to bite humans. Photo by Jamie Pham

Saharan Horned Viper

The long figure eight of a snake twists through fine sand, ending in a triangular head with two pointed protrusions above the eyes.
You might miss the Saharan horned viper, as it often burrows into sand to hide. Look for its head and signature 鈥渉orns鈥� poking out, which are actually modified scales just above its eyes. The horns are thought to help camouflage the snake by distracting from its large eyes. Photo by Jamie Pham

Armenian Viper

A grey and brown snake drapes itself across a decaying log.
Although it鈥檚 named for just one of its native range countries, the Armenian viper is also found in Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Due to its preference for rocky habitats, the Armenian viper is also known as the mountain viper. Rough grey and brown coloring helps it blend into its stony surroundings. Photo by Jamie Pham

European Long-nosed Viper

A small, orange and brown snake with what looks like a long nose balances on a bare twig.
As with the Saharan horned viper, the 鈥渉orn鈥� on the European long-nosed viper isn鈥檛 a horn at all. It鈥檚 actually soft and flexible. Nevertheless, this snake is considered the most dangerous snake in Europe due to the amount and toxicity of its venom. Photo by Jamie Pham

Mangrove Viper

The head of a rough, black snake shows a gleaming eye.
The mangrove viper is named for the type of trees it prefers to inhabit. Mangrove trees thrive in salt water! Their namesake vipers are a bit salty as well; they鈥檙e known for their tempers, which, combined with their concentrated venom and speed of striking, make them dangerous animals. Photo by Jamie Pham

Mangshan Viper

Thick-bodied green snake rests on a smooth, grey stone.
This mottled green and brown viper is a recent discovery. Despite laying many eggs, these snakes are almost extinct in the wild. There are an estimated 500 individuals left in their very small native range of southeastern China. Photo by Jamie Pham

Temple Viper

A slim green snake with fine black stripes curls around a branch.
No, this green snake isn鈥檛 found in temples. Rather it got its nickname from living near Malaysia鈥檚 Temple of the Azure Cloud. The temple viper resides mostly in trees, using its prehensile tail to climb and move about the canopy. Photo by Jamie Pham

South American Bushmaster

A baby snake emerges from a soft shell.
With a maximum length of about 12 feet, the bushmaster is the largest of all venomous snakes in the Western Hemisphere. It has one of the deadliest snake bites in the world, with an especially high mortality rate without prompt medical treatment. However, the bushmaster is also one of the few snakes known to guard its eggs, sometimes coiling around the clutch in order to deter predators. Photo by Jamie Pham

Mexican West Coast Rattlesnake

The head of a medium brown snake rests on the coils of its body.
The sound of a rattlesnake鈥檚 rattle is not a warning that it鈥檚 about to bite. It鈥檚 a warning that tells hearers that it doesn鈥檛 want to strike. Even when a rattlesnake does bite, it can choose not to release venom into its target. Such bites are called 鈥渄ry bites.鈥� Photo by Jamie Pham

Red Diamond Rattlesnake

Rattles on a snake are created through the shedding process. They are hard to the touch and both feel and look like human fingernail substance鈥攂ecause they are! Our nails and snakes鈥� rattles are both made from keratin. Photo by Jamie Pham

Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake

A white and cream-colored snake winds itself into a tight coil.
This species of rattlesnake is listed as critically endangered. It鈥檚 a rattlesnake without a functioning rattle, an adaptation thought to have been developed due to a lack of natural predators in its native habitat of Santa Catalina Island off the Baja California peninsula. The introduction of non-native species to the island has increased threats to the snake, and the Zoo is working to safeguard the population with the establishment of a managed breeding program, both here in Los Angeles and at other AZA institutions around the country. Photo by Jamie Pham

Pythons

Instead of venom, pythons use their size and strength to cut off blood flow to a quarry鈥檚 vital organs, dispatching the prey more quickly than by using suffocation alone. They squeeze the breath out of their catch, then swallow it whole, usually headfirst. In the Zoo鈥檚 LAIR, you鈥檒l find two types of pythons: the green tree python and the rough-scaled python.

Green Tree Python

A bright green and yellow snake extends its forked tongue.
This python will drape itself on a branch in a series of concentric loops with its head hanging downward, ready to strike. Occasionally it will use the tip of its prehensile tail to mimic a worm, which is thought to lure unsuspecting prey. Photo by Jamie Pham

Rough-scaled Python

A large snake with a swirling brown and tan pattern looks out with a silver-blue eye.
In contrast to smooth snakes, the rough-scaled python has textured鈥攐r keeled鈥攕cales. Their grippiness helps this snake climb sandstone in its native western Australia. The L.A. Zoo was one of the first zoos outside of Australia to breed this rare species. Photo by Jamie Pham

More Scaled Superstars

West African Green Mamba

A green snake with large scale and a small, tapered tail wraps around a branch.
The West African green mamba belongs to a group of snakes called elapids. Elapids are venomous like vipers, but their short fangs are fixed in place. Like another elapid鈥攖he cobra鈥擶est African green mambas can flatten their necks to create a subtle hood. The West African green mamba is a fast-moving tree dweller. Its smooth green scales help it blend into its leafy environment. Photo by Mike Elliott

Rosy Boa

Close up on the pink, vertical strips of a rosy boa鈥檚 smooth scales.
Like all boas, the rosy boa is a constrictor. It is found in the Mojave Desert (California, Nevada, and Arizona) as well as the Colorado Desert, part of the Sonoran Desert, and the Coachella and Imperial Valleys in California extending south to Mexico. Photo by Jamie Pham

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