The white-lipped tree viper

A white-lipped tree viper is seen coil up on a tree branch in Bijia Hill Park in Futian District on July 29, 2021. Isaac Cohen

Ophidiophobia, herpetophobia or simply the fear of snakes, is a very common human feeling that comes embedded in us from our very own evolution. It denotes an innate instinct of survival. However, we are no longer a living-in-the-wild species and with the change of time, it is also true that snakes are more afraid of us than we should be of them.

恐蛇症是人类进化过程中遗留下来的一种对蛇的恐惧情绪，是人的求生本能，一种常见的自然现象。然而，现在我们已经不再生存于野外，随着时间的推移，其实相比于人类害怕蛇，蛇更害怕人类。

Shenzhen, a city full of wildlife, is home to several types of snakes that include venomous, non-venomous and even a poisonous-venomous species, but there is one particular species that deserves to be in the spotlight: the white-lipped tree viper (Trimeresurus albolabris), also commonly known in China as the green tree pit viper or bamboo snake.

深圳是一座野生物种丰富的城市，这里有多种蛇类，包括毒蛇、无毒蛇，甚至还有一种毒蛇，无论是它咬人，还是人碰它，或者不小心食用，都会导致中毒。但有一种有趣的蛇特别值得我们关注：白唇竹叶青。

A white-lipped tree viper is seen coil up on a tree branch in Bijia Hill Park in Futian District on July 29, 2021.

The white-lipped tree viper has an attractive light green color on its back that goes from head to tail and a clear delimitation on the lateral scales with a pale yellowish color on the ventral part of the animal. The separation is more visible in males with some white scales all over their sides from head to tail. Both males and females have a stunning reddish color on the tail that offers a beautiful contrast to the green of their bodies.

白唇竹叶青体背从头部至尾部呈靓丽的浅绿色，腹部呈黄白色，体侧鳞片颜色有明显分界，这种颜色分界在雄性个体上更为明显，雄蛇体侧的白色鳞片从头部一直延伸到尾部。雌雄蛇尾端鳞片都呈艳丽的焦红色，与身体的绿色鳞片形成鲜明对比。 

This particular species is not too big, ranging from an average 15cm in newborns to an average 50cm in adults, although some have been reported to grow up to 90cm long. Their heads are visibly triangular, which is a common characteristic of vipers in general and clearly shows a separation between the head and the body of the animal. They use a pair of long fangs to inject venom into their prey, which causes a coagulation of the prey’s blood producing death in a very short time.

白唇竹叶青体型不是很大，幼蛇平均体长15厘米，成年蛇平均体长50厘米，也曾有人发现长到90厘米的成年蛇。它们头部呈三角形，这是毒蛇的常见特征，头部与身体有明显分界。白唇竹叶青有一对毒牙，在捕食时给猎物注入毒液，导致猎物因体内血液凝结而快速死亡。

Despite their powerful venom, vipers seldom represent a threat to humans in any way. It is well known that snake attacks are mostly accidental or due to people recklessly bothering or trying to catch them. Sometimes, we are afraid of what we don’t know and our first impulse is to get rid of them, but the truth is that these fantastic animals are providing a very important ecological service and without them, we would probably be having a lot of inconveniences with other undesirable species.

尽管毒蛇有可怕的毒液，但它们很少对人类构成威胁。众所周知，大部分蛇咬人事件都是意外，或发生在人类故意惊扰或试图捕捉它们的情况下。有些时候，我们只是恐惧未知，第一反应可能是想摆脱掉这些毒蛇，但事实是，这些神奇的动物在生态环境中发挥极其重要的作用，如果没有它们，很多其他人类不喜欢的物种可能会出来造孽。

There are several studies on tree vipers about the use of their venom for medical purposes, so protecting and preserving them is a must. It is also of great relevance to understand that we are the ones invading their habitats and not them invading our city. The next time you decide to take a stroll in the park during night time, just try to avoid touching the plants near the walking trails, where this snake tends to be, and if you ever find one, don’t try to touch them or get too close. Just keep walking and let them continue playing their role in nature’s circle of life.

此外，有几项科学研究正在关注白唇竹叶青毒液的医疗价值，因此保护该蛇类也变得更为重要。我们也需要明白，是人类在侵犯它们的栖息地，而不是它们在侵犯人类的城市，我们至少需要站在这个角度看问题。所以，下次晚上在公园散步时，你应尽量避免触摸步行道附近的植物，因为那是白唇竹叶青经常会出现的地方；如果你恰巧发现了它们，千万不要试图去触摸它们或靠近它们，继续往前走，让它们在生态环境中安静地扮演自己的角色。