CreatureData

Asp viper

Vipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758)

VUVulnerablesnakes

The asp viper (Vipera aspis) is a snake in the family Viperidae and subfamily Viperinae, within the order Squamata of the class Reptilia. It is a small snake, with a representative adult body mass of 161 g.

Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Photo: Felix Reimann · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the asp viper

Its lifespan is given as 16.4 years, with values up to 25 years reported, and it reaches sexual maturity at 4 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the asp viper globally as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category.

Weight
161 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
16.4 years – 25 yearssrc for Lifespan
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
11.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
4 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the asp viper

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Bouke ten Cate · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Daxaber · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Daxaber · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Matteo Garetti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Gilles San Martin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Gilles San Martin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asp viper (Vipera aspis)
Orchi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the asp viper live?

Not recorded

What is the asp viper?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Vipera aspis is a viper species found in southwestern Europe.

Its common names include asp, asp viper, European asp, and aspic viper, among others. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. Bites from this species can be more severe than from the European adder, V. berus; not only can they be very painful, but approximately 4% of all untreated bites are fatal. The specific epithet, aspis, is a Greek word that means "viper." Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

From the Wikipedia article “Vipera aspis” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vipera_aspis&oldid=1376295157), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the asp viper endangered?

The asp viper is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the asp viper classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyViperidae
  6. genusVipera
  7. SpeciesVipera aspis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Aspera aspic, Coluber aspis, Coluber charasii, Vipera aspis, Vipera aspis atra, Vipera aspis francisredi, Vipera aspis hugyi, Vipera aspis montecristi, Vipera atra, Vipera francisci redi, Vipera hugyi

Other names and names in other languages (37)
  • AspEnglish
  • Aspic viperEnglish
  • European aspEnglish
  • víbora áspideAsturian
  • АспидаBulgarian
  • Escurçó pirinencCatalan
  • zmije skvrnitáCzech
  • AspishugormDanish
  • AspisviperGerman
  • áspidSpanish
  • Vibora áspidSpanish
  • Víbora áspidSpanish
  • Vipera ÁspidSpanish
  • Aspis sugegorriBasque
  • aspiskyyFinnish
  • Vipère aspicFrench
  • Vipère aspic (La)French
  • VipèraArpitan
  • ÁspideGalician
  • áspisviperaHungarian
  • AspideItalian
  • vipera comuneItalian
  • アスプクサリヘビJapanese
  • Europinė angisLithuanian
  • Италијанска шаркаMacedonian
  • AspisadderDutch
  • żmija żebrowanaPolish
  • Víbora-áspidePortuguese
  • Асписовая гадюкаRussian
  • Vretenica aspisSlovak
  • Laški gadSlovenian
  • PìberaSardinian
  • AspishuggormSwedish
  • Avrupa engereğiTurkish
  • Гадюка аспідоваUkrainian
  • ViperaVenetian
  • 毒蝰Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the asp viper

Other species in the same genus Vipera.

LC, Least Concern
Adder (Vipera berus)

Adder

Vipera berus

Viperidae

CompareAsp viper vs AdderAsp viper vs Nose-horned viperAsp viper vs Meadow viperAsp viper vs Lataste's viper

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the asp viper?

The asp viper is a snake, a reptile in the family Viperidae and subfamily Viperinae.

How heavy is the asp viper?

The asp viper has a representative adult body mass of 161 g, placing it in the small size class.

Is the asp viper endangered?

The asp viper is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.

How long does the asp viper live?

The asp viper's lifespan is given as 16.4 years, and sources report values up to 25 years.

At what age does the asp viper reach sexual maturity?

The asp viper reaches sexual maturity at 1,460 days, or 4 years.

How many young does the asp viper have?

The figure given for the asp viper is 11.5 young per litter or eggs per clutch.

Who named the asp viper?

The asp viper, Vipera aspis, carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

What are other names for the asp viper?

Other English names for the asp viper are Asp, Aspic viper and European asp.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Asp viper (Vipera aspis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/asp-viper

MLA

“Asp viper (Vipera aspis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/asp-viper.

BibTeX
@misc{asp_viper_2026,
  title = {Asp viper (Vipera aspis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/asp-viper},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}