| pit viper n. Any of various venomous snakes of the family Crotalidae, such as a copperhead, rattlesnake, or fer-de-lance, characterized by a small sensory pit below each eye. |
pit viper
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any venomous snake of the New World family Crotalidae, having a heat-sensitive organ in a pit on each side of the head: includes the rattlesnakes
| pit viper Any of various very venomous snakes of the family Crotalidae. Pit vipers are characterized by a triangular head with a small sensory pit below each eye. The pits detect infrared radiation and help the snake locate prey. Some scientists classify the pit vipers as a subfamily Crotalinae within the Viperidae, the family of vipers, rather than as a separate family. Copperheads, rattlesnakes, and fer-de-lances are pit vipers. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  pit viper - New World vipers with hollow fangs and a heat-sensitive pit on each side of the headviper - venomous Old World snakes characterized by hollow venom-conducting fangs in the upper jaw Crotalidae, family Crotalidae - New World vipers: pit vipers Agkistrodon contortrix, copperhead - common coppery brown pit viper of upland eastern United States Agkistrodon piscivorus, cottonmouth, cottonmouth moccasin, water moccasin - venomous semiaquatic snake of swamps in southern United States rattler, rattlesnake - pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken Bothrops atrops, fer-de-lance - large extremely venomous pit viper of Central America and South America |
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