Table: Is That a Pit Viper? - MSD Manual Consumer Version

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Is That a Pit Viper?

Pit vipers have certain features that can help distinguish them from nonvenomous snakes:

Vertical slitlike pupils
Pits between the eyes and nose
Retractable fangs
Rows of single scales across the underside of the tail
Triangular heads (like an arrowhead)

Nonvenomous snakes tend to have the following:

Rounded heads
Round pupils
No pits
No fangs
Rows of double scales across the underside of the tail

If people see a snake with no fangs, they should not assume it is nonvenomous because the fangs may be retracted.

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