Protobothrops elegans
Japanese name: サキシマハブ
Chinese name: 先島原矛頭蝮、先島波布、麗紋龜殼花、先島烙鐵頭
English name: Sakishima Habu
Origin: Yaeyama Islands (excluding Yonagunijima and Haterumajima). In southern and central Okinawajima, it is a domestic alien species.
The Sakishima Habu is a relatively small pit viper, measuring about 60 to 120 cm in length, much smaller than the Habu (Protobothrops flavoviridis). Its body is generally brown, with individual variation in shading. Its venom is estimated to be about half as potent as that of the Habu.
In the 1970s, this species was intentionally introduced to Okinawajima from the Yaeyama Islands for tourism purposes, including snake-versus-mongoose shows and the development of habu-derived products. In 1976, 100 individuals kept at a tourist facility were stolen and released into the wild. As a result, a population is now established in Itoman City in southern Okinawajima. Individuals have also been captured in Naha and Nago, though stable populations in those areas are not confirmed. In addition, hybrid individuals between the Sakishima Habu and the Habu have been recorded on Okinawajima.
