Cantil
The cantil is a highly venomous pit viper, a type of snake that senses heat with pits on its face. It lives in Mexico and Central America, reaching south as far as Honduras. Its bite can be very dangerous, which is why it is so well known in the region.1

Com reconèixer-lo
- Heavy-bodied, with a broad, triangular head and small eyes with vertical pupils.1
- Usually brown or black, with darker brown or black banding, sometimes with white or cream accents.1
- Yellow and/or white lines on the head, including a broader line on the upper lip.1
- Juveniles are almost always distinctly banded, with bright green or yellow tail tips.1
- Adults are often more faded, with their pattern and colour darkening as they age.1
Sovint es confon amb: It shares its general body structure with the copperhead and is in the same genus as the cottonmouth, so it is closely related to both.1
Poder del verí
El verí surt pels ullals o les dents quan mossega.
Què fa el seu verí?
Bites can cause local pain, swelling and discolouration, but bites from adults can cause massive swelling and necrosis, which is the death of body tissue. Symptoms reported in Honduras include severe pain, bleeding from the fang punctures, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, blood in the urine, shock and kidney failure. Some bites were fatal within only a few hours.1
Com de perillós és per a les persones?
Perill per a les persones: Molt perillósPot matar una persona que no rep tractament.The cantil is feared throughout its range, and in Sonora, Mexico, it is feared more than any other reptile. In Nicaragua, it is considered the country's most dangerous snake. One researcher suggested that amputation may be needed in about one in six cases because of necrosis. It is generally shy, and its reputation for aggression is probably not well deserved.1
Bona notícia: els metges tenen un medicament (l'antiverí) o un tractament per a això.1
Què fa quan té por?
It first relies on camouflage. If that fails, it coils tightly, raises the end of its tail and vibrates it to make a loud whipping sound, and may strike or gape, but only when it has no other choice.1
Si mossega
- A polyvalent antivenom, made by the Instituto Clodomiro Picado in Costa Rica, is used to treat bites from this species.1
- Mantén la persona quieta i tranquil·la, mantén l'extremitat mossegada a l'altura del cor, treu-li anells i coses que estrenyin i porta-la de pressa a un hospital.
Truca sempre primer al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911). Això són pautes generals de primers auxilis, no consells mèdics. Primers auxilis bàsics
Estigues segur
- No toquis, atrapis ni molestis mai un animal salvatge, encara que sigui petit i encara que sembli adormit o mort.
- Deixa-li espai. Si en trobes un, mantén la calma, recula a poc a poc i deixa que segueixi el seu camí.
- Si te'n mossega un: mantén la calma, no et moguis, truca al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911) o ves de pressa a un hospital. Recorda com era, una foto ajuda.
No va a per tu. Fa servir el verí per caçar o per defensar-se, i prefereix mil vegades amagar-se. Més sobre com estar segur
Que gran és?
Quant fa de llarg?
fa de llarg com 1,5 gats de casa del nas a la cua
fa de llarg com 4 plàtans en fila
podria recórrer 100 metres en 100 segons (l'humà més ràpid necessita 9,6)Que gran és Cantil comparat amb TU?
Només càlculs al teu navegador. No es desa ni s'envia res enlloc.
Com de ràpid va?
Dades
Desmuntamites
Mite: The cantil has a reputation for having a nasty disposition and being extremely aggressive.
Veritat: This reputation is probably not well deserved. The cantil is generally shy and relies on camouflage first, and it only displays or strikes when it has no other choice.1
Per a experts en verins
- Nom científic
- Agkistrodon bilineatus
- Grup
- Escurçons de fosseta
- Família
- Viperidae2
- Ordre
- Squamata
- Continents
- Amèrica del Nord
- Cries
- Cantils are ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. They breed in spring and give birth to 5 to 20 young at a time.1
- Com li va a la natura
- Near Threatened (IUCN Red List). Its population trend is down, and its primary ecological concern is habitat loss.1
- Perill per a les persones
- 4 / 5: Molt perillós3
D'on surten les dades
- Agkistrodon bilineatus (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Agkistrodon bilineatus (iNaturalist): noms i classificació.
- Venom Wiki: el nivell de perill, la mida típica i la velocitat estimada són nostres. Mira com els calculem: Com valorem el perill.
Cada dada d'aquesta pàgina té un número que porta a la seva font. Si ens hem equivocat en alguna cosa, perdona, som fans dels animals, no una revista científica. Escriu-nos a [email protected] i ho arreglarem.
Mossegades

