Pilsen Zoo announced on 30 October 2026 that it had succeeded for the second time in breeding hatchlings of the spider-tailed horned viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) [1][2].
Breeding in 2026
The female laid five eggs; as in the previous year, mating was not observed. The hatchlings emerged from the eggs about forty days later in an incubator, and four of them survived. According to the zoo, they are stable and are currently feeding on geckos, while they still ignore young mice; according to the keeper, this is typical for the species and they will switch to mice after about six months of acclimatization [1][2]. The zoo keeps spider-tailed horned vipers in the Kingdom of Venom exhibition [2].
Karel Kodejš, the zoo's keeper and curator, said: „From a breeding perspective, a repeated success is even more valuable – a kind of confirmation that the conditions set for keeping the species are correct and everything is working as it should.“ [1]
First breeding in 2025
The zoo first reared hatchlings in the summer of 2025, which, according to Deník, made it the first public institution in the world to do so. Six hatchlings began hatching on 27 July 2025, and all had emerged from their eggs by the following day [1]. For this achievement, the zoo received the White Elephant Award for Breeding of the Year, given to zoos in the Czech Republic and Slovakia [1][2]. In the wild, these reptiles specialize mainly in birds, which they lure with a tail appendage resembling a spider [2].
Sources
- Deník: Plzeňský kraj — 30 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 30 October 2026