Rickard Ljunggren
Trimeresurus albolabris
White-lippedpit viper
Trimeresurus albolabris
This book sprung from my genuineinterestinsnakesand my curiosity abouthistory.
Many thanks to everyone whohelpedmeget thebookfromanideato afinishedproduct.
Thankyou allfor letting me useyourphotos! Also,thankstothose of youwho uploaded images,freetouse,online! Allphotographers are mentionedunder theirphotos.
Thanks to ScottEipperfor excellentproofreading!
Withoutanunderstanding family,thislittlebookwould certainlynot have come about, thankyou Jenny, Ludwig andJacob!I spendfar too much time on herpetology, butyou letme.
Finally, abig thanks to thoseofyou whochoosetoreadmybook! Ihopeyou find thetopic as interestingasI do!
Best regards Rickard
RickardLjunggren
WHITE-LIPPEDPIT VIPER
TRIMERESURUSALBOLABRIS
Imprint
© 2024 RickardLjunggren
Photo: CoverbyJonathanHagström, photographersother pictures mentionedunder each pictureinthe book.
Proofreading: ScottEipper
Publisher: BoD– BooksonDemand, Stockholm, Sverige
Print: BoD– BooksonDemand, Norderstedt, Tyskland
ISBN:978-91-8057-602-4
1. Preamble
Thewhite-lippedpit viper, Trimeresurusalbolabris,istomean iconic snake. Ihavea fewspecimens of thespecies at home in thebasementand it is averynicespecies to keep in terrariums. Ihavealsohad theprivilege of having albolabrison my snake hook when Iwas in Thailand wherethe speciesisquite common in thewild. It is,tome, simply the"original version" of apit viperand it is oftenthe firstspecies that comestomindwhensomeone mentions pitvipers. Formanyinthe terrarium hobby, it is also thefirst venomous snaketheyacquire.Theyare small, readily accessibleand affordable.Since they arequite common in the hobby,there is also help andknowledge to be gained from others,especiallyifyou choose to join aherpetological association. Youcan oftenfindmembers in theseassociations whoshare your specific interest in thespecies of your interest andsomemembers have many yearsofexperience. Trimeresurusalbolabrisis probably also thespecies that the touristinAsiathinksofwhentheytalkabout pitvipers.
This book is an Englishversion of abookI wroteinSwedish in thesummerof2023. Some additionshavebeenmadeand I believe theEnglishversion is amorecompletebook.
Thefinal touchofthe Swedishversion waswritten on holiday in Thailand andthe following days at home.Thissummerwillalso be spentinThailand,hopefully with apit viperonmysnake hook nowand then. It is my firstattempttowrite in Englishand Ihopeyou like it!
Photo: RickardLjunggren.A male Trimeresurusalbolabris showingoff hisdefensive behavior.A fewseconds afterthe picturewas taken, thesnake made severalstrikes andreally wanted to bite me.Ifyou keep pitvipersathome, youmustbe carefuland keep your fingersata safe distance.
Trimeresurus albolabris is to me an iconic snake. Ihave afew specimens of the species at home in my basement and it is avery nice snaketokeep in aterrarium.I have also had the privilege of having this species on my snake hook in its natural habitat. The book tries to covereverything about the species, from husbandry to the pit viper's role in the Vietnam War.
