The Color of Protobothrops Jerdonii Varies with Altitude

Just as the warm sunlight grazes the rhododendron forest in Shennongjia, the air warmed up brushes against the cold-blooded animal lying on a branch, causing dew to form on its body. It wriggles up the branch towards the top, knowing that it’s time for breakfast. The message is relayed to it by the heat-sensitive pits beneath its eyes that enable it to detect subtle temperature changes nearby. Armed with this “detector,” it can hunt birds perched on the branches. This cold-blooded animal sounds so terrifying that it is locally known as the “deadly spearhead” and taxonomically as the “Protobothrops jerdonii”.

Among the numerous Asian pit vipers, the color of Protobothrops jerdonii is truly remarkable! The animals that truly complement the vast mountain rhododendron forests in the Shennongjia, apart from birds, are these brightly colored snakes.

Protobothrops jerdonii is a master at using natural color schemes. They are mostly shades of emerald green or bright green, with red blotches surrounded by black dots covering their bodies, sometimes with sporadic specks of goose-yellow, creating a striking yet natural color contrast that makes them hard to distinguish even among rhododendrons.

Protobothrops jerdonii is a widely distributed snake species, and perhaps the highest latitudinally distributed species. In the Shennongjia Forestry District, from hilly areas to the mountains at an altitude of two thousand meters, their presence can be found. They prefer shrubbery and rocky cliffs, sometimes perching on branches by the streams. With their mottled colors, they blend in excellently with the natural background. Interestingly, the lower altitude areas they inhabit, the more vibrant their colors; while in colder high-altitude areas, their colors become darker. Shennongjia is home to two to three completely different color forms of Protobothrops jerdonii.

Their range of activity is not fixed and they migrate to different altitudes with changing seasons. Protobothrops jerdonii is an euryphagous predator, preying on frogs, birds, and small rodents in the forest. They also know how to adapt their prey based on changes in their environment. They are active both day and night. During spring and autumn when there is a large temperature difference between day and night, they prefer the daytime and enjoy basking in the sun in the morning. In the scorching summer months, they are more active from evening to late night. Shennongjia boasts vast mountain rhododendron forests. Among the creatures that truly complement these rhododendrons, besides birds, are these brightly colored snakes.（By Wang Shaojun）