Eyelash pit-viper
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| File:Bothriechis nigroadspersus (La Selva Biological Station).jpg | |
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| Species: | B. schlegelii
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The Eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a venomous pit viper found in Central America and South America.
Small and living in trees, the snake has a lot of colour variations. Note the superciliary scales above the eyes.
It is the most common of the green palm-pitvipers (genus Bothriechis).[1]
Description
The eyelash viper is a small species of snake, and rarely ever grows longer than the length of 75 centimetres (2.5 feet). Females are larger than males. It gets the name "eyelash viper" because it has a small group of scales over its eyes which make it look like the snake has eyelashes. The eyelash viper comes in many colours like green, yellow, red, brown or even pink.
Behaviour
Like other snakes of the genus Bothriechis, this species is arboreal, meaning it lives in trees. The eyelash viper is nocturnal. It is not known to be aggressive, but if annoyed or disturbed it does not hesitate to strike. The viper is viviparous, meaning it gives live birth. It gives birth to around 10 to 12 young at a time. When they are born, young vipers are 13–23 centimetres (5–9 inches) long.
Feeding
Eyelash vipers capture their prey by ambushing. They feed on small rodents, small birds, frogs, and lizards.
Common names
The eyelash viper is also known as the "eyelash mountain viper", the "horned palm viper", "Schlegel's viper", and the "eyelash palm-pit viper". It is also known as the "bocaracá" in Costa Rica and other Central and South American countries.
Where they live
The eyelash viper is found in southern Mexico, south-eastward to the Atlantic lowlands, through Central America to northern South America in Colombia and Venezuela. It is also found in parts of Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru.
Habitat
The viper likes to live in humid, tropical areas not far from water.
References
- ↑ Lewis, Robert Alan 1998. Lewis' Dictionary of Toxicology. CRC Press, p187. ISBN 978-1-56670-223-2
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