Viper vs Cobra: What’s the Difference?

There are around 200 species of viper and close to 300 species of cobra around the world. When comparing a viper vs a cobra, there are many key differences to note. But, the two snakes share many similarities as well. Both snakes can be found in Africa and Asia, but only vipers inhabit other continents like Europe, North America, and South America. Vipers and cobras share one crucial characteristic: they’re both highly venomous.

In this article, we’ll learn more about the differences between vipers and cobras and a little more about some specific species of vipers and cobras. To help you learn how to distinguish between the two snakes, we’ll go over their size, appearance, locations and habitats, behaviors, and lifespan.

Read on to learn just what makes vipers and cobras different from one another.

Comparing Vipers And Cobras

The Key Differences Between Vipers And Cobras

The key differences between vipers and cobras are size, location, habitat, appearance, behavior, and lifespan.

Cobras grow longer than vipers, but vipers generally have thicker bodies. Both are venomous and have long fangs, but viper fangs grow much longer; vipers can retract their fangs like a switchblade knife to close their mouth fully. Cobras, on the other hand, cannot fold their fangs, so they have to be shorter for the cobras to close their mouth. Cobras are known for their hoods, while some viper species are known for the rattles on their tails.

Let’s take a closer look at the key differences between vipers and cobras.

Viper vs Cobra: Size

The longest venomous snake in the world is the king cobra. Although they aren’t considered true cobras, they’re loosely lumped in with true cobra species. King cobras can reach up to 18 feet long, while the much smaller Mozambique spitting cobra reaches only four feet long. Vipers, on the other hand, don’t grow quite as big as the king cobras. The longest viper globally is the South American bushmaster, which grows up to ten feet long. The smallest viper is the Namaqua dwarf viper of southern Africa.

Viper vs Cobra: Location and Habitat

Vipers are more widespread than cobras. Unlike vipers, cobras are found only in Asia and Africa. The most famous species of cobra in Asia is the king cobra, well known for its wide neck hood and ability to rear its head far off the ground. In Africa, the most famous type of cobra is the black mamba, which has only the smallest of hoods.

Vipers, also called adders in some parts of the world, can be found throughout North America, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Perhaps the most famous member of this family is the North American rattlesnake.

Viper vs Cobra: Appearance

In general, vipers are heavier-bodied than cobras. Both families of snakes range from complexly patterned to solidly one color. Pit vipers have heat-sensing pits between their nostrils and eyes that true vipers and all cobras lack.

Viper vs Cobra: Behavior

One of the most famous behaviors a cobra can exhibit occurs when threatened. When threatened, most cobra species “stand up,” elevating up to several feet of their bodies off the ground, and splay their hoods out. Many will also hiss, and some can even spit venom.

In contrast, vipers do not stand up. Instead, most species coil into a tight loop and rapidly shake the end of their tail. In rattlesnakes, this results in a characteristic maraca sound that warns would-be predators away.

Cobras have a broad and exotic diet featuring many varieties of other snakes such as Indian cobras, rat snakes, pythons, green whip snakes, banded wolf snakes, Malabar and hump-nosed pit vipers, and keelbacks. Their digestion process is very slow, and after a large meal, they won’t eat again for up to several months. Vipers’ diets are quite different, consisting of rabbits, frogs, lizards, insects, smaller snakes, birds and bats, and rodents.

Viper vs Cobra: Lifespan

For vipers and cobras, lifespans differ for each species. But, a good rule of thumb is—the bigger the snake, the longer it may live. Some species, like the king cobra, have been known to live up to 20 years in the wild. Most species of rattlesnake, copperhead, and water moccasin may live up to 10 years. For all species, captive specimens tend to have much longer lifespans.