A venomous pit viper snake found in Okinawa and other parts of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan.
From Okinawan/Ryukyuan language, habu is the native name for these snakes. Entered English through military contact during WWII when American servicemen encountered them in the Pacific.
Habus caused more American casualties in Okinawa than some Japanese soldiers—they're pit vipers that hunt at night, and soldiers sleeping in the humid jungle faced a real predator problem the textbooks never mention.
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