Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Macrovipera schweizeri (Macrovipera schweizeri), recorded as Endangered
Macrovipera schweizeri (Macrovipera schweizeri). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Macrovipera schweizeri

Macrovipera schweizeri

Macrovipera schweizeri is a viper in the family Viperidae, recorded as Endangered and tied to Greece.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Macrovipera schweizeri
Recorded from
Greece
Taxonomy
Squamata · Viperidae · Macrovipera

The viper

Milos vipers grow to an average total length (among them tail) of 50–70 cm (20–28 in), with a maximum of 98.5 cm (38.8 in).

Range and habitat

Milos vipers are found on the Greek islands of the Cyclades Archipelago in the Aegean Sea: Milos, Siphnos, Kimolos and Poliaigos. The subspecies is endemic to the Cyclades Archipelago of Greece in the Aegean Sea.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Diet and breeding

Gut analysis of road killed specimens showed that adults feed on passerine birds, while young vipers under 35 cm feed primarily on Milos wall lizards and European copper skinks. While largely terrestrial, they have seasonally arboreal behaviour, foraging for prey in trees on autumn nights.

In crisis

This subspecies, M. L. Schweizeri, is classified as endangered by the IUCN. Less than 4000 adult individuals exist in the wild as of 2022. Furthermore, a continuing decline is observed due to being killed by feral cats, persecution and over-collecting by collectors, and its habitat continues to decline in extent and quality.

Macrovipera schweizeri is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Macrovipera schweizeri, Wikidata item Q536300. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

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Quick answers

What is Macrovipera schweizeri?
Macrovipera schweizeri is a viper in the family Viperidae.
What is the conservation status of Macrovipera schweizeri?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Macrovipera schweizeri. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Macrovipera schweizeri live?
Milos vipers are found on the Greek islands of the Cyclades Archipelago in the Aegean Sea: Milos, Siphnos, Kimolos and Poliaigos.
Why is Macrovipera schweizeri in crisis?
This subspecies, M. L. Schweizeri, is classified as endangered by the IUCN. Less than 4000 adult individuals exist in the wild as of 2022.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Macrovipera schweizeri?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Macrovipera schweizeri a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.