Speckled forest-pitviper

Bothrops taeniatus

''Bothrops taeniatus'' is a species of pit viper found in the equatorial forests of South America. The specific name, ''taenia'', is derived from the Greek word, ''tainia'', meaning ribbon bandage or stripe, in reference to the slender body. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Speckled forest-pitviper, La Isla Escondida, Colombia Finally, after a 7km hike through the jungle which took us forever, we arrived at the lodge of La Isla Escondida. There, we found this viper waiting for us. It was pre-captured and held for us to see. We didn't ask anyone to do this and we have mixed feelings about it, but it seemed healthy and we figured to not let it be for nothing and make use of the opportunity to document it. It was released soon after. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/69929/speckled_forest-pitviper_-_head_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html This area of Colombia is known as a viper hotspot. It means there's a lot of diversity and possibly also in relatively big numbers. However, you still won't see many. To illustrate, an expedition once landed into this area and did a 5 day survey, they found zero vipers. So our La Isla Escondida tag... https://www.jungledragon.com/tag/50999/la_isla_escondida.html ...already has some substance to it (count at the time of this writing is 108 photos), but know that this was just the path in. What follows is 4 full days and nights of additional observations :) Bothrops taeniatus,Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,La Isla Escondida,Putumayo,South America,World

Appearance

Adults are usually less than 100 cm in total length, although some may grow to as much as 150 cm . The maximum total length is 175 cm for a specimen from Tepoe, Suriname.

The body is relatively slender with a prehensile tail. The color pattern is extremely complex, varying overall from lavender gray to yellow green, while juveniles undergo considerable ontogenetic color change as they mature into adults.

It is distinguished from other members of this genus by having mostly single subcaudal scales and a row of bold white spots where the dorsal and ventral scales meet.
Speckled forest-pitviper - head, La Isla Escondida, Colombia Finally, after a 7km hike through the jungle which took us forever, we arrived at the lodge of La Isla Escondida. There, we found this viper waiting for us. It was pre-captured and held for us to see. We didn't ask anyone to do this and we have mixed feelings about it, but it seemed healthy and we figured to not let it be for nothing and make use of the opportunity to document it. It was released soon after. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/69927/speckled_forest-pitviper_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html This area of Colombia is known as a viper hotspot. It means there's a lot of diversity and possibly also in relatively big numbers. However, you still won't see many. To illustrate, an expedition once landed into this area and did a 5 day survey, they found zero vipers. So our La Isla Escondida tag... https://www.jungledragon.com/tag/50999/la_isla_escondida.html ...already has some substance to it (count at the time of this writing is 108 photos), but know that this was just the path in. What follows is 4 full days and nights of additional observations :) Bothrops taeniatus,Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,La Isla Escondida,Putumayo,South America,Speckled forest-pitviper,World

Habitat

Inhabits rainforests in lowlands and foothills, as well as moist tropical forests. Usually found in vines and low vegetation in primary forest and along forest edges. It is suspected of living mainly in the forest canopy.

Defense

Only two cases of bites from this species have been documented, and both involved severe local swelling of the entire bitten limb. In the second case, the tissue damage was so severe that it led to amputation of the afflicted limb despite antivenin treatment.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyViperidae
GenusBothrops
SpeciesB. taeniatus
Photographed in
Colombia