South America and the West Indies
Description of the most important representatives:
| General behaviour |
Habitats |
Appearance |
Defensive behaviour |
Factors relevant to envenoming | |
|
|
primarily nocturnal
ground-dwelling |
primarily in mesic and dry forests, up to altitudes of over 2,000 m, some species also in stony or sandy arid areas; sometimes close to human settlements and in coffee plantations |
conspicuous warning colouring consisting of black, red and yellow cross bands (a number of harmless colubrids also have this colouring) |
when threatened, the end of the tail is raised in the air and moved back and forth; the head is sometimes hidden under the coils of the body |
generally non-aggressive behaviour; accidents uncommon |
| Bothrops sp.
|
primarily nocturnal
ground-dwelling |
in moist habitats; forested areas (also rainforest), clearings, plantations; sometimes also close to human settlements or in green areas in cities |
sturdy body, length up to around 2 m or more |
generally irritable; they dart forwards from a tensed position and often strike repeatedly |
by far the most common cause of snakebites; also responsible for most severe cases of envenoming |
|
|
primarily nocturnal
ground-dwelling |
in drier habitats; savanna-like grasslands and sparse forest; largely absent in rainforest areas; progressive clearing of the rainforests is creating favourable conditions for the South American rattlesnake |
stout body with characteristic rattle on the end of the tail; length on average 1 m, but also up to 1.5 m or more |
a typical dry and high warning sound is produced by vibration of the rattle; during this process the body is coiled into a tight S-shape and raised from the ground |
C. durissus terrificus is the most dangerous subspecies and one of the most dangerous snakes altogether; after the Lance heads (Bothrops spp.) it is responsible for most cases of snakebite envenoming |
|
|
nocturnal
ground-dwelling |
primary rainforest, remote from civilisation |
stout body, length up to 3.5 m! |
elatively unaggressive during the day, marked defensive behaviour at night, neck is inflated and the tip of the tail is vibrated, then easily provoked into striking |
as Lachesis hardly ever comes into contact with humans, accidents are relatively rare |