What is the Difference Between True Vipers and Pit Vipers?

All vipers fall under the family Viperidae. However, it contains two sub-families that distinguish between what we call “True Vipers” and “Pit Vipers.” The distinction is whether or not a viper has heat-sensing organs, which we call “pits.” Pit Vipers have these heat-sensing organs and belong to the subfamily Crotalinae. True Vipers, on the other hand, lack these […]

Why We Should know Scientific Names

I maybe exaggerating when I say this, but it seems people call hundreds of different species of spiders “Banana Spiders,” ranging from Trichonephila to Phoneutria, and if you recognize these two genera, there is a tremendous difference. If you were bitten by a species of Phoneutria and said it was a “Banana Spider,” that would not benefit you at all, […]