common lancehead
bothrops atrox latin

Photograph from the wild: mussurana 1, common lancehead 0.

Compared to the common lancehead, B. atrox, these snakes have been described as excitable and unpredictable when disturbed.

Bothrops atrox, a.k.a. the common lancehead, a venomous pitviper found in South America.

Page on the common lancehead in Manaus, Brazil, with links to photographs (in Portuguese).

In the Neotropics, the lance-headed vipers inflict the majority of fatal bites, although of the many known species, only two, the common lancehead and terciopelo, are responsible for most fatalities.

Although it does not seem to be common anywhere, Ayerbe (1990) states that, in the regions where it occurs, it is the most dangerous species together with the common lancehead, Bothrops atrox.

Common names: common lancehead, fer-de-lance, barba amarilla' Bothrops atrox is a venomous pit viper species found in the tropical lowlands of northern South America east of the Andes.