We found this relatively large Central American Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis nigroadspersus) on a family trip to Costa Rica a few years ago. Unlike many of the vipers I work with back home, this one just wanted to escape upward, showing off those supraocular “eyelash” scales.
A morning flight out of Costa Rica gave me one extra evening near the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica, to end a family vacation. I went into the coastal thornscrub to see what there was to see, and found a few of these large Central American Lyresnakes. They seem thicker and less likely to bite than the thin, bug-eyed lyresnakes here in the United States. Handling them seems a bit more like it’s a gophersnake or ratsnake in comparison. Unlike those snakes, however … these do have a relatively mild venom, that I would not like to test from one of these big snakes.
An especially beautiful Central American Eyelash Viper that I found in Costa Rica last year on a family vacation.
One of the eyelash vipers we found on a family vacation to Costa Rica a year ago. It spent days in almost the same spot, only making a short move in the daytime to move under the nearest clump of moss.
A Central American Eyelash Viper I found on a family vacation about a year ago to Costa Rica. I found none of the golden yellow version, but this minty green zipper patterned one was a welcome sight.
One of the Red-Eyed Treefrogs that called at night from the bushes above a small pond in Costa Rica last year.
A good-sized Costa Rican Coralsnake we saw in the grass on a family vacation. These are very different than the coralsnakes we have back in Arizona. It’s much larger and willing to strike, which it did repeatedly. These snakes are a handful to get photos of, but we managed and let it disappear back into the forest.
Brown-throated Three Toed Sloth from Costa Rica back in November. I’ve rarely seen them be more than brown blob up in binocular range, so some activity (slowly of course) was nice.
Crossing a metal bridge on a trail through the Costa Rican rainforest, we were stopped by the sight of a Blunt-headed Tree Snake in the latter stages of eating a small lizard. The lizard was still trying to escape, but the snake was not going to lose this one. These tree snakes, with their huge eyes and comically thin bodies, seem kind of goofy, so it was cool to see one doing what they do, and know that for as silly as they seem to be, to a sleeping anole it is a pretty terrifying animal.
A small viper from the relatively dry tropical forests of Pacific coastal Costa Rica. This Slender Hognosed Pit Viper was found crossing a path late at night. They are common in the area, and in good conditions, dozens can be seen in a single night.
