Saint Lucia lancehead
| Saint Lucia lancehead | |
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| Species: | B. caribbaeus
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| Binomial name | |
| Bothrops caribbaeus (Garman, 1887)
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The Saint Lucia lancehead or Saint Lucia pit viper (Bothrops caribbaeus) is a species of venomous snake which is endemic to the West Indies.[1]
Geographic range
It is found only on the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.[1]
8/23/16 - Over the weekend, 12 St. Lucia Lancehead Vipers were born at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo in Slade.
St. Lucia Lancehead Vipers are native only to the small Caribbean island of St. Lucia. The Kentucky Reptile Zoo is the only facility outside of St. Lucia to be allowed to house these rare island snakes. [2]
Description
It can reach a total length in excess of 1.3 m (4.3 ft).[1] It is gray to gray-brown, with an irregular temporal stripe, and gray or brown markings that are distinct mid-dorsally and fade towards its sides.[1]
Conservation status
The snake is threatened and today limited to two areas of the island.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd., pp. 95–96, ISBN 0-333-69141-5.
- ^ http://www.wymt.com/content/news/Kentucky-Reptile-Zoo-breeds-rare-island-viper-390973861.html
- ^ "Saving the snakes of St Lucia", The Guardian Weekly, February 5, 2012, retrieved February 17, 2012.
Further reading
- Garman, S. 1887. On West Indian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, Mass.
Proc. American Philos. Soc. Philadelphia 24: 278-286. ("Trigonocephalus caribbæus, sp n.", p. 285.) - Breach, K. (2009). Quantifying the Interactions Between Humans and Endemic Pit vipers (Bothrops caribbaeus) in Saint Lucia (MSc thesis, Imperial College London). http://www.iccs.org.uk/wp-content/thesis/consci/2009/Breach.docx
External links
- Bothrops caribbaeus at the Encyclopedia of Life
- Bothrops caribbaeus at the Reptile Database
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