We found a Viper (Vipera berus) close by our house.

At one of our trips in the nature close to our house we found a Viper (Vipera berus). Vipera berus is one of more than 200 different species in the Viper-family, but the only one living freely in Northern-Europe. It is one of three free living snakes in Norway and the only one which is actually poisonous.

The photo is takes by mobile phone and as I didn't want to get too close, it was kind of difficult to get a good photo. But no doubt it is a Viper.

The Vipers are alternating animals, which means that they need to get warmed up by the surroundings to move swiftly. When the weather is cold they move slowly and are often to see at places more exposed for sun, trying to increase their body temperature.

As said the Viper is a poisonous snake, which makes many people afraid of it, with small reason. The Viper is considered a non-aggressive snake and the chance of getting bitten is very, very small. Mostly it will avoid humans, either by laying completely silent, hoping not to be seen, or by escaping. Only when this is not possible it will need to protect itself. Mostly it will warn you by rolling up and hoarsing. But when it bite, it happens quickly. With all this in mind we made sure we didn't come on surprisingly and that the snake always had a chance to escape.

We watched it quite close for some time before it slowly slided away. It was a normal lenght Viper (approximately 60-70 cm). As we have never seen snakes in Norway before, this was a very satisfying finding.