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Definition of mexican pit viper

mexican pit viper

Plural:mexican pit vipers
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mexican pit viper Lexical Profile

• noun

1

Any of several venomous snakes belonging to the subfamily Crotalinae, native to Mexico and surrounding regions of Central America, characterized by specialized heat-sensing loreal pits located between the eye and the nostril used to detect warm-blooded prey.

Example

"While exploring the dry scrublands of northern Mexico, the herpetologist carefully documented a Mexican pit viper resting in the shade of a rock."

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from its geographic distribution in Mexico, the presence of heat-sensing 'pits' (from Old English 'pytt'), and its classification as a 'viper' (from Latin 'vipera', meaning snake).

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Mexican pit viper. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/mexican pit viper
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