Is the Huaxi Green Pitviper venomous?

Yes. The Huaxi Green Pitviper (Trimeresurus lii) is venomous and belongs to the Viperidae family (viper). Its bite is considered high risk to people. Treat any bite as a medical emergency.

Is the Huaxi Green Pitviper poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Huaxi Green Pitviper is venomous, delivering venom through a bite.

Viperidae

Huaxi Green Pitviper

Venomous

Trimeresurus lii

Huaxi Green Pitviper — Trimeresurus lii, (c) 渔喵, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)

3 photographs of the Huaxi Green Pitviper. (c) 渔喵, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA).

The Huaxi Green Pitviper (Trimeresurus lii) is a venomous snake in the Viperidae family.

If you are bitten

This is a venomous snake. Treat any bite as a medical emergency: stay calm, keep the bitten limb still and roughly level with the heart, remove rings and tight clothing, and get to emergency care immediately. Do not apply a tourniquet, cut the wound, apply ice, or try to suck out venom. Call your local emergency number or poison center.

Family: Viperidae
Danger: high

About the Huaxi Green Pitviper

The Huaxi Green Pitviper belongs to the Viperidae family, vipers & pit vipers. Heavy-bodied venomous snakes with long, hinged, hollow fangs.

Vipers are ambush predators with the most sophisticated venom-delivery system of any snake: long fangs that fold back against the roof of the mouth and swing forward to stab. The family splits into true vipers (adders, Gaboon viper, Russell's viper, saw-scaled vipers) and pit vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, lanceheads, bushmasters), which have a heat-sensing pit between the eye and nostril.

Its genus, Trimeresurus, covers Asian pit vipers. Trimeresurus is a large genus of slender, often vivid green pit vipers that live in the trees and shrubs of South and Southeast Asia, where their camouflage makes them easy to miss and genuinely tricky to tell apart.

The Huaxi Green Pitviper is venomous. Treat any bite as a medical emergency, do not try to handle or capture the snake, and get professional medical care right away.

Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.

Frequently asked: Huaxi Green Pitviper

Is the Huaxi Green Pitviper venomous?: Yes. The Huaxi Green Pitviper (Trimeresurus lii) is venomous and belongs to the Viperidae family (viper). Its bite is considered high risk to people. Treat any bite as a medical emergency.
Is the Huaxi Green Pitviper poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Huaxi Green Pitviper is venomous, delivering venom through a bite.
Is the Huaxi Green Pitviper dangerous?: This is a venomous snake. Treat any bite as a medical emergency: stay calm, keep the bitten limb still and roughly level with the heart, remove rings and tight clothing, and get to emergency care immediately. Do not apply a tourniquet, cut the wound, apply ice, or try to suck out venom. Call your local emergency number or poison center.

If you are bitten by the Huaxi Green Pitviper

A venomous snakebite is a medical emergency. Call your local emergency number immediately. In the US, dial 911 or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Get away from the snake and stay calm. Most bites worsen when people panic or try again to handle the snake.
Call 911 or Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) right away. Antivenom works best when given early.
Note the time of the bite and, from a safe distance, the snake's color and pattern, a phone photo is enough. Do not chase it.
Keep the bitten limb still and at roughly heart level. Sit or lie down and limit movement.
Remove rings, watches, and tight clothing near the bite before swelling starts.
Gently wash the bite with soap and water and cover it with a clean, dry dressing.

Do not

Do not cut the wound or try to suck out the venom.
Do not apply a tourniquet or ice.
Do not drink alcohol or caffeine.
Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen, they can worsen bleeding. Acetaminophen is safer for pain.
Do not try to catch or kill the snake. A dead snake can still bite by reflex.

First-aid guidance adapted from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC NIOSH), Venomous Snakes. Educational only; always follow the instructions of emergency responders.

More Viperidae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards: Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits: Viperidae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Trimeresurus
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Trimeresurus lii

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.