Vipers, adders, and cobras are all different kinds of poisonous snakes. While the similarity between them is that all the three are poisonous, they are different from each other.
Vipers have a pair of long fangs at the front of the mouth. The fangs are folded usually, and are extended only at the time of striking. Vipers are usually stout, and have a distinct, triangular head and keeled scales. The main difference between these and cobras is in the type of venom. Viper venom has protein degrading enzymes called proteases. Some of them may have nerotoxic venom as well.
Cobras, on the other hand, are members of the Elapidae family. They have a pair of short, unfoldable fangs, and reach a length of between 3.9 to 8.2 feet. The cobra is universally recognizable by its hood, which is a flap of skin and muscle behind the head. Cobra venom is usually a neurotoxin, as seen in the case of the King Cobra, and functions by disabling the muscles and causing paralysis to set in. Some cobras may have proteolytic venom as well. The spitting cobra has a different mode of venom delivery, injecting the venom into the eyes.
The adder is a member of the viperinae sub-family of the viper family, and is therefore a sub-type of the vipers. The death adder is an exception, and is not part of the viper family.
Vipers have a pair of long fangs at the front of the mouth. The fangs are folded usually, and are extended only at the time of striking. Vipers are usually stout, and have a distinct, triangular head and keeled scales. The main difference between these and cobras is in the type of venom. Viper venom has protein degrading enzymes called proteases. Some of them may have nerotoxic venom as well.
Cobras, on the other hand, are members of the Elapidae family. They have a pair of short, unfoldable fangs, and reach a length of between 3.9 to 8.2 feet. The cobra is universally recognizable by its hood, which is a flap of skin and muscle behind the head. Cobra venom is usually a neurotoxin, as seen in the case of the King Cobra, and functions by disabling the muscles and causing paralysis to set in. Some cobras may have proteolytic venom as well. The spitting cobra has a different mode of venom delivery, injecting the venom into the eyes.
The adder is a member of the viperinae sub-family of the viper family, and is therefore a sub-type of the vipers. The death adder is an exception, and is not part of the viper family.
