Ultimate pit viper, Tatama National Park, Colombia

Here's a way to kick start a very early morning. Our guide Manuel, restless as always, was searching for reptiles in the night whilst we were asleep. He found this highly venomous pit viper and trapped it below a pan, to show it to us a few hours later.

This species has a notorious reputation. It is responsible for the majority of snake bites in Colombia and surrounding countries. Fatality rates have dropped a lot in recent times, but isn't zero in Colombia. Surviving a bite can still mean very serious injury. For example, a local girl working in a restaurant we saw was bitten as a child in her foot. I'll spare you the details of how her foot looks like now.

The local custom is to kill this snake on sight, which is why our guide did not tell any park ranger about it. Side view:

Top view:

comments (5)

Barry

Lion

Great shot, Ferdy. You are right about the reputation - this is one of the very few snakes that I have ever heard of that "supposedly" will follow you and strike even if you avoid it. I am not sure how factual these stories are, but it does seem to be highly aggressive in certain situations. At the lodge I stayed in near Angel's Falls in Venezuela, one got into the breakfast area and I was amazed at how terrified the staff was. Sadly, they killed it before any of us could get them to stop. Posted 7 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks! Barry, I actually question those stories. But I can only share two observations, since that is all the experience I can factually confirm.
  
  This observation: it was trapped below a pan for hours. Next it was exposed to bright flash light and handled with a stick to move it into a favorable position. That's very stressful for this snake, hence the defensive pose you see on this pic. During our interaction that lasted a few minutes, it never tried to follow us or come closer to us. It just appeared very stressed and afraid, for good reasons.
  
  Second observation, shared yesterday on Facebook by one of our guides. He finds himself sitting right next to one of these snakes, by accident. The snake is fully aware and makes no attempt to do anything at all. It made an impression where it simply hoped the person would go away.
  
  As said, these are just two stories, but based on this I find it hard to believe that this snake would actively chase people. Even when extremely provoked it did not do that. To me it seems more aggressive when provoked compared to other snakes, but not actively aggressive as if to somehow hunt people. It lives of small rodents, it would not make sense for it to take enormous risks chasing people. In my experience, snakes avoid risk, they do not seek it out.
  
  Just my opinion though, advise at all times is to avoid it as much as you can! Posted 7 years ago
2. 1. Barry
    
    Lion
    
    Thanks for the detailed reply. I remember reading in the Bird Guide to Panama that the author described the Fer-de-Lance as "anecdotal evidence for extreme aggression", which means the same as "some people say", which is always a warning to me that it probably is an urban myth and isn't true (although if you Google it you read in the first result "it has been known to chase people on BICYCLES for miles" - I mean c'mon, that is just ridiculous!). I also find that many people confuse these with the Bushmaster, which also has a reputation (probably wildly exaggerated as well) for aggression and "chasing" people. Wild animals CAN be dangerous when annoyed or threatened, but usually they prefer to be left well enough alone. Posted 7 years ago
  2. 1. Ferdy Christant
      
      Lion
      
      Well said, it just makes no sense for a snake this size to chase something huge. Since it is often found indoors, it WILL defend itself when one tries to remove it, and I think that where its gets the reputation from. Posted 7 years ago

nightjar6

Lion

Ready to strike Posted 7 years ago

The Terciopelo

"Bothrops asper" is a highly venomous pit viper species ranging from southern Mexico to northern South America. Sometimes referred to as the "ultimate pit viper", these snakes are found in a wide range of lowland habitats, often near human habitations.

Info 13 0

Similar species: Snakes And Lizards

Species identified by Ferdy Christant