AnimalvsAnimal
Adder (S) 1467102800🐍

Photo: Miika Silfverberg · CC BY-SA 2.0

SpeciesViperidae
Reptiles

🐍Adder

Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vipera berus, commonly known as the common European adder and the common European viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is extremely widespread, and thus can be found throughout much of Europe, and as far as East Asia. There are three recognised subspecies.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
8
Photos
5
Measurements
10
vs you
≈ 1/220th of your weight
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2021.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
0.28 kg
Body length
0.75 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
19 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Adder

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
0.28 kgrecord 0.23 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
0.75 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
19 yearsrecord 25 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Gestation
2.0 years
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Diet
Carnivorous
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Cathemeral
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
AMB
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
Yes
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Snout–vent length
0.59 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Volume l
0.3 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Adder yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classSquamata
  4. ›familyViperidae
  5. ›genusVipera
  6. ›speciesVipera berus
Full lineage
  1. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  2. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  3. subfamilyViperinae
  4. genusVipera
All 14 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. superorderLepidosauria
  10. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  11. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  12. familyViperidae
  13. subfamilyViperinae
  14. genusVipera
More

More about the Adder

In other languages
kyy (fi), Kreuzotter (de), hugorm (da), hoggorm (nb), zmije obecná (cs), Vipère péliade (fr) … and 26 more languages
More photos
Adder (S) 1467102800Benny Trapp Vipera berusAdder (Vipera berus) (44226813554)
All 5 photos in the gallery →

Animals caught on camera

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Scaling lab

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Tree of life

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