Eyelash Viper
The eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a small, arboreal pit viper of the rainforests of Central and northern South America, named for the spiky scales above its eyes. It comes in many colors, from green to yellow and pink.
The eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a small, arboreal pit viper of the rainforests of Central and northern South America, named for the spiky scales above its eyes. It comes in many colors, from green to yellow and pink.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Eyelash Viper in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Ambush From a Branch
The viper coils on a branch and waits for a bird, frog or small mammal. Heat-sensing pits between its eyes and nostrils detect warm prey. Its prehensile tail holds the snake on the branch.
A Rainbow of Color Morphs
Its color may help camouflage it on different backgrounds, such as flowers or lichen-covered limbs. Eyelash vipers are often seen on heliconia flowers where hummingbirds visit.
Venom
Bites to people are rare but can be dangerous and are treated with antivenom. See Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
Eyelash Viper at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Bothriechis schlegelii |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Viperidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia (Reptiles) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Polymorphic Neotropical arboreal pit viper occurring in bright yellow ('oropel'), mossy green, or pink morphs, distinguished by spiny superciliary scales projecting like eyelashes above each eye and heat-sensing loreal pits. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019 |
| Family | Viperidae |
| Sensors | Heat-sensing pits |