📸 PhotoPhoto: Yongchangjang · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Ussuri Mamushi
Gloydius ussuriensis (Ussuri Mamushi · ウスリーマムシ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 An adult female's average weight of 56 g is similar to that of a chicken egg (about 60 g) (Comparison).
- 💡 In February 2026, the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) announced the results of an 8-year analysis of 513 Ussuri Mamushi individuals, with the separation of island populations into distinct groups as its key finding.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Ussuri Mamushi is a small venomous snake living in Korea, China, and the Russian Primorye region, widely distributed across the Korean mainland and islands such as Jeju Island.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
In a Korean survey, adult snout-to-vent length averaged about 45 cm, and body weight averaged about 56 g in females and 46 g in males. Newborn young average about 20 cm and 6.6 g.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds mainly on amphibians such as frogs and on rodents, as well as fish, reptiles, and invertebrates. It was commonly recorded in a study site where forest made up 89.8% of the area.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is one of the three venomous snakes appearing in Korean snakebite reports. In February 2026, the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) announced an analysis of 513 Ussuri Mamushi individuals separating the Baengnyeongdo and Jeju Island populations as distinct lineages endemic to the Korean Peninsula.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/192145/2046826
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 6KLDJ
- • iucnredlist.org — 2046826
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000059506 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000059506
- • wikidata.org — Q2629408
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Gloydius ussuriensis.JPG
- • reptile-database.reptarium.cz — species
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC10693586
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC9415592
- • nibr.go.kr — 67105bbsDetail.do
- • species.nibr.go.kr — general-search
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Beth Reinke · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Vipera berus)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.