What do eyelash vipers look like?
What do eyelash vipers look like?
Eyelash vipers have a wide, triangular-shaped head, and eyes with vertical pupils. Like all pit vipers, they have large, hypodermic needle-like fangs in the front of the upper jaw that fold back when not in use, and have heat-sensitive organs, or pits, located on either side of the head between the eye and nostril.
How poisonous is the eyelash viper?
Venom / Bite The eyelash viper venom is mainly hemotoxic but also neurotoxic, containing procoagulants and hemorrhagic compounds. It affects both the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system, making it highly toxic, and even fatal to humans.
Where do eyelash vipers live?
Their habitat ranges from densely-wooded, sea-level forests, to streamside vegetation in moist lowlands and foothills to wooded cloud and montane forests. They primarily inhabit shrubbery, vine tangles, low branches of trees and palms. Vipers use their sense of smell to find mates.
Are eyelash viper good pets?
These are venomous animals and should be treated with respect. Always handle them with a hook. When trying to get them out of their enclosures, sometimes they will hold on to branches with their prehensile tails, so the tails must be gently tapped with a stick or other instrument to get them to release.
What eats an eyelash viper?
Natural enemies of eyelash vipers are falcons, hedgehogs, baggers, foxes, cats and large snakes.
How long can a eyelash viper get?
55 to 82 cm
Bothriechis schlegelii is considered a small- to medium-sized pit viper. Adult body length ranges from 55 to 82 cm, with females (35 to 82 cm) typically longer and more variable in size than males (37 to 69 cm). The tail is short to moderate, comprising 13 to 19% of total body length.
What colors do eyelash vipers come in?
The eyelash viper occurs in a wide range of colors, including red, yellow, brown, green, even pink, as well as various combinations thereof.
Do eyelash vipers have predators?
Natural enemies of eyelash vipers are falcons, hedgehogs, baggers, foxes, cats and large snakes. Eyelash vipers use sense of smell to find mating partner. Males compete for the attention of the females by hitting each other with their heads in a ritual called “the dance of the adders”.
Can an eyelash viper kill a human?
Eyelash viper delivers hemotoxic venom which easily kills small animals by destroying the blood cells and blood vessels. Snake swallows the prey in one piece. Eyelash viper will attack humans only in self-defense. Bite can be very painful and fatal for humans.
How long does an eyelash viper live?
Reproduction and Life Cycle Eyelash viper or Bothriechis schlegelii lives an average lifespan of 12 years and reaches sexual maturity at the age of 2 years. In ideal conditions, they can mate throughout the year. It uses its acute sense of smell and chemical sensing to spot potential mates.
How do eyelash vipers catch there prey?
The eyelash viper like most snakes does wait patiently in one spot for their prey to wander nearby and then ambushes them. It wiggles its tail to simulate worm-like motions to attract its prey. Then strikes very fast in many cases, and the prey is unable to getaway.
Does the eyelash viper have eyelashes?
The eyelash viper is a small species of snake, and rarely ever grows longer than the length of 75 cm (2.5 ft). Females are larger than males. It gets the name “eyelash viper” because it has a small group of scales over its eyes which make it look like the snake has eyelashes.