Lore and Notes
These snakes are dangerous! Remember: Snakes, like traffic cops, lack a sense of humour. All of the venomous snakes discussed in this section, if encountered, should be given a wide berth. Watch them only from a distance. Very few visitors to Costa Rica are bitten by poisonous snakes, even those that spend their days tramping through forests. One well-known tropical biologist, in fact, calculated that about 450,000 person-hours of field research were conducted at Costa Rica's La Selva Biological Reserve without a single poisonous snake bite, and field biologists certainly have greater chances of coming into contact with snakes than average visitors. (ironically, the biologist in question reported his calculation after being bitten by a Fer-de-lance.) The biology of snake bites is an active area of study. Venomous snakes can bite without injecting any venom, and they can also vary the amount of venom injected - even if bitten, one does not necessarily receive a fatal dose. Within the same species, the toxicity of a snake's venom varies geographically, seasonally, and from individual to individual.
Vipers. Because of its aggressive nature, the Fer-de-lance is often said to be the most feared and dangerous of Central American snakes - when approached, it is more likely to bite than retreat. Stories abound attesting to the potency of its venom. One, out of Honduras, tells the sorry tale of a railway worker and his wife. The man, bitten by a Fer-de-Iance at work, was brought home and ministered to by his wife. The venom killed the man two hours later and the wife the next day - she had scraped her finger the previous day while cooking, and the poison had entered through the open cut as she dressed his wound.
These snakes killed so many sugar cane workers in Jamaica earlier this century that mongooses from the Old World were shipped to the island to kill them. They were somewhat successful, but unfortunately, the mongooses also killed many of the isle's no venomous snakes, not to mention domestic fowl. Also, unhappily for the mongooses, it turns out that the New World Pit-vipers are a good deal faster striking than are cobras, their Old World nemeses. A documentary motion picture maker trying to film a mongoose killing a Fer-de-Iance had several dead mongooses on his hands before obtaining the pictures he wanted. Somewhat amazingly, there is a colubrid snake, the Mussurana, that kills and eats the Fer-delance by first injecting it with its own considerably less potent venom and then by constricting it.
Palm vipers, although small, pack potent venom and are a serious threat because of their arboreal habits and highly effective cryptic coloration. They move and coil themselves among a tree's leaves and branches. Some species have the habit of coiling their tails around a branch and hanging down, then turning their body in the air so that it is parallel to the ground, their head in a position to strike at a passing animal. Therefore, pushing through vegetation or clearing a path with a machete can be dangerous pursuits. Several people each year are killed in Costa Rica by Palm Vipers.
One type, the Jumping Viper, although possessing a weaker venom than others of its ilk, is particularly scary and dreaded by local people; when threatened, these snakes sometimes jump half a meter (1 or 2 ft) into the air, and as they jump, they bite. Tropical Rattlers are usually more aggressive than the North American Rattlers, and their venom is stronger and faster-acting. For some reason, they do not always rattle when approached. If threatened, a Tropical Rattler will coil, raise its head high and, if necessary, attack.
Bushmasters are large, aggressive snakes, and they inject into their prey what is probably the most powerful venom among Neotropical snakes. When threatened, they coil quickly so that they can strike, and their tail vibrates like a rattlesnake's and makes a rattling sound. Because they are so long, they can strike over a great distance, so be careful! As for the stories of them chasing people, there are no documented cases (of course, if true, the victims would not be around to produce those documents); however, they are one of only a few snakes in the world with reputations for unprovoked attacks on people. The Bushmaster's scientific name, Lachesis muta, translates as "silent fate." Enough said.
Coral Snakes. These small, pretty snakes are rarely seen by people because of their secretive habits. Reports are that they are usually quite docile and seldom go out of their way to bite people. However, if threatened they give a scary defensive display, "erratically snapping their body back and forth ... the head swinging from side to side with the mouth open, and any object that is contacted is bitten" (H. Greene & R. Seib 1983). Their venom is very powerful and coral snakes have killed a good many incautious people.
Boas. Boa personalities appear to vary, but some are notoriously bad-tempered and aggressive. A Boa Constrictor may hiss loudly at people, draw its head back with its mouth open in a threat posture, and bite. They have large sharp teeth that can cause deep puncture wounds. Therefore, even though boas present no real threat to most people, keeping a respectful distance is advised.
If you want to read about Eco-Tourism, Ecology, Behavior, Breeding and more of Costa Ricas' Fauna, we recommend to buy the Travelers' Wildlife Guide of Costa Rica by Les Beletzky (or Belesky) with beautiful illustrations by Davis Dennis. This priceless guide is our constant companion, when we travel around Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua.
To buy the complete book visit Interlink Books
The team of FlamingoLink, S.A. wishes you the best of times in our little paradise called Costa Rica.
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