The horned viper was recently one of the stars of a documentary produced by National Geographic.
It is one of the few snakes whose bite as well as extremely painful can be toxic, but not to the point of being fatal if you are not careful. "The horned viper is one of the two species of snakes that exist in our country. Contrary to the Viper-of-Seoane, which has a very localized distribution, specified in the zone of the Peneda-Geres, this specimen is distributed throughout the territory, though scattered and isolated populations, mainly related to mountain and Low degree of human occupation ", as says the biologist Libério Sobreira, in an article on the official page of Quercus.
"His name comes from the fact that it has a nasal appendage up and trashed their identification is relatively easy in view of this feature and the fact be distinguished from other snakes by having a vertical pupil. Being reptiles, it is normal for their activity and behavior are affected by patterns of variation, both daily and annual temperature. It is essentially a diurnal snake and usually hibernates, although it may have a nocturnal activity in the warmer months and do not hibernate in areas with milder winters.
In Portugal, the knowledge of this species is still insufficient and therefore was placed with an indefinite status, thinking that is threatened to a greater or lesser degree, due to the fact that studies show that their populations are suffering a sharp decline.
Its decrease is mainly due to human activity and it is a consequence of increasingly severe disruption of their habitat, by forest fires and deliberate killing, either for commerce or for collectors want you to have an image associated with evil. It is a strictly protected species as part of Annex II of the Bern Convention and their capture, death, and trade are prohibited. "
http://www.quercus.pt/scid/webquercus/defaultArticleViewOne.asp?categoryID=616&articleID=1602
