Venomous snake Russell’s viper caught in house, gives birth to 35 snakelets

Snake-catcher Murali caught the snake and identified it as a Russell’s viper.

A Russell’s viper, one of the most venomous snakes, gave birth to 35 snakelets in a village near here on Friday.

A resident of Kovimedu, Manoharan noticed the snake in his bathroom. (Representational Image)

A resident of Kovimedu, Manoharan noticed the snake in his bathroom and sought the help of snake-catcher Murali.

Murali caught the snake and identified it as a Russell’s viper. He put it in a gunny bag to release it into the forest.

In a few minutes, he realised the snake was giving birth to snakelets and kept the bag under a tree.

After two hours, he found 35 snakelets. The snake and its young ones would be released in the forest of Sathyamangalam in Erode district, Murali said.

While other snakes lay eggs and hatch them, Russell’s viper is an ovoviviparous species giving birth to young ones by hatching the eggs internally.

The baby snakes moult as soon as they are born and are highly venomous immediately after birth.