Venomous Ottoman viper (Montivipera xanthina), longest viper in Europe, dangerous snake from Europe
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- The longest viper in Europe is the Ottoman viper (Montivipera xanthina). It has a strong venom and a big adult snake can kill a human. Dangerous Ottoman viper lives in Turkey and Greece (Thrace). Big Ottoman viper can be 1.4 meters long. This video shows this venomous snake species in the wild, in its natural habitat. We filmed adults and also baby vipers. There is also behind the scenes footage of us finding Ottoman vipers. These snakes hiss when they feel threatened and can also strike. However, Ottoman vipers are shy and don't seek human proximity. Bites are very rare.
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So very few videos on Ottoman vipers. And as always your beautiful crisp images!!! Best snake channel ever!
Thank you so much!!! Very happy that you like the quality of our videos! 🙂
why haven't I seen your videos before? low budget production with so much hunger for exploration and discovering places. hats off pals. amazing work comes only with love!!! keep it up
Wow, thank you! We are happy that you found our channel and we hope that you will enjoy watching all our videos! :)
My favorite of the european vipers! Thank you for the amazing footage and glimpse into the life of these amazing creatures!
Glad you enjoyed it! These vipers are awesome!!! We really enjoyed our time in Greece!
You folks NEVER disappoint!!
Thank you for another great video!!
A truly gorgeous snake!
Thank you! It is awesome to hear that we never disappoint! :) We are glad that you like this video!
@@LivingZoology just wish the text was readable.
The filming is lovely as always.
Thrace , Northern Greece is a beautiful place.. Not yet overrun by tourists.. Nice work guys … well done
Thank you! We agree, such a calm and nice region!
Such a nice video with clear images~ The moment when the young snake was found was so exciting~
Thank you for sharing this video! 🤗
Glad you enjoyed it!!! We wanted to show also something from behind the scenes of finding these snakes :)
@@LivingZoology Yes, I liked the behind story~👍
I've heard about this type of viper. It's known for its strong venom cocktail and for striking a person for no reason at all. No wonder they are known as ottoman vipers. They are behaving like actual ottoman soldier during the war. Still a beautiful snake. Very similar to vipera ammodytes from that zig zag looking pattern but it doesn't have that long nose.
We worked with 22 individuals and all of them were pretty mellow! They certainly don’t go for you and prefer crawling away.
No snake strikes for no reason.
Thanks and you guys have done a great job...👌
Thank you so much!!! :)
Beautifull relaxing video! Interesting species, is this the same species earlier named daboya xhantina ?
Do you also have footage of viperine snake? (Natrix Maura) I saw 2 of them in Mallorca the day before yesterday at a golfcourse water body. One small and one very small.
xanthina change of complex and go to Montivipera (like raddei, wagneri, albicornuta and albizona) or mountain vipers. Truly Daboia remains for russelii, siamensis and palestinae. No footage of maura but a fantastic footage of tesselata what is actually the eastern version of maura.
Thank you!!! Now it is Montivipera, but related to genus Daboia. We haven't seen Natrix maura yet, but you can check our video on Natrix tessellata: ruclips.net/video/VvjmqTlkj2M/видео.html
That such a viper has survived human presence, going back many thousands of year, is amazing. Thank you for another excellent video.
Thank you very much for watching!! These vipers are amazing!
I’ve always been fond of the behaviour of Ottomans Viper In Europe because this species is a beauty. Incredible Encounter from the Viper.
Thank you!!! Yes, these vipers are really awesome!
Another amazing film. Though it should read "People live close to these snakes in some areas" ;-)
Thank you very much!!! Sure, people came later than snakes.
Great video...ottoman viper is a cool creature. Thanks for the info and lovely pictures. The little one was not happy with you! Stay safe.
Thank you very much for watching!!! :) Great that you like this video! Working with tiny babies is always a bit tricky, but all 16 babies we found we totally mellow :)
Just super. Proud of you two, and lucky to have found your channel.
We are very happy that you found our channel! Thanks for your support! 🙂
Another awesome video! Thanks for sharing such beautiful areas and species you find. This resembles our rattlesnake in the states. A lot of similar traits
I think rattlesnakes are also in the viper family, close cousins actually.
Thank you so much!!! It was a nice area to work and look for snakes!
Beautifully shot👍
Thank you very much!
You guys showed up on my recommended and it was an instant subscribe! You guys are amazing keep up the fantastic work ❤️
Awesome! Thank you! Welcome aboard! :)
I always heard that baby snake have more potent venom to make up for the lower volume their glands can produce and so can be as dangerous. This is the only snake in your series that i find cute, it seems prudent and peaceful almost friendly to warn with a hiss and not overly agressive.
The venom composition can change in many species as they grow, it is not well studied yet, hopefully more info will come from future studies. Interesting that you find only this snake peaceful! There are many other snakes with a very very peaceful nature 🙂
@@LivingZoology You're right many snakes are peaceful (but some aren't like Mambas who can chase people !). I found it peaceful based on how peacefully it moved and gives a hiss warning to save your life. I found it cute because of its fierce looking eyebrow, it kind of looks overdone as if he is nicer than he pretends to be, hahaha.
Krásné video👏 Nádherné záběry a úžasné zvíře🐍
Moc vám děkujeme!!! :) Bylo super je najít po neúspěšném pokusu před dvema lety!
Wow !! I’ll be here to watch !!👍🔝🔝
Perfect!!! :) See you at the premiere!
also..is it just me or is the video of the snake breathing just downright awesome.
Thank you, we thought that it is interesting to show :)
Wow such a stunning snake. Your filming is just the best on RUclips so beautiful! That baby viper, soooo cute. Awesome watching him inch worm up that rock 🐍💕🐍
Thank you very much! Very honored that you love our work! :)
@@LivingZoology I look forward to every video you put out. The subjects are a passion of mine but to see the wildlife in such stunning quality is an absolute joy. 🐍🐍💕🐍🐍😁
@@Spacey7 That is so nice!!! We will keep posting new videos full of cool wildlife :)
@@LivingZoology thank you. Can't wait for the next awesome video 🐍💕🐍
Excellent video. You never fail to impress
Thank you so much!!! 🙂
It is Wild to me how snakes move. And this one moves pretty fast. Looks like a strong snake.
Great vidio guys,very unusual viper,a new spesi for me,👍👍👍
Thanks 👍We are happy that you like it!
Good work 👍. Maybe someday you'll make a documentary about Vipera ursinii rakosiensis. Some rarest viper species in Europe.
Maybe one day! Thank you for watching!
I absolutely love all of your videos, and I learn so much. My only complaint is that sometimes the writing u put on there blends into the background. Like white rocks and white writing. Maybe u could change the colors of your words on the screen. That way we can see it all. Just an idea.
Noted! Sometimes we struggle a bit with the placement of the text. We want to educate and also give the audience the best watching experience. We want to keep the text united in terms of the color, but we will be even more careful about the placement! Thank you for your support!
Awesome Video every time 👌
Thank you so much 😀
another great video
Thanks again!
Great footage as always 👍🏻
Thanks 👍
Pretty snake that can ruin someone's day....week.....month. Lovely footage per usual.
Thank you! Yes, a bite from these can be fatal.
What a beautiful species yet again 👌👍
Many thanks!!! We really enjoyed filming this species :)
@@LivingZoology yea looked like a fun time and very beautiful area as well I’m so glad to see you’ve also gotten a lot more subscribers you guys definitely deserve it I love your videos 👍👍
@@pumpkinchow Yes, it was a beautiful area and many snakes :) We are trying to reach more subscribers, thank you so much! :)
A great video as usual.
Thanks again! :)
Hi!. Awesome video, as usual. Are these vipers somewhat related to Daboia Russelii and/or Macrovipera Lebetina?. The pattern and the general appearance remind me of those.
Thanks for your answers and keep up the good work!.
Thank you very much for watching!!! :) These 3 genera look quite similar, all are slim and big vipers with significant features on their head. Also in terms of the phylogeny, they are quite closely related.
Thank you.in my region lives the common viper od greece vipera ammodytes.i have seen several times and every time i feel so excited
It is always exciting to find a viper in the wild! :) Same for us!
Nice film! Great shots! Such a beautiful viper! Good work for you guys!
Glad you enjoyed it!!! It was amazing to work with these cool snakes :)
Thank you for the great video! Montivipera xanthina is actually not a longest viper in Europe, as Macrovipera lebetina obtusa can be longer. It is known from european part of Russia, Dagestan republic
Thank you for watching!!! It is possible that Macrovipera lives there, we were following the Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Britain and Europe. Only Macrovipera lebetina schweizeri is recognized there.
In such case the authors of that guide do not know that Dagestan is a part of europe or that Macrovipera lebetina obtusa lives in Dagestan :)
@@wasilijd Yes thats true! But in case of biogeography Degestan, Cyprus or Georgia are part of Asia. If you look at the nature character of Degestan you will see that it looks more like Asia than a Europe. But if we are talking about geography that Degestan is a part of Europe and you are right :-).
@@LivingZoologyНа Кавказе её называют гюрза, очень опасная змея.
@@michaels_herping4590 Dagestan is not part of Europe
very nice video as always
Thanks for the visit!!! Happy that you like our channel! 😊
AS always, awesome work. I love you guys. I have some questions. As a dad with an 8 year old kid, if I see a venomous snake like this one while walking on holiday, what should we do? The snake is for example 2 3 metres away.
1. Try to stay absolutely still (like dead) so that the snakes can come and sniff us and maybe they leave.
2. Run away running very fast. Do they chase like dogs?
3. Back away veeeerry slowly like slow motion. If we are lucky, we survive.
Bonus question:
The lady in the team is great, is she a herpetologist too?
Thank you so much for watching our videos! :) You can either stand still or back away slowly, both works perfectly :) Snake will go its own way. If it goes your way, it is just because there is a nice shelter behind you, maybe bushes or rocks. We were in Greece with two young enthusiasts, Michael and Kate, there will be more footage of them in the behind the scenes series. Michael was also in Kenya with us, check out how the behind the scenes series looks like: ruclips.net/video/KIq5JVyBftY/видео.html
Have a nice DAY 😘 😊 😌 !!!
Fans from Malaysia 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾
Have a nice day too!!! 😊😊 So happy you follow us!
@@LivingZoology 🥰😘😍😻
I did a double take when I saw how long the snake gets..i was like..the longest pit viper...wait rattlesnakes here get to be above 6 feet..then I looked at the title again..oh Europe...longest in Europe..nice video..please do one on my cotton mouth here in the states..i love them..awesome snakes..
Yes, we don't have very long venomous snakes here in Europe unfortunately! :D But the Ottoman viper is a cool species :) We would love to come to the USA again and film Cottonmouths and other snakes. Hopefully the covid situation will get better soon!
Wow really great images !!!
Thank you so much!!!
I love your channel I'm getting a real good education on snakes very up my alley I always loved snakes and other reptiles too very happy that I found your channel thank you again you folks are the best
That is awesome! We are very happy that you find interesting info about snakes in our videos! :)
Wooow... This one awesome and cute...😀👍
Yes, it is kind of a cute species! 🐍🙂
One more fantastic footage of the lesser colorfull viper of Montivipera complex but so beautiful indeed (raddei, wagneri, albicornuta and albizona are actually more colourful). What is interesting for me they are genetically close to Daboia complex because they show the same modification of nasal scales. Modification that allows theses snakes to hisss with an extreme power because of resonance and their extremely deep naris with this typical "musical" instrument.
You are right! The nasal scales resemble Daboia a lot, we noticed that straigh after finding the first adult. Amazing snakes!
Great video guys.
I'm a snake catcher from Israel, and I really enjoy to watch your films.
We would really love to see you guys filming in our tiny country which hosts not less than 41 species of snakes!
If you ever think of coming here PM me and I will help you guys with everything you need.
Cheers and 💕 from 🇮🇱
Thank you very much!!! It would be cool to visit Israel in the future and film Cerastes, Daboia, Pseudocerastes, Echis and other cool snakes there! We should stay connected via Facebook or Instagram! You find us as Living Zoology of course ;)
41 species of snakes explains why the snake is a biblical bad guy.
Interesting videeo. What is the difference in venom between a baby/juvenile snake and an adult? Is it more of the quantity of venom the snake will deliver in a bite? How likely is an adult human likely to die from a bite from the small, baby snake you found without treatment? I am always amazed at your videos when you find a snake like you did here that is protesting its discovery, its capture, and its manhandling, yet does not strike, but seeks to flee. That poor baby snake was comfortable when it was found and then it got yanked awake. I also love the statement in the video that said something like, "If threatened, the snake will strike." I had to laugh. I thought, REALLY? So will I. Again, this is another great video with great videography. You all are doing amazing work here. You all should be proud. Keep up the great job. I cannot wait for the next release. Enjoy the week.
Thank you very much! The difference between an adult and juvenile is the quantity of the venom. The bite from a small baby might be survivable for an adult human, but there will be bad consequences (tissue damage, potentially amputation of a finger for example). Everything is about the way you work with the snakes. We are calm, use slow movements, don't provoke the snake... It is important to say that thing with striking only when threatened all the time :D Many people think that snakes go actively for humans and want to kill them! Many many thanks for your support! :)
@@LivingZoology That statement just struck me as hilarious. Of course they are going to strike. If I am poking at anything, human, snake, or really any living creature, that being will strike. I guess my naivete expects more out of people's common sense. I do have one more question. Are there any breeds of snake out there that might be considered to seek human interaction like a cat or a dog would? Is there a snake breed that might cuddle? The snakes in this video wanted nothing more than to get away from all humans. I just wonder if there might be a breed of snake that is the opposite. Thanks again for the great video and the great information.
@@jazzbariman We are already trained in this and we know that most people will blame snakes of being bad and striking all the time :D Any wild snake would try to escape from a human. Snakes in captivity get used to people more but they are not actively seeking a cuddling activity :) Thank you again for your support!
Cool Birds there
Yes! Greece was nice for recording bird sounds!
Fantastic photography
Thank you so much :)
wow ! so niiice ! bee eaters and nightingale are my south's favourite birds
Great that you found this video! Bee eaters are so cool and the sound of nightingale is just the best!
Beautiful snakes! Real viper face, always serious.
Yes, these snakes always look serious! But they are awesome!
A different animal than the common horn-nosed viper of Greece. Larger, thicker and even its hiss is louder and communicates confidence. I need to go to the eastern parts to find it one day.
You should! It is an amazing snake!
Beautiful.
Thank you! Cheers!
Are they deadly venomus?
Yes, they are capable of killing an adult human.
only if you don't get to the hospital asap. european vipers are not as venomous as the rest vipers. My dog (3,5kg) was bitten by a viper ( I live in greece) and it survived after 30mins without antidote.
@@Giorgos1apo1ekei1 Dry bite.
Ottoman awesome 😍
Yes! A beautiful snake in our opinion :)
If it bites a human is there a antivenom for survival?
Yes, there is antivenom available.
Excellent
Thank you! Cheers!
Did you guys use same background sound for all your videos ??
No, we don't use the same background for all our videos :)
@@LivingZoology so isn’t the background real bird sounds?
Why is this snake species called OTTOMAN VIPERS?? So reminder on.
It is called like that because most of its range is in Turkey. This country is famous for the Ottoman empire, which existed for centuries. We filmed this snake in Greece, where it live in Thrace province only.
@@LivingZoology Oh! ottoman empire, this snake is found only in one place!! That's so special, I hope it was great for you to film this snake species. 🙏🙏🥞
When you were lifting rocks around 10:00, I had to look back at a head shot to see if they were pit vipers, because warm fingers........... :'(
No, they are not pit viper 🙂We are very careful always when we look for snakes and consider every possible risk. In Greece Matej wanted to flip a wooden board and in the last second he saw a baby coiled on it before he put his hand there!
I thought that milos viper or Cyprus viper are the longest ones
Milos viper is shorter. Cyprus is biogeographically in Asia already.
Sorry if I missed it. Venom type?
No problem, venom is mostly cytotoxic.
I only knew about this snake today after learning a specimen killed a woman on Patmos (Greek island) "two years ago". Perhaps you should add the Greek islands (rather than Thrace alone) to your list of habitats.
Maybe in the future we will visit other regions where this snake lives.
Are the birds in the background the native birds?
Yes, recorded in Greece during our trip in the spring 2021.
Awesome video as usual, and what a nice yet deadly Viper, that little triangular shaped stripe behind her eye reminds me almost of a bushmaster 😍
Thank you for the very nice footage!👌👍
Cheers!
We agree, these vipers are awesome 😍 We like their scales above the eyes! Thank you for watching!
What about Vipera lebetina(Macrovipera lebetina)? It also occurs in Europe and is considered to be the largest poisonous snake.
Macrovipera lebetinus in Cyprus and Dagestan lives in areas which are biogeographically Asia. Macrovipera schweizeri is smaller.
Nossa, ela é muito linda, parece um tapete 💓bom trabalho meninos e meninas.
Thank you so much!!! These vipers are beautiful! 💓
This snake looks similar like Montave rattle snake, isn't it?
Maybe a bit, but it has typical features with which you can easily recognize it :)
Pls. Visit Romania as they have also nice species..
Maybe in the future!
Hi, Great video overall!
There is just one thing that shocked me: the way you described their defensive behaviour.
"If they feel threatened, they are ready to strike."
"These snakes hiss when they feel threatened and can also strike"
I know you goal is to destroy myths about snakes, and inform people that they shouldn't be killed and are not dangerous. Therefore I'd say you should make crystal clear that these vipers FLEE when they are threatened, and will strike only as a last resort if they can't flee to a secure place. This information is crucial to make people understand that they shouldn't fear snakes, and it should be repeated as many times as possible.
Also as I previously mentioned, this video would benefit to have sources for all informations on the species.
Hi, thanks for watching and we are sorry that in your opinion we failed to deliver the correct message about the defensive behavior. We thought that by writing that Ottoman vipers are shy and don't seek human company we describe their general nature of not coming into conflicts.
@@LivingZoology Well I suggest you think about this in your next videos. I think we can agree that being crystal clear about this fact (snakes flee when threatened) is extremely important.
Beautifull!! In israel we also have a Montevipera: the M. Bommuelleri. It is much smaller though. However, the pattern on the back of the Otoman Viper resembles the one of the palestine viper.
Thank you! Yes, we know that you have another species there, maybe in the future we will be lucky to visit your country 🙂
7:27 I've heard Ottoman Vipers are more unpredictable than other European vipers which is what makes them dangerous.
From our experience working with 22 wild individuals, they are not more unpredictable than other European vipers :)
@@LivingZoology I'm just going with what Nigel Marvin said.
@@MrGriser We cannot say we agree.
O formato da cabeça parece com a da cascável
We will make a video about cascabel, the rattlesnake also! :)
Is it realy the longest viper in europe!? I don't know, but ive seen a Viper / Adder with a leangh of almost 2 Meter in Cornwall England a few Years ago. There where locals which told me that they've seen longer once.
There is only one snake in England which can potentially grow to 2 meters -Aesculapian snake. Or some exotic species escaped but vipers of 2 meters length are very rare worldwide.
Τα πιο όμορφα φρύδια.
Thanks!
beautifull
Thank you!
Komşu bunu nerden buldun böyle
In the eastern part of Greece.
Exista si in Romania specia asta de vipera
Thank you for watching! In Romania you have Nose-horned vipers.
@@LivingZoology Avem , vipera cu corn ce a m ai importanta , si alte specii de vipere periculoase in Delta Dunarii si munte si altele care stau doar in galerii ca altfel face soc termic din cauza caldurii daca ies afara
When looking for venomous snakes like these, please:
1. Use gloves when flipping
2. Don't use huge tongs for small individuals, it can crush their ribs rather easily. Use gloves or small tweezers instead.
With a following like this comes a responsibility to teach how to work with venomous snakes in a way that is the safest for us and the animals.
We are always very careful when we flip rocks and never put our fingers under the rock, just on the side of it. We show the usage of tweezers and gloves in the video and say that these two things are great for working with small snakes. However, that does not mean that a very experienced person can safely use gentle tongs, it requires a lot of training and we also say it in the video.
@@LivingZoology I would argue that many untrained people could watch these videos and being unaware of the fact, that this style of handling can lead to severe consequences. Also I know a few people that got bitten while flipping just like that. I understand that it seems safe for you to do it, but sadly its really not. Maybe its better for your videos to only demonstrate the safest ways of handling, or no handling at all. In the end it benefits your safety, the safety of the viewers and also that of the snakes.
@@DieGymnasier1901 If you watched the video with a sound, you know that we are speaking about the fact that using tongs on small snakes is only for very experienced people. We are keeping high safety standards when working with venomous snakes and take this matter seriously, that is why we had no accident during our numerous film trips to Asia, Africa and America and working with some of the most venomous snakes in the world.
@@LivingZoology not meaning to be rude here, but the use of tongs in this videos was very incorrect. I'm not trying to insult you here, just take it as a kind hint.
@@DieGymnasier1901 It is ok to have a different opinion :) By the way, what experience do you have in working with wild venomous snakes and from which continents?
"Ottomans" Viper?
Ottoman viper…
There are many vipers in Turkey, the viper is a dangerous snake.
Venomous snakes are dangerous if you come too close to them only 😉
Greek flag??? but name Ottoman
This species lives mostly in Turkey.
The longest viper is in cyprus.
In terms of biogeography, Cyprus is in Asia.
Την Οθωμανική οχιά την εχπυμε και στη Λέσβο
Turkey is not in Europe
This footage was filmed in Greece.
Foolish post 📫
What is foolish about this video?
friends,you should change greek flags with turkish flag..
Ehm, we found it in Greece too 😉
@@katelivora2103 I know that it lives in Greece too.But The name of this viper species is Ottoman Viper,right?if the name is Byzantium Viper,Yes the flag is supposed to be greek flag. 😃
@@huseyinbaykara2134 the reason for the Greek flag is that Living zoology was on trip to Greece and they found it in Greece. They know that Ottoman v. comes from Turkey but they did find it there...
@@katelivora2103 They say so? :) I've read the statement.There is no sentence like " We were on trip to greece" or "We went to greece to find ottoman greek".By the way the video haven't released yet.
@@huseyinbaykara2134 well I was with them. If you saw the video about cat snake I'm the girl in brown jacket. We went for 2 weeks and found lots of amazing snakes.
There is a similar to it 95% in Palestine in the name of the viper of Palestine.
Palestine viper belongs to a different genus, Daboia. It lives in different habitats also.
palestinae is actually a Daboia than another genus but you are right they ressemble to Montivipera and Macrovipera.
see koca engerek in Anatolia even larger than those,
Yes, they grow a bit larger in Turkey.