Reptiles · Squamata · Viperidae

Eyelash Viper

Bothriechis schlegelii

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The eyelash viper, known in Spanish as bocaracá or crótalo cornudo de Schlegel, is a species of venomous snake of Central and South America belonging to the subfamily of the pit vipers. Small and arboreal, it is notable for its wide range of colour variants, as well as for a kind of "horns" set above the eyes. It owes its name to the German zoologist Hermann Schlegel. No subspecies have been recognised.

Size

55 cm – 82 cm

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest

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Fun facts

Its colours vary spectacularly within the same population: golden-yellow individuals, known as oropel, live alongside green, pink and grey ones, and the variation matches neither sex nor age.
It hunts hummingbirds: it stations itself motionless beside the flowerheads of heliconias and wild plantains for days, waiting for a hummingbird to come to the flower.
The yellow individuals turn up regularly in banana shipments exported from Central America, and are a common cause of alarm in European and American markets.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Understorey and middle storey of rainforest of Central America and north-western South America
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 6 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 12 live young

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothriechis_schlegelii