Daboia palaestinae

File:Vipera palaestinae - D7-12-5116.JPG

It grows to an average total length (body + tail) of {{convert|70|to|90|cm|in|abbr=on}}, with a maximum total length of {{convert|130|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The head is triangular, distinct from the neck and covered by small scales. The upper part of the body is colored by large dark rhomboid blotches sometimes forming a zig-zag pattern.{{Cite journal |last=El‐Oran |first=Ratib M. |last2=Al‐Melhem |first2=Walid N. |last3=Amr |first3=Zuhair S. |date=1994-01-01 |title=Snakes of southern Jordan |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/11250009409355907?needAccess=true |journal=Bollettino di zoologia |language=en |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=364 |doi=10.1080/11250009409355907 |issn=0373-4137|url-access=subscription }}

The harmless coin-marked snake, which lives in the same areas as the Palestine viper, resembles it in length, coloration and defensive behavior, to the extent that people frequently get confused between them. This is probably a case of Batesian mimicry.Yehuda L. Werner & Eliezer Frankenberg (1982), [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00212210.1982.10688526 HEAD TRIANGULATION IN TWO COLUBRINE SNAKES: PROBABLE BEHAVIOURAL REINFORCEMENT OF BATESIAN MIMICRY], Israel Journal of Zoology, 31:3-4, 137-150, DOI: 10.1080/00212210.1982.10688526

It is found in northern and central Israel, Palestine, western Syria, northwestern Jordan, and Lebanon.{{Redlist species|no=61495|genus=Daboia|species=palaestinae|date=2 September|year=2007}} In 2017 a specimen was found in Turkey.Göçmen, B., Karış, M., Özmen, E. and Oğuz, M. A. (2018). [https://biozoojournals.ro/swjhbe/v9n2/04_swjhbe_v9n2_Gocemen.pdf First record of the Palestine Viper Vipera palaestinae (Sepentes: Viperidae) from Anatolia]. South Western Journal of Horticulture, Biology and Environment, 9: 87–90. Mallow et al. (2003) describe the range as relatively restricted, with the distribution being concentrated in the Mediterranean coastal plains to the inland hills of Lebanon and Israel, along with the adjoining regions of Syria and Jordan.

The type locality given is "Haifa, Israel".

This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001). It was given this status due to its relatively wide distribution, the fact that it is found in a wide range of habitats, its presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is unknown. Year assessed: 2005.{{Redlist CC2001|date=2 September|year=2007}}

The classification of this species has resulted in much taxonomic controversy. Before Franz Werner (1938), this snake was included in Montivipera xanthina, and subsequently synonymized with V. lebetina by Boulenger (1896). Mertens (1952) moved it back to M. xanthina as a subspecies, and more recently a number of authorities, including Obst (1983) and Mallow et al. (2003) have included it as part of the genus Daboia. The result is that many studies related to this medically significant species have been published under different scientific names.

The LD50 of this viper's venom is 0.34 mg/kg.{{Cite journal |last1=Senji Laxme |first1=R. R. |last2=Khochare |first2=Suyog |last3=Attarde |first3=Saurabh |last4=Kaur |first4=Navneet |last5=Jaikumar |first5=Priyanka |last6=Shaikh |first6=Naeem Yusuf |last7=Aharoni |first7=Reuven |last8=Primor |first8=Naftali |last9=Hawlena |first9=Dror |last10=Moran |first10=Yehu |last11=Sunagar |first11=Kartik |date=2022 |title=The Middle Eastern Cousin: Comparative Venomics of Daboia palaestinae and Daboia russelii |journal=Toxins |language=en |volume=14 |issue=11 |pages=725 |doi=10.3390/toxins14110725 |doi-access=free |issn=2072-6651|pmc=9696752 }} Since the second half of the 20th century there is an antivenom for this snake's venom, which is considered safe and effective.{{Cite journal |last=Bentur |first=Yedidia |last2=Raikhlin-Eisenkraft |first2=Bianca |last3=Galperin |first3=Maya |date=2004 |title=Evaluation of antivenom therapy in Vipera palaestinae bites |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2004.04.006 |journal=Toxicon |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=53–57 |doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2004.04.006 |issn=0041-0101|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Pivko-Levy |first=Dikla |last2=Munchnak |first2=Itamar |last3=Rimon |first3=Ayelet |last4=Balla |first4=Uri |last5=Scolnik |first5=Dennis |last6=Hoyte |first6=Christopher |last7=Voliovitch |first7=Yair |last8=Glatstein |first8=Miguel |date=2017 |title=Evaluation of antivenom therapy for Vipera palaestinae bites in children: experience of two large, tertiary care pediatric hospitals |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28103732/ |journal=Clinical Toxicology |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=235–240 |doi=10.1080/15563650.2016.1277233 |issn=1556-9519 |pmid=28103732}} But occasionally people still die from this snake's bite. The mortality rate of people who were bitten is 0.5% to 2%.{{Cite journal |last1=Momic |first1=Tatjana |last2=Arlinghaus |first2=Franziska T. |last3=Arien-Zakay |first3=Hadar |last4=Katzhendler |first4=Jeoshua |last5=Eble |first5=Johannes A. |last6=Marcinkiewicz |first6=Cezary |last7=Lazarovici |first7=Philip |date=2011-11-14 |title=Pharmacological Aspects of Vipera xantina palestinae Venom |journal=Toxins |volume=3 |issue=11 |pages=1420–1432 |doi= 10.3390/toxins3111420|doi-access=free |issn=2072-6651 |pmc=3237004 |pmid=22174978}} At least 7 people were reported to die of this snake's bite in the 21st century in Israel so far.{{Cite news |last=מאיר |first=עופר |date=2004-05-09 |title=בן 51 שהוכש על ידי נחש צפע מת בביה"ח |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2913762,00.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=אזולאי |first=יובל |date=2006-05-28 |title=בן 73 מת מנכישת נחש |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2006-05-28/ty-article/0000017f-f8e8-d460-afff-fbee7ed80000 |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=הארץ |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=אופיר |first=שרון רופא |date=2008-06-07 |title=תושב שבי ציון הוכש למוות ע"י נחש צפע |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3552854,00.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=ראב"ד |first=אחיה |date=2013-06-21 |title=נחש הכיש למוות גבר בקמפינג בכנרת |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4395407,00.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=ראב"ד |first=ד"ר איתי גל ואחיה |date=2015-07-01 |title=טרגדיה בצפון: צעירה מתה מהכשת נחש |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4675088,00.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=שפיגל |first=נעה |last2=רינת |first2=צפריר |date=2018-05-13 |title=תושב הצפון מת לאחר שהוכש על ידי נחש צפע |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/local/2018-05-13/ty-article/0000017f-f371-df98-a5ff-f3fdf65d0000 |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=הארץ |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=שעלאן |first=אחיה ראב"ד וחסן |date=2018-10-22 |title=אישה הוכשה למוות בידי נחש ליד בנימינה |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5377008,00.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

The venom includes at least four families of pharmacologically active compounds: (i) neurotoxins; (ii) hemorrhagins; (iii) angioneurin growth factors; and (iv) different types of integrin inhibitors.

The copulation of this snake takes place around May.H. Mendelssohn (1963) [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00212210.1963.10688178 ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF ISRAEL], Israel Journal of Zoology, 12:1-4, 143-170, DOI: 10.1080/00212210.1963.10688178 Unlike most other vipers, who are viviparous,{{Cite journal |last=Ineich |first=I. |last2=Bonnet |first2=X. |last3=Shine |first3=R. |last4=Shine |first4=T. |last5=Brischoux |first5=F. |last6=Lebreton |first6=M. |last7=Chirio |first7=L. |date=2006-12-04 |title=What, if anything, is a ‘typical’ viper? Biological attributes of basal viperid snakes (genus Causus Wagler, 1830): BIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF BASAL VIPERID SNAKES |url=https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00690.x |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=575–588 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00690.x|url-access=subscription }} this snake is oviparous. It lays eggs around August and the eggs hatch 1.5–2 months after that.Shulov, Aharon (1966), [https://bibliotecadigital.butantan.gov.br/arquivos/114/PDF/16.pdf Biology and Ecology of Venomous Animals in Israel], Memorias do Instituto Butantan 33(1):93-94 The young snakes can bite and kill their prey with a developed venom apparatus.

This snake is probably mentioned in a list of venomous snakes in ancient Egypt, that appears in the Brooklyn Papyrus from the first millennium BC.{{Cite journal |last1=McBride |first1=Elysha |last2=Winder |first2=Isabelle C. |last3=Wüster |first3=Wolfgang |date=2023-10-07 |title=What Bit the Ancient Egyptians? Niche Modelling to Identify the Snakes Described in the Brooklyn Medical Papyrus |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14614103.2023.2266631 |journal=Environmental Archaeology |language=en |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1080/14614103.2023.2266631 |issn=1461-4103|url-access=subscription }}

Some modern scholars and commentators have identified the צפע (pronounced Tsefa/Zefa) snake mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as this snake species.{{Cite journal |last=Murison |first=Ross G. |date=1905 |title=The Serpent in the Old Testament |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/527699 |journal=The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=119–120 |issn=1062-0516}} The name given to this snake in modern Hebrew is צפע מצוי (common Tsefa).{{Cite web |title=צֶפַע |url=https://hebrew-academy.org.il/keyword/%D7%A6%D6%B6%D7%A4%D6%B7%D7%A2/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Academy of the Hebrew Language |language=he-IL}}

The code phrase “Nahash Tsefa” (Viper Snake) was broadcast on the radio and TV to instruct Israeli citizens to put on their gas masks during missile attacks from Iraq against Israel, in the first Gulf War in 1991.{{Cite web |date=2012-01-15 |title=This Week in History: Saddam terrorizes Israel |url=https://www.jpost.com/features/in-thespotlight/this-week-in-history-saddam-terrorizes-israel |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}

In the Israeli Air Force the Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter was named Tzefa.{{cite journal |last=Boyne |first=Walter J. |date=January 2013 |title=Airpower Classics |url=http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2013/January%202013/0113classics.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Air Force Magazine |publisher=Air Force Association |page=84 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2013/January%202013/0113classics.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09}} The IDF's paratroopers battalion #202 is called Tzefa Battalion.{{Cite web |title=Paratroopers Brigade |url=https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/our-corps-units-brigades/paratroopers/paratroopers-brigade/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=IDF Official Site}}

In 2018 the viper was declared Israel's national snake.{{cite news |author=JTA |date=November 3, 2018 |title=Deadly Palestine Viper declared Israel's national snake |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/deadly-palestine-viper-declared-israels-national-snake/ |accessdate=November 4, 2018 |work=The Times of Israel}}

{{Reflist}}

• Golay P, Smith HM, {{ill|Broadley DG|fr|Donald G. Broadley|vertical-align=sup}}, Dixon JR, McCarthy CJ, Rage J-C, Schätti B, Toriba M. 1993. Endoglyphs and Other Venomous Snakes of the World. Geneva: Azemiops. 478 pp.
• Werner F. 1938. Eine verkannte Viper ( Vipera palaestinae n. sp.). Zoologischer Anzeiger 122: 313-318.

{{Commons}}

{{Wikispecies|Daboia palaestinae}}

• {{NRDB species|genus=Daboia|species=palaestinae|date=2 September|year=2007}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1089236}}

palaestinae

Category:Fauna of Lebanon

Category:Fauna of the Middle East

Category:Reptiles of the Middle East

Category:Snakes of Jordan

Category:Reptiles described in 1938

Category:Taxa named by Franz Werner

Category:Fauna of Israel