The Levantine Viper [Macrovipera lebetina] , or 'Gunas' as it is locally known, is a venomous viper species found in Kashmir, the Middle East, and the Levant* as far North Africa. The populations found in southern Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir are sometimes referred to as a separate subspecies: Macrovipera lebetina peilei.

The Levantine Viper or Mountain Adder is is fatally venomous. It is a large blunt-nosed gray-brown snake found in dry and rocky mountainous areas between 1,000 and 2,500 meters elevation. The scale pattern consists of rosettes with light centers.

The Levantine Viper is usually inactive during daytime, but quite alert and apt to attack swiftly. In Kashmiri folklore it is reputed to have the ability, probably undeserved, of being able to strike by jumping at its victim.
*The countries bordering on the eastern Mediterranean Sea from Turkey to Egypt.

The Levantine Viper.