Central America is a magical continent rich in natural resources and one of the richest in biological species in the world. There are many stunning beaches, diverse rainforests, and of course a paradise for many poisonous snakes, where many different species of venomous snakes live, especially pit vipers, today we will take an inventory of some of the deadliest poisonous snakes in Central America. (The venom toxicity of poisonous snakes is not discussed here, only the lethality and danger of poisonous snakes)
7. Mesoamerican coral snake
The Central American coral snake is a brightly colored highly venomous snake, generally its body length is less than two meters, because it is very similar to the non-poisonous milk snake, a popular phrase in the United States, "Red to black is fine, red to yellow murderer: but this sentence does not apply in Central America." The red and black also have highly venomous coral snakes. Therefore, it is not uncommon to be bitten by this poisonous snake, and its venom is mainly a neurotoxin, which can paralyze the respiratory organs of organisms, destroy the respiratory system of organisms, and eventually lead to death. The amount of venom secreted by this venom is very small, but if it is bitten by a coral snake, a large amount of anti-venom is often used, which can be imagined as the poison of the coral snake. Of course, under normal circumstances, coral snakes will not take the initiative to attack, and they will choose to run away when they encounter humans, and biting humans is only a last resort.
6, Mexican pit viper
Mexican pit viper is a relatively small venomous snake, its body length is generally between 50-120 cm, although called Mexican pit viper, but its distribution throughout Central America, of course, including Costa Rica, they are not bold, irascible, and very dangerous. It is a semi-aquatic, nocturnal animal that feeds on amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The venom of the Mexican pit viper is a deadly hemotoxin. After being bitten by it, the wound will burn, swell and discolor, and the skin and muscles of the wound will be severely swollen or even necrotic. People who are bitten often require amputation. It is a semi-aquatic venomous snake, so it often encounters humans unexpectedly.
5, Amazon giant pit viper
Amazon giant pit viper is the largest poisonous snake in the Western Hemisphere, its length can reach more than 3 meters, this poisonous snake is extremely rare, only living in the depths of the rainforest, ordinary people are difficult to see its figure, it likes to hover in the leaf litter pile to hunt prey, the body is covered with black and brown diamond-shaped spots, at present this poisonous snake found a total of 4 subspecies, its toxins are mainly blood toxins can cause muscle tissue necrosis, cause irreversible hemorrhage, and finally lead to serious destruction of the entire body, which in turn leads to death. The most fatal thing is that there is currently no anti-venom of this poisonous snake, so being bitten by this poisonous snake in the wild is almost impossible to escape death, and even after treatment, the mortality rate is more than half. It is worthy of being the deadliest viper, ranking first. Fortunately, this venomous snake has little contact with humans, and has a docile personality, generally does not actively attack humans, and has few records of bites.
4, eyelash-horned palm pit viper
Eyelash palm pit viper is mainly distributed in Central America to South America, is a very beautiful viper, its body color, has a variety of beautiful colors, such as golden yellow, pink and emerald green, etc., it is a small poisonous snake, body length is generally between 60-80 cm, it attacks extremely fast, mainly preying on a variety of hummingbirds, frogs and small lizards, because it likes to inhabit a variety of flowers and fig trees and palm trees, so often cause bite incidents, most of the victims are workers who pick fruits on trees, And its toxins are strong, venom is a mixture of blood poison and muscle poison, blood toxins can destroy blood cells around the wound, muscle toxins kill muscle cells, make the heart stop, or damage the diaphragm, thereby blocking breathing. In the Americas, many farmers are attacked by the eyelash palm pit while picking fruit every year, which indirectly causes death.
3, South American rattlesnake
Although it is called South American rattlesnake, but this venomous snake is all over Central America, at present, this rattlesnake has found a total of 8 subspecies, but distributed in Central America is mainly a rattlesnake called Kescobell, this rattlesnake and human life and residence overlap more, and it has a characteristic, that is, this rattlesnake, its juvenile is much more toxic than adulthood, bites often cause fatality, the venom of young snakes in addition to containing blood toxins, there are more deadly nerve poisons, The toxicity in adulthood is much weaker, generally only causing swelling and pain, not fatal.
2. American spearhead viper
Spearhead pit viper is an outline of pit vipers, its species are colorful, American spearhead pit viper is a highly venomous snake species that is widely distributed in Central America, of course, Central America also has a wide distribution. Its main food is small rodents, small lizards and other small mammals, its toxin is a deadly blood toxin, can melt muscle tissue, make the injured unbearable, and finally can only amputate to maintain life, in Central America is attacked by the largest number of spearhead pit vipers, because it often haunts human residential areas, preying on small rodents.
1, Tricolor spearhead viper
The tricolor spearhead viper, also known as the spearhead viper, is one of the most feared large venomous snakes in Central America, and it is also found in Costa Rica. In Mexico and other regions, it is the largest of all spearhead pit vipers, injects the largest amount of venom, and mainly inhabits various lowland habitats. Also known as the giant spearhead viper because of its large size, its venom contains violent blood toxins, and the tissue at the wound after a person is bitten will severely ulcerate, like a decomposing corpse, if not treated, the ulceration will spread rapidly, and it will die a painful death after a few days, even after healing with antivenom, it will leave permanent scars. And this poisonous snake has a fierce temperament and is extremely aggressive, and it is a very dangerous poisonous snake. They are also often found in places where humans live, and it causes 90% of snake wounds in the area. Ranked first.