This is the third vintage viper drawing from the 11th edition encyclopedia which has provided so many wonderful illustrations and helped build Wikipedia. The controversial publication is in the public domain. So, if you are looking for a vintage viper drawing or bitis nasicornis drawing, you’ve come to the right place.
As you might have guessed from the name, this venomous viper has prominent nasal ‘horns.’ These guys grow about 28 to 42 inches long but are a bit thicker than most vipers of that length. They prefer forested areas and are primarily found in the interior parts of the African continent. They have something of a prehensile tail. That tail helps them climb (though they generally don’t climb higher than 10 feet. It is also why it would be inadvisable to pick them up by their tail – they could fling themselves upwards and strike.
The bitis nasicornis is nocturnal. Its coloring helps it hide among fallen trees or among tangled roots. On the forest floor, they are well-camouflaged. They are “placid creatures” and generally hiss before striking. Its hiss is said to be the loudest among African snakes; raising to almost a shriek.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
