Armenian Vipers Born At St. Louis Zoo In Time For World Snake Day

ST. LOUIS, MO — Today is World Snake Day and the Saint Louis Zoo is celebrating the birth of six Armenian vipers, a threatened species found only in the mountains of Armenia. The vipers were born at the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium on June 13 and 14 to two different females and weighed around 6 to 11 grams each at birth. The baby vipers are being cared for in a private area of the Herpetarium, zoo officials said.

“The animal care team at the Herpetarium created a special temperature-controlled room for our Western Asian vipers, which has been key to breeding this species,” said Mark Wanner, zoological manager of herpetology and aquatics, and director of the Saint Louis Zoo's WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in Western Asia. “The room is cooled down in the winter allowing these snakes a seasonal breeding cycle, much like they would experience in nature. The keepers meticulously monitor these snakes throughout the year, observing their health and reproductive status.”

These births are a result of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Armenian Viper Species Survival Plan, a program to manage a genetically healthy Armenian viper population. The Saint Louis Zoo has been reproducing this species since 2002.

World Snake Day activities and keeper chats take place at the Herpetarium from 1 to 3 p.m. today. National Zookeeper Week kicked off yesterday, and events at the zoo will continue through the summer. Keeper chats are offered at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. every day, and animal enrichment and training presentations are at 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, at various locations. See the schedule here.

Photo by Justin Elden/Saint Louis Zoo