elegant pit viper; elegant tree viper
A venomous snake (Protobothrops elegans) found in the Sakishima Islands of Okinawa, Japan.
The Sakishima habu is a venomous snake that inhabits the Sakishima Islands.
Be careful not to get bitten by a Sakishima habu at night.
Refers to the Okinawan habu (Protobothrops flavoviridis), a related but different species found in the main Okinawa islands.
Katakana spelling is standard for this snake name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
From 先島 (Sakishima, the island group) + 波布 (habu, a type of pit viper). The exact origin of 'habu' is uncertain, but it is a local Ryukyuan name for these snakes.