Viper Family
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Viper Family
Except for Australia and a few oceanic islands, the viper family occurs worldwide. All vipers have long, hinged fangs that can puncture thick fur or several layers of feathers while injecting a lethal dose of venom deep into their prey. When the fangs are not causing serious harm, they rest against the roof of the mouth. A viper head is triangular when seen from above and they are heavy-bodied with short tails. Unlike coral snakes, the head of vipers is generally covered with numerous small scales and most of the scales are heavily keeled.
All viper species in the New World are allocated to the subfamily pit vipers, or technically speaking- Crotalinae. Pit vipers have one distinctive feature that other vipers don’t- a deep, pitlike hole on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril that act like infrared receptors that allow the snake to detect and track prey whose body temperature differs from that of background temperatures.
With extremely developed senses and highly potent venom, pit vipers are proficient hunters. Normally, these snakes are sit-and-wait predators, staying in the same spot for varying amounts of time; sometimes a few hours, and even several weeks, waiting for prey to pass within striking distance. Their near perfect coloring and markings makes them nearly invisible to both prey and predators.
Pit vipers are responsible for more snakebite incidents in the New World with only a fraction of incidents caused by coral snakes. The venom of pit vipers normally contains hemotoxins, which cause damage to blood cells and tissues. Compared to the quantity of venom injected by coral snakes, the pit viper venom is usually injected in fairly larger quantities. Although, it is true that sometimes pit vipers bite without injecting any venom.
Costa Rica has 14 species of pit vipers, ranging from small, slender snakes that live in trees in the mountainous regions, to large, thick-bodied, terrestrial pit vipers that live in the hot lowlands.
Identifying Costa Rican pit vipers:
• The only snakes in Costa Rica with a distinct heat-sensitive pit between the eye and nostril on both sides of its head.
• Both the large and small pit vipers have a thick, heavy body; a short, slender tail; and a triangular head that is noticeably wider than the neck.
• Most have numerous small scales, which are often heavily ridged, on the top of the head.
