Lataste’s viper  (Vipera latastei)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).

Lataste’s viper is a terrestrial, venomous and, occasionally, cannibalistic snake (3) (4). Characterized by a pointed, up-turned snout (5), this small species, like most vipers, has a triangular head and two apical pits. It has a variable body colouration, ranging from grey to dark brown, and a darker zig-zag pattern adorns the upperside, acting as a warning signal to avian predators that this species is venomous (4). A set of dark spots are also visible on the sides of the body (5).

This viper occurs in scattered populations spread across the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain), Morocco and Algeria. The range also once extended into Tunisia but these localized populations are now possibly extinct (1).

Lataste’s viper typically favours stony or rocky areas with scattered vegetation, such as woodland or dry scrubland, and may also be found in coastal dunes (1) (5).

Thought to be an ambush predator, Lataste’s viper employs a ‘sit-and-wait’ strategy to capture prey (6). Its diet comprises mainly reptiles and small mammals, although other types of prey, including arthropods, amphibians and birds, are also taken. The diet varies according to season and age (6), and may even result in occasional cannibalism during periods of low prey densities (3). Despite its small size, Lataste’s viper is considered to be one of the most aggressively defensive of all Vipera species; if threatened, it will strike repeatedly while producing a loud hiss (4).

Lataste’s viper is a viviparous snake (5), meaning females give birth to live young that have developed within the body, with each female reproducing every three years on average (2). In the Iberian Peninsula, mating was observed between autumn and spring (2), while in Morocco it was recorded in April and May, with a possible second mating season in autumn (5). The average litter size ranged from two to thirteen individuals (2).

The main threats to Lataste’s viper include persecution from humans and the loss and degradation of suitable habitat, through urbanization, agriculture, and forest fires (1) (7). As a result, this species has declined in many parts of the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the lowlands (1). Unfortunately, certain biological traits of this viper, such as a small home range size and a low dispersal rate, make it particularly poor at adapting to habitat alteration and at colonizing nearby suitable habitats, thus making it more vulnerable to extinction (7).

The species is protected in Europe under Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (also known as the Bern Convention) (8). It is also afforded protection by its presence in the Peneda-Gerês National Park in northern Portugal and in a number of other protected areas across Spain and Morocco (1) (9).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.