Eyelash Viper Snake

The Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a venomous pit viper species found in Central and South America. This species is a small and arboreal snake and is characterized by his wide array of color variations. The viper’s most distinguishing feature, and origin of its common name, is the set of modified (superciliary) scales over the eyes that look a lot like eyelashes. The scales are believed to help camouflage the viper by breaking up its outline among the foliage where it hides.

The females are larger than males, but this is a relatively small species and they rarely exceed 75 cm (2.5 feet) in length. They have a wide, triangular-shaped head and eyes with vertical pupils. Like all pit vipers, they are solenoglyphous, having large, hypodermic needle-like fangs in the upper jaw that fold back when not in use, and have heat sensitive organs, or loreal pits, located on either side of the head between the eye and nostril, which were initially believed to be used only as prey detectors but recent research suggests they may have also been used in thermoregulation and the detection of predators. This being true, it would be more of a general-purpose organ than was at first believed.

In Lapa Rios this small snake is difficult to see and occurs mainly in green although it is a snake that occurs in a wide range of colors, including red, yellow, brown, green, and even pink, as well as various combinations thereof. And they often have a small amount of black or brown speckling on their base color.