Description: Vipera orlovi, a viper with a general length of body about 550 - 650 mm and short tail (35 - 75 mm). There are ventral scales 133 - 141(females), 126 - 134(males) - less number of ventrals must be noticed in comparison to other species of kaznakovi-complex, (132 - 134(females) /Larsa D., 2007/), subcaudals: 27 - 34(females), 34 - 39(males). Dorsal scales: 21-23.
Near 50% of specimens have brown tones in colouration but there are also vipers with green, grey, yellow, pink, orange and red tones. Zigzag is usually dark-brown but can be also black, dark-grey or dark-red, as well as bilineata and patternless specimens(most often females). The dorsal side of body is black or dark-brown, sometimes with small light spots. The tail have yellow tones with a dark underside. The head have more light colouration than the body and often have a "V" or "X"-like sign on the upper side. White or light-beige canthals and all or backside upper labials are typical for Vipera orlovi.
Destribution:
Vipera orlovi is distributed on the both slopes of the lowest North-Western part of the Great Caucasian Ridge from Gelendzhik to the Big Pseashkho mount, its area placed to the North-West from the Vipera kaznakovi area and those two species integrate with each other on the area borders.
Vipera orlovi habitats are various types of mediterranean and submediterranian landscapes: stony river valleys with light woods, steppe sites and meadows with stony habitats near light or dark pine woods in a range of heights 400 - 950 m a.s.l.
