Russell's Viper
Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) is a venomous snake in the family Viperidae native to the Indian subcontinent and one of the big four snakes in India. It was described in 1797 by George Shaw and Frederick Polydore Nodder, and named after Patrick Russell who wrote about it in his 1796 work An account of Indian serpents, collected on the coast of Coromandel.
Description
The Russel's viper's head is flattened, triangular, and distinct from the neck. The snout is blunt, rounded, and raised. The nostrils are large, each in the middle of a large, single nasal scale. The lower edge of the nasal scale touches the nasorostral scale. The supranasal scale has a strong crescent shape and separates the nasal from the nasorostral scale anteriorly.
Venom
A potent heterodimeric PLA2 neurotoxin (designated a Russtoxin) was found in the venoms of all Russell's vipers except Daboia russelli