The ruby-eyed green pit viper (Craspedocephalus rubeus) is a venomous species of snake from Cambodia and Vietnam that was described in 2011. Not much is known about the species. It lives in seasonal tropical forests near fast flowing streams and appears to be nocturnal. The genus Craspedocephalus contains 15 species, and they tend to be small, arboreal, and feed on small rodents, birds, lizards, and amphibians. Today we’re looking at the ruby-eyed green pit viper, part of Yowie’s Animals with Superpowers set released in 2021.
Being a part of the Animals with Superpowers set you can probably guess that there’s something special about this particular animal. Yowie assigns “infrared vision” as its superpower. And yes, it is a remarkable ability but not one unique to this species or even just to pit vipers, of which there are roughly 155 species. Boas and pythons also have these heat sensing pits, which allow these snakes to detect infrared radiation from warm bodies. Why Yowie chose the ruby-eyed green pit viper is anyone’s guess but we’re thankful for it. It’s an attractive species that you’re not likely to see produced by other toy companies anytime soon.
Figuring out the scale of this toy is a challenge, as the figure is presented in a coiled posture that would require some precision measurements. No matter, I can’t find the length of this species anyway. The snake is a brilliant emerald-green color with you guessed it, ruby red eyes. It’s like the snake equivalent of a red-eyed treefrog. The underside is pale green. Pictures of the actual snake also show a red tipped tail but that is not presented here.
The body of the figure is covered in generic, randomly distributed scales which is a major gripe for me when it comes to toy snakes but something that I can’t really take this small figure to task for. Snake identification is largely dependent on the size, shape, and distribution of the scales that correspond to particular body parts. The unique scalation of the ruby-eyed green pit viper is not depicted here, nor would I really expect it to be. That said, Safari did an admirable job of it with their miniscule Lake Erie water snake, so it certainly can be done. The snake otherwise is sufficiently accurate, with a triangular shaped head, elliptical pupils, and sculpted heat pits.
The Animals with Superpowers series is ongoing as of this writing and distributed in the United States. It is listed as common on the Yowie rarity chart so you should be able to find it easily enough. If blind bag toys aren’t your thing than you can also find the figure on eBay.
