Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Serpentario, Monteverde, Costa Rica



There are 137 species of snake in Costa Rica. 22 of which are venomous. Of the venomous snakes, the two groups are the Vipers and the Corals. Some corals snakes are not venomous which can be distinguished by their bands of colour. There is a handy rhyme to learn if in doubt:-

Red next to yellow kills fellow
Red next to black is a friend of Jack

The most common venomous snake in Costa Rica is the Fer-de-Lance, named for the way it strikes. It can be aggressive even if unprovoked. 90% of deaths from from snake bites in Costa Rica are caused by the Fer-de-Lance. The most venomous of all is the Central America Bushmaster which can inject 5 cubic centimetres of venom in one bite.

www.snaketour.com

(photo - Boa constrictor)

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