| 1 | Crossed pitviper |
Maximum length: 169cm.
Brazil has 30 Bothrops pitvipers, in many varying habitats. In species like the jararacussu, the best view they see over their entire lives is the next gnarly, 300 year old tree trunk. Then you have the crossed pitviper, which lives mainly in open grassland, and has far more glorious views as a result.
This is a 120cm species with a cytotoxic venom, which eats a diet of 100% mammals. It mainly inhabits southern Brazil, and contributes a moderate amount to annual bite statistics. Crossed pitvipers shun forests, and like open areas which typically have an excellent view of the surrounding hills. Humans spot them most commonly on dirt roads, and being southern Brazil, these grasslands are well lit with the sun’s rays.
If a helicopter is flying in, the crossed pitviper will know. If the Brazilian army is sending tanks to eradicate them, the crossed pitviper will know.
The only downside to such spectacular views is that birds can zero in on them. Crossed pitvipers regularly fall victim to burrowing owls, one of South America’s most notorious snake-eaters, which start by decapitating them. Luckily, their grassy plains are filled with mammal burrows which crossed pitvipers can shelter in.
| 2 | Red diamond rattlesnake |
Maximum length: 162.5cm.
The red diamond rattlesnake is found in one US state: California. While they’re far from a high altitude snake, reaching a maximum of 1400 metres, they still spend the majority of their lives amidst Californian views ripped straight from a postcard. This is because their favourite habitats of all are shrubby desert foothills, with plenty of rocks.
Red diamond rattlesnakes often rest on these rock slabs, making their views even more glorious. They also have more endangered colonies on the west coast near Los Angeles, but much of their territory is glorious, pristine California wilderness.
Snakes have the power to detect female snakes with their tongue, and males can follow trails several miles to find a mate. A red diamond rattlesnake could probably spot a female on the next hill instead, if it tried hard enough. If a team of herpetologists arrived, carrying equipment up the hill, then the red diamonder would know in advance and be able to vanish rapidly. This is a venomous species, but comparatively mild, with few confirmed deaths.
| 3 | Adder |
Maximum length: 93.5cm.
The common European adder (Vipera berus) is the most northerly snake in the world, reaching northern Sweden, and this cold-resistant physiology also applies vertically. As well as mild British woodlands, adders appear in the higher reaches of the European alps, giving them stellar views to gaze at.
Adders appear at 2000 metres in Austria and Switzerland, often in a melanistic, fully black morph to increase sunlight absorption. Adders are flexible, appearing in mountain forests, but also open rocky hillsides, where the entire valley below is visible. Some even live on slopes that cablecars pass over, or beneath cables which carry chairlifts in winter.
When late October arrives, these mountainous adders vanish deep into burrows and may not surface until May, depending on how fast the snow melts. In summer, they enjoy fantastic views for free, which most tourists have to pay to access.
While these views allow them to see tourists approaching on paths, adders are only moderately aggressive. They’ll lunge on command, but won’t charge down innocent people and bite.
| 4 | Utah mountain kingsnake |
Maximum length: 108.8cm.
A subspecies of the Arizona mountain kingsnake. While other kingsnakes live in moist meadows on the borders of towns, the Utah mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelana infralabialis) has been handed the rugged mountains of Utah by the snake gods. Within these mountains, they avoid dense pine forests where fallen logs block their vision, and stick to open areas with sweeping views.
Utah mountain kingsnakes measure 60-90cm, and have red-black-white patterns, while the California kingsnake found in southern Utah is purely black-white. Utah mountain kingsnakes feed on mammals, lizards and fellow snakes, and to find them, they prowl patiently around their mountainous domains.
This species isn’t especially fast, not compared to the lightning fast coachwhip. But they’re exceedingly persistent, and will prowl their valley landscapes all day while searching for subtle scent molecules.
As well as Utah, this subspecies inhabits eastern Nevada. They reach altitudes of 2000 metres, and are a nocturnal species which tends to stay still during the day, possibly gazing at the sweeping vistas in front of them. Utah mountain kingsnakes are non-venomous and pose no threat to humans, should you encounter one while hiking.
| 5 | Cape cobra |
Maximum length: 231cm.
The most common cobra in Botswana, Mozambique and coastal South Africa. Cape cobras are a flexible species, appearing in virtually any habitat except sand dunes and rainforests. They can inhabit grasslands, woodlands and towns, and this neverending adventure often takes them to the top of windswept, grassy hills.
Cape cobras prey heavily on mammals, and if a hill has an abundance of burrowing mammals, then they might stay there permanently. Consequently, they can be a problem for weekend hikers, potentially blocking paths. They have an excellent view of towns below their hills, particularly if they rear up. Most worryingly, they have an excellent view of you.
Cape cobra venom combines cytotoxins, haemotoxins and neurotoxins into one fatal mixture. Bites are commonly fatal, although most South African hospitals stock the antivenom. They also prey heavily on other snakes, even including the venomous puff adder.
With clear views from their hill, it’s easy for this species to spot an exhausted hiker as they trudge upwards. Fortunately, this also works in reverse, as you may get an advanced view of the cobra, reared up with its hood.
| 6 | Anatolian meadow viper |
Maximum length: 43.4cm.
This rare Turkish species is surrounded on all sides by breathtaking views. Anatolian mountain vipers (Vipera anatolica) are rare because they live only in mountainous sky islands above 1500 metres in altitude. These small pockets are separated by hundreds of miles of hot plains at 37C plus, in which this cold-adapted viper cannot survive. By their very nature, they live in sanctuaries that tower far above the surrounding land.
Anatolian meadow vipers are closely related to the meadow viper of Italy, but are an independent species, with an endangered classification. They measure 40cm, and have a venom rich in metalloproteinases, which unleashes necrosis and swelling, or would if they weren’t so isolated from human civilisation.
Anatolian meadow vipers live only in remote areas, and are rarely found even on dedicated herpetological expeditions. When they are discovered, they’re usually found on open slopes exposed to harsh winds, rather than woods or forests.
Consequently, this snake has a constant view of the rugged hills and flat plains below. A life without fantastic views is unimaginable to them. This species lives in at least two surviving pockets: one in the Geyik Mountains and another in the Kohu-Dag Mountain massif.
| 7 | Sonoran gopher snake |
Maximum length: 233.7cm.
A desert-adapted snake of Arizona and northern Mexico. The Sonoran gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis) can be found at any severity of dryness, except for fully-fledged sand dunes.
This snake is a desert subspecies of the ultra-widespread gopher snake, and is utterly incapable of killing a human. They can have a feisty temperament, but are easy to pick up without suffering any serious damage. Their prey mainly consists of mammals, including pack rats, whose burrows they invade.
The Sonoran gopher snake is a creature of parched desert flats intermingled with cacti and creote bushes, plus gravelly desert slopes and dried out stream beds below them. These offer some of the greatest vistas in the USA, with miles of desert followed by mysterious hills in the distance, which bounty hunters would have ridden towards 160 years ago while pursuing bandits. The Sonoran gopher snake was there then, watching the spectacle unfold, it was there 200,000 years ago, and it’s still there now.
Sonoran gopher snakes also have an enclave in southeastern California, and can inhabit dry woodlands, as well as wide open desert vistas. They can inhabit various elevations, from sea level to 2700 metres high.
| 8 | Coachwhip |
Maximum length: 259.1cm.
The coachwhip is similar to the cape cobra. It’s extremely fast and adventurous, and combined with a preference for open habitats, this often brings them to spots where they can witness the entire landscape unfolding before them.
Coachwhips can exceed 2.5 metres, and are found in every state of the US south, from Florida to Texas to California, as well as around 50% of Mexico. Coachwhips are non-venomous, and prey mainly on lizards, with a side helping of mammals. They don’t appear in towering mountain ranges, but are found in sweeping wild areas with hills, long grasses and dry forests visible in the distance. Theoretically, it would be possible to spot a coachwhip in the far distance with a pair of high-powered binoculars, if you possess a particular set of skills.
Coachwhips are so fast and manic that they might not even notice the great views they’ve been granted. They’re normally completely in their own world, in mad pursuit of a lizard trail which only they’ve noticed. Everything in the coachwhip’s world happens in the blink of an eye, and there’s no time to stop and gaze over the horizon like a rattlesnake.
| 9 | Night snake |
Maximum length: 64.2cm.
The night snake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea) is a harmless US species found in open, dry habitats. They’re found in a swathe of western states, including California, Arizona, Nevada and more. Above all else, they favour jumbled rock fields, which are constantly shifting and changing due to erosion. These are often at high altitudes, meaning that night snakes only have to leave their comfortable rock cracks at witness a breathtaking view.
One particular hotspot for night snakes is the talus slopes of eastern Washington state, many of which hang over winding mountain roads with hairpin bends. Drivers have a stunning view from these roads, and the local night snakes can also see the stunning vistas below.
This snake appears in sparse oak-savannah woodlands sometimes, but never dense forests. Wide open semi-deserts are another habitat, as long as there’s plenty of rocks around. Their diet mainly consists of small lizards, and never mammals.
The old rule states that if an enemy can see you, you can see them. This definitely doesn’t apply to the night snake. If they poked their head out of a rock field and watched your car speed past, all you’d see would be a miniscule dot, even if you knew what to look for.
| 10 | Prairie rattlesnake |
Maximum length: 151.5cm.
The prairie rattlesnake lives east of the Rocky Mountains, in a large stretch of the US mid-west, plus southern Canada. They never appear in forests, and mainly inhabit sweeping hills and grasslands of the Great Plains. They spend their entire lives in a land of sweeping views, which were once the sites of majestic buffalo herds and Native Americans trying to hunt them.
Prairie rattlesnakes are distinctive among their family for embarking on a huge migration each year. They can travel 5, 10 or 20 miles after leaving their hibernation dens, just to reach their summer feeding grounds.
The sights they see on these journeys must be immense. To another animal, the sweeping vistas of the Great Plains might lead them astray, lost in a terrifying canyon. But prairie rattlesnakes have such excellent smell that they can travel 10 miles and then return to the same comfy hibernation crack each year.
Prairie rattlesnakes reach a record of 151.5cm, and are middling in venom toxicity for their family. As juveniles, their venom is rich in muscle-targeting myotoxins, which switch to skin-dissolving metalloproteinases with age.