The Eyelash Viper

The Eyelash Viper or eyelash palm-pitviper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a venomous pit viper snake species found in central America and northern South America, with no subspecies currently recognized.

They are the most common species of the genus Bothriechis, the green palm-pitvipers, and are very often present in zoo exhibits.  The species-specific name "schlegelii" was attributed in honor of the German ornithologist, Hermann Schlegel.

​They are also known by other common names like eyelash pit viper, eyelash palm viper, eyelash palm-pitviper, Schlegel's pit viper, Schlegel's viper,  Schlegel's palm viper, eyelash lancehead, eyelash snake, eyelash mountain viper and horned palm viper.

The eyelash viper range extends from southern parts of Mexico on the Atlantic plains and lowlands through Central America to northern regions of South America in Venezuela and Colombia. The species is also found in the lowlands and Pacific versant in parts of Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Peru, and Ecuador.

Their habitat ranges from tropical rainforests, wooded cloud and montane forests to dense sea-level forests or streamside vegetation in lowlands and foothills.

These are arboreal snakes meaning they spend their lives in trees, palms, shrubs and vines and they usually prefer to stay near a permanent water source. The eyelash pit viper occurs at elevations from sea level up to 2600 meters in altitude. They use their prehensile tail to move around trees and foliage.