---
title: "Short-tailed Mamushi"
description: "Gloydius blomhoffii — Reptiles. Gloydius blomhoffii, commonly known as the mamushi, Japanese moccasin, Japanese pit viper, Qichun snake, Salmusa or Japanese mamushi, is a pit viper species found in Japan."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/short-tailed-mamushi-gloydius-blomhoffii
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Short-tailed Mamushi

> Gloydius blomhoffii — Reptiles. Gloydius blomhoffii, commonly known as the mamushi, Japanese moccasin, Japanese pit viper, Qichun snake, Salmusa or Japanese mamushi, is a pit viper species found in Japan.

- Scientific name: *Gloydius blomhoffii*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 650
- Wikidata: [Q1184903](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1184903)
- iNaturalist taxon: [31071](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/31071)

## Names

- en: Short-tailed Mamushi
- de: Mamushi
- es: Mamushi de Blomhoff

## Countries with the most observations

JP (618)

## Summary

Gloydius blomhoffii, commonly known as the mamushi, Japanese moccasin, Japanese pit viper, Qichun snake, Salmusa or Japanese mamushi, is a pit viper species found in Japan. It was once considered to have 4 subspecies, but it is now considered monotypic.
This species, along with the yamakagashi (Rhabdophis tigrinus) and the Okinawan habu (Protobothrops flavoviridis), are the most venomous snakes in Japan.  Every year, 2000–3000 people in Japan are bitten by a mamushi. Bitten victims typically require one week of treatment in a hospital. Severe bites require intensive care, and approximately 10 victims die annually.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamushi

## Photo

![Short-tailed Mamushi](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/short-tailed-mamushi-gloydius-blomhoffii/medium.jpg)

Photo: kamataryo · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/128217320

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/short-tailed-mamushi-gloydius-blomhoffii?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).