Common lancehead
The common lancehead is a highly venomous pit viper that lives in the tropical lowlands of northern South America and on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is one of the most common pit vipers in its range and is not endangered. Its venom disrupts blood clotting, which makes its bite especially serious.1

Cómo reconocerlo
- Ground colour is olive, brown, tan, grey or yellow, and rarely rusty.1
- The body pattern is a series of blotches that often fuse into bands. The markings are X-like, which is why some local names refer to the letter X.1
- The chin is pale yellow, and a dark stripe runs from behind the eye to the corner of the mouth.1
- The irises are gold or bronze, and the tongue is black.1
- Adults usually measure 75 to 125 cm in total length and are moderately heavy-bodied.1
Se confunde a menudo con: It is often confused with Bothrops asper, which was once included in this species. Most authorities now consider B. asper to be a separate species. This confusion also makes reports of its maximum size unclear.1
Poder del veneno
El veneno sale por sus colmillos o dientes cuando muerde.
¿Qué hace su veneno?
Its venom is haemorrhagic, meaning it damages the lining of blood vessels and uses up the substances that allow blood to clot. Symptoms can include severe bleeding, kidney failure, abnormal clotting, blisters and necrosis (death of body tissue). Bleeding in the brain can also occur. Recovery from the clotting problem has been seen 14 to 30 hours after a bite.1
¿Qué peligro tiene para las personas?
Peligro para las personas: MortalUno de los animales más peligrosos del mundo.The bite is serious and can be fatal. Plantation workers are often bitten. Juvenile snakes have more lethal venom that kills more quickly, and people bitten by young snakes are more likely to develop the clotting problem. In a case reported in the Brazilian Amazon, the patient died of a stroke even after antivenom was given. A Mexican polyvalent antivenom tested against it had no effect on the clotting problem.1
¿Qué hace cuando se asusta?
It is easily agitated, and it can lie camouflaged for hours, nearly undetectable, then strike at high speed.1
Si muerde
- Mantén a la persona quieta y tranquila, la extremidad mordida a la altura del corazón, quítale anillos y cosas apretadas y llévala rápido a un hospital.
Llama siempre primero a tu número de emergencias (112, 000, 911). Esto son pautas generales de primeros auxilios, no consejo médico. Primeros auxilios básicos
Mantente a salvo
- Nunca toques, atrapes ni molestes a un animal salvaje, aunque sea pequeño y aunque parezca dormido o muerto.
- Déjale espacio. Si te encuentras uno, mantén la calma, retrocede despacio y deja que siga su camino.
- Si te muerde: mantén la calma, no te muevas, llama a tu número de emergencias (112, 000, 911) o ve rápido a un hospital. Recuerda cómo era, una foto ayuda.
No va a por ti. Usa su veneno para cazar o defenderse, y prefiere mil veces esconderse. Más sobre cómo protegerte
¿En qué parte del mundo?
¿Qué tamaño tiene?
¿Cuánto mide?
mide como 3 gatos domésticos de la nariz a la cola
mide como 9 plátanos puestos en fila
podría recorrer 100 metros en 92 segundos (el humano más rápido necesita 9,6)¿Qué tamaño tiene Common lancehead comparado contigo?
Solo cálculos en tu navegador. No se guarda ni se envía nada a ningún sitio.
¿Qué velocidad alcanza?
Datos
An enzyme called reptilase, or batroxobin, is taken from its venom and used in modern medical laboratories to measure fibrinogen levels and blood clotting. The enzyme is not affected by heparin.1
Although it is mostly terrestrial, it is an excellent swimmer and will climb trees when needed to reach prey.1
Females with developing embryos move in and out of sunlight to keep themselves and the embryos at a constant temperature.1
Venom yield averages 124 milligrams, but can reach 342 milligrams.1
Despite the large-scale destruction of rainforests, it is among the most numerous and common of pit vipers.1
Para expertos en veneno
- Nombre científico
- Bothrops atrox
- Grupo
- Víboras de foseta
- Familia
- Viperidae2
- Orden
- Squamata
- Continentes
- Sudamérica
- Crías
- It gives birth to live young, up to 80 at once, with an average of about 60 per litter in equatorial regions after a gestation of three to four months.1
- Cómo le va en la naturaleza
- Not endangered1
- Peligro para las personas
- 5 / 5: Mortal3
De dónde salen los datos
- Bothrops atrox (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Bothrops atrox (iNaturalist): nombres y clasificación.
- Venom Wiki: el nivel de peligro, el tamaño típico y la velocidad estimada son nuestros. Mira cómo los calculamos: Cómo valoramos el peligro.
Cada dato de esta página tiene un número que lleva a su fuente. Si nos hemos equivocado en algo, perdón, somos fans de los animales, no una revista científica. Escríbenos a [email protected] y lo arreglamos.
Mordeduras

