Viper Gives Birth to 53 at Bangalore Park
Bangalore, Jun 3 (IANS): A Russell's viper, a venomous snake, has given birth to 53 young ones at Bannerghatta Biological Park here -- a record for the park, an official said.
"We have three male and three female Russell's vipers at the park and this is the first time one of the females has given birth to such a large number of offsprings," Milan Tago, a director at the park, told IANS.
"The largest litter so far had been 45 by another viper a few years ago," he said Friday.
The young ones will be released to the nearby forest after a few days, Tago said.
He said the births took place May 31.
The Russell's vipers are known to litter between 30 and 40 younger ones at a time. They do not lay eggs.
The breeding season of the vipers, found mostly in Asian countries, is between May and November.