bushmaster

bushmaster, (genus Lachesis), the longest venomous snake in the New World, found in scrublands and forests from the Amazon River basin north to Costa Rica. Three species of bushmaster (L. muta, L. stenophrys, and L. melanocephala) are known to exist, and they normally measure about 1.8 meters (6 feet) long but may grow to as long as 3 meters (10 feet). These large snakes are reddish brown to pinkish gray in color, matching their forest floor habitats, and they may bear x-like or diamond patterns across the back. Although seldom encountered, the bushmaster is dangerous, with a potentially lethal venom.

The bushmaster is a pit viper (subfamily Crotalinae). Infrared pits, located between the eyes and nostrils, are used to “smell” prey, which consists mostly of small rodents. Prey is swallowed head-first, but the snake will bite and then release larger or more dangerous prey. In this type of attack, their eyes and pits are well protected by folds of skin.

A bushmaster may coil for several weeks at one site, waiting to ambush prey along routes of travel, such as fallen limbs, buttresses of trees, or trails along the ground. This snake can survive on fewer than 10 large meals per year. It is the only pit viper in the Americas to lay eggs (instead of bearing live young), and females may remain with the eggs for a time before they hatch.

Common tropical American vipers (family Viperidae) related to the bushmaster include the eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii), the fer-de-lances (Bothrops), and the hog-nosed vipers (Porthidium).