The Bushmasters (Lachesis spp.): Queens of the rainforest

An overview of the taxonomy, distribution, natural history, lore, and conservation of the largest vipers in the world

Authors

  • Cesar L. Barrio-Amorós Doc Frog Expeditions/CRWild, Uvita, Costa Rica
  • Greivin Corrales Bushmaster Conservation Project, Limón, Costa Rica
  • Sylvia Rodríguez Instituto Cloromido Picado, Dulce Nombre de Coronado, San José, Costa Rica
  • Jaime Culebras Photo Wildlife Tours, Quito, Ecuador
  • Quetzal Dwyer Parque Reptilandia, Platanillo de Barú, San José, Costa Rica
  • Diego Alejandro Flores Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecología e Consevação da Biodiversidade, Laboratorio de Zoologia de Vertebrados, Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v27i3.14978

Keywords:

Bushmaster, Amazon, Central America, Rainforest, Neotropics, Viperidae, Crotalinae

Abstract

We herein provide an overview of the bushmasters (Lachesis spp.), the longest vipers in the world. We
address taxonomy, distribution, etymology, lore, natural history (reproduction, defense, behavior, activity, prey and
predators), and, for the first time, conservation issues, suggesting that Lachesis melanocephala is a Critically Endangered
species under IUCN criteria.

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Published

2020-12-08 — Updated on 2020-12-09

Versions

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 3 (2020): Reptiles & Amphibians

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright is held by the authors. Articles in R&A are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

How to Cite

Barrio-Amorós, C. L., Corrales, G., Rodríguez, S., Culebras, J., Dwyer, Q., & Flores, D. A. (2020). The Bushmasters (Lachesis spp.): Queens of the rainforest: An overview of the taxonomy, distribution, natural history, lore, and conservation of the largest vipers in the world. Reptiles & Amphibians, 27(3), 358-381. https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v27i3.14978 (Original work published 2020)