第 0451 號，共 1 402 號

Cantil

Agkistrodon bilineatus

名字的由來： The name cantil comes from the Tzeltal word kantiil, meaning "yellow lips".1

可能致命不治療的話可能會害死你。如果牠咬了你，要趕快求救。

蝮蛇

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 非常危險如果沒有治療，牠可能會害死一個人。

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

分布在

Mexico and Central America, south to Honduras. On the Pacific side, from southern Sonora in Mexico through Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.1

北美洲

長度

80 cm (2,6 ft)3

一般成體大小

最高速度

大約 3,5 km/h（2,2 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

Juveniles eat frogs and lizards, while adults mainly eat small mammals and lizards in the genus Ctenosaura. Juveniles use their brightly coloured tail tip to lure prey.1

Cantil 的照片 — Cantil。照片：User:Haplochromis。 CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

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

常被誤認為： 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

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

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

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 非常危險如果沒有治療，牠可能會害死一個人。

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

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

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

如果牠咬人

A polyvalent antivenom, made by the Instituto Clodomiro Picado in Costa Rica, is used to treat bites from this species.1
讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，讓被咬的手臂或腿保持在和心臟一樣的高度，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 1,5 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 4 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 100 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Cantil 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Cantil 大約 3,5 km/h (2,2 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Juveniles lure prey by waving their brightly coloured tail tips, which are bright green or yellow.1

Cantils are often captive-bred and are common in the exotic pet trade, although export from Mexico is not permitted.1

Cantils are well represented in zoos across North America and Europe.1

破解迷思

迷思： The cantil has a reputation for having a nasty disposition and being extremely aggressive.

真相： 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

給毒液專家

學名: Agkistrodon bilineatus
類群: 蝮蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 北美洲
寶寶: 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
牠在野外的狀況: Near Threatened (IUCN Red List). Its population trend is down, and its primary ecological concern is habitat loss.1
對人的危險: 4 / 5: 非常危險3