Eyelash Viper

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*This page is under renovation and all information may not be up-to-date or complete*

Description

Eyelash vipers are relatively small venomous snakes with wide, triangular heads. They are named for the enlarged scale above each eye, which looks like eyelashes. Their coloration is highly variable, including pinkish, yellow, and green individuals. Some yellow individuals may have have white, red, or black spots.

Eyelash vipers have keeled scales, meaning they are sharp to the touch instead of smooth like other snakes.

Range & Habitat

Eyelash vipers live in Central and South America from southern Mexico to Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. They are typically found in wet forests at mid to low elevations, living in bushes, vines, trees, or banana groves.

Behavior

Eyelash vipers are arboreal snakes, meaning they live in the trees. They have prehensile tails and can grip tree branches, hanging mid air as they eat their meals. Rather than detecting prey visually, these nocturnal snakes use heat sensitive pits on either side of their head between their eye and their nostrils. These pits can detect other animals’ body temperatures that are higher or lower than the surrounding environment.

Diet

Eyelash vipers are carnivores, preying on small mammals like bats or mouse opossums as well as birds, lizards, or frogs.

At the Zoo they eat …

Conservation

Eyelash viper populations have not been evaluated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, major threats to their moist forest habitat may include deforestation, agriculture, and climate change.

Fun Facts

• Eyelash vipers have clutches of 12-20 eggs at a time. When they hatch, the young may be of several different color morphs.
• Due to their yellow coloration and overlapping distribution with banana plantations, eyelash vipers have accidentally traveled the world in banana shipments!
• Juvenile eyelash vipers have a white tip on their tail, which they wiggle like a worm to attract potential prey to move within striking distance. This hunting technique is called caudal luring!

Virginia Zoo Animals

• Ketchup is mostly reddish with some yellow under their chin and some greenish gray patches.
• Mustard is yellow.