| 1 | Eyelash viper |
The eyelash viper belongs to the Bothriechis pitviper family (11 members), and is overwhelmingly the most common member. They range from southern Mexico through all of central America all the way to Peru, which puts Honduras at the core of its territory.
Eyelash vipers are a tree-dwelling species, which are named after horn extensions above each eye which give them a flirty appearance. They have an extremely wide variety in colours. Banana yellow is most common, but pink, red and mossy green are all common, as is Christmas (alternating red and green).
Its venom is no laughing matter, but far from severe. The LD50 toxicity rating is a respectable 1.6mg, yet the venom yield is low at 10-20mg. There are virtually no local symptoms except a pair of bite marks. All the symptoms are systematic, and even these aren’t severe. Nausea, paraesthesia (tingling), vomiting and cold sweats are common, with the most severe bites progressing to blood clotting difficulties. Only a handful of deaths have been confirmed. Eyelash vipers have a calm temperament, and you can walk right past its branches without them reacting. Nevertheless, it’s best not to taunt them, as they can strike with lightning speed when pushed.
| 2 | Highland garter snake |
This species belongs to the same Thamnophis family as the US garter snakes, but lives nowhere north of extreme southern Mexico. Highland garter snakes range from 40-60cm, and its brown colours are believed to mimic the venomous Godman’s pitviper.
Honduras is the epicentre of their range, particularly the central south. Highand garter snakes (Thamnophis fulvus) live at high altitudes, ranging from 1000 to 3710 metres above sea level. They inhabit a variety of forests, such as broadleaf and pine-oak, but they also like open areas: high altitude grassland strewn with jagged rocks and juniper bushes. These include mountainous areas carved by former ice age glaciers, with temperate climates closer to western Europe.
Thamnophis fulvus preys on amphibians, with one being the poisonous salamander Bolitoglossa rostrata. When most snakes eat this amphibian, they lose all muscle control, becoming immobile and not even responding to a hard poke. The highland’s garter snake has evolved resistance somewhere along the line, similarly to the US garter snake which is resistant to rough-skinned newt toxins.
| 3 | Variable coral snake |
Formerly called the Atlantic coral snake, this is one of the most variable (not surprisingly) coral snakes in the world. One of the classic morphs is a simple alternating red and black, lacking the yellow of most coral snakes, except around the head and tail. This morph is very easy to distinguish from others. In other regions though, the yellow bands are visible, though far thinner than usual. One of the consistent ways to separate Micrurus diastema is that the red bands are smattered with tiny black spots.
Because the yellow is commonly missing, this is one species where you can never trust the old rhyme “red touches black, venom lack”. Its venom is little researched, but is confirmed to contain alpha-neurotoxins, which block acetylcholine receptors from detecting brain signals, leading to paralysis.
This species inhabits Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and far southern Mexico. The variable coral snake’s prey includes other snakes, including our fellow list member Degenhardt’s scorpion eater. Other prey include Liebbman’s earth runner (Chersodromus liebmanni), coral earth snakes (Geophis semidoliatus), and snake eggs. The variable coral snake also has a harmless mimic in the form of variegated false coral snakes (Pliocercus elapoides).
| 4 | Bothriechis guifarroi |
Bothriechis guifarroi belongs to the same family as eyelash vipers, but while eyelash vipers were first identified in 1846, this species stayed hidden in Honduras’ jungles until 2010. This all new species is a bright green colour, with emerald green eyes. As youths, they have two colours, green and brown, which converge into the adult colour with age.
The first ever Bothriechis guifarroi was discovered in Texiguat Wildlife Refuge, northern Honduras, and measured 73.7cm. It was spotted in a rocky jungle stream, shaded by massive overhanging canopies. Genetic analysis was conducted, proving it to be independent of all other members. This region of Honduras has two other Bothriechis pitvipers, but B. guifarroi snake is more closely related to Bothrops nigroviridis in Costa Rica, 600km away.
Bothriechis guifarroi is primarily a forest species, particularly cloud forests, hilly jungles surrounded constantly by swirling fingers of mist. They prefer altitudes of 1015-1450 metres, and are venomous like all Bothriechis members, though with unknown strength. Its name of B. guifarroi came from environmental campaigner Mario Guifarro, a former gold miner who was murdered while establishing an environmental zone in Moskitia region in 2007. He also had a new beetle named after him in 2021: Phrynidius guifarroi.
| 5 | Mexican jumping viper |
Probably the most inaccurately named snake in the world. It originated from a local belief that Mexican jumping vipers can pounce on victims from extreme distances. Not only can they not jump, but their strike distance is very poor, mainly because their body is so thick.
In addition to being bulky, Mexican jumping vipers (Metlapilcoatlus nummifer) have a very short tail which isn’t prehensile. Consequently, they almost never climb trees, and they rarely even climb onto rocks to bask in the sun. A small bush is the highest this Honduran species climbs. Mexican jumping vipers are very alert, and are constantly swivelling their heads towards the slightest disturbance. Yet they’re also docile, and rarely attack just for the sake of it. They have a relatively weak venom, despite their cruel facial expression.
Mexican jumping vipers average at 50cm. They have stereotypical viper patterns which could have been ripped from any species: brown contrasting against darker brown, with diamond patterns. Their face is more memorable, with a consistent grey tone, except for a dense black stripe streaking below the eye before drooping downwards.
| 6 | Slender snail sucker |
Sibon is a 21-strong family of snail-eating snakes with huge eyes, also including Sibon argus of Panama. Sibon dimidiatus is a tree-loving species which is extremely difficult to find. Only 15 have been found in Honduras, yet they’ve spread all over the country, showing that the elusiveness is because of their shy nature rather than occupying little territory.
Most sightings have been during heavy rains at night, in humid forests. It’s possible to spend 12 years at a forested research station and never see this shy snake. In 2019, for example, the 14th and 15th snakes were found, which extended its known territory by 104km to the northwest. These were found in La Paz province, southwestern Honduras.
Sibon dimidiatus particularly loves cloud forests, cloaked in a dense mist for most of the day. They like forests at altitudes of 700-1500 metres, with rainfall totalling 1850-4000mm per year. It’s suspected that they’re declining in Honduras, with pockets of cloud forest ever shrinking. Sibon dimidiatus preys on snails and slugs, and has a maximum length of 80cm.
| 7 | Slender hognose pitviper |
One of Honduras’ venomous snakes, a species that people should always be cautious around. Porthidium ophryomegas has alternating blotches of brown, contrasting against golden coloured scales inbetween. They average at 40-60cm, and even the most extreme female only reached 77cm. Nevertheless, size is irrelevant, as this species has caused 3 confirmed deaths, and almost certainly more in the past.
Slender hognose pitvipers occur in three further countries; Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. This species prefers lower altitudes, ranging from 0-1100 metres. They sometimes climb into low bushes, but rarely more than 1.5 metres off the ground. Slender hognose pitvipers prefer to rest under leaves, logs, discarded rubbish, and hollows in tree trunks. They’re a nocturnal species, and the rainier the night, the more this snake is spotted on the prowl. Slender hognosed pitvipers inhabit forests, and aren’t fussy about the type.
Porthidium ophryomegas is mostly a mammal-eating snake, with birds being second choice. After biting, they let go of their prey and watch them with their cunning vertical pupils, before slithering in to collect their prize after they succumb.
| 8 | Northern puffing snake |
A common snake across most of central America. Northern puffing snakes are notorious for raiding bird’s nests, and swallowing their eggs whole, cracking them by stretching their own bodies taut like a rope. They belong to the Phrynonax family, which has 3 members. P. poecilonotus and P. polylepis are easily the most common members, but the latter is only found in South America, nowhere close to Honduras.
There’s a reason why this snake has prospered, as they have a determined personality and don’t hesitate to bite. Northern puffing snakes are non-venomous, but have a fearsome defensive display, rearing themselves up, inflating their chest (to reveal), and hissing aggressively. They’re a day-faring snake, and commonly encountered by villagers, also because of their large, 1.8 metre size which is difficult to miss. They inhabit forests ranging from lowland rainforests to dry gallery forests on the edges of fields, bordered on each side by rivers.
One of the easiest signs to recognise in northern puffing snakes is their yellow lips, which contrast sharply against their tyre-black bodies. This is an extension of their purely yellow belly. Birds are their main prey, but also reptiles such as blue-lipped tree lizards.
| 9 | Middle American burrowing snake |
A species also found in Nicaragua, Belize and far southern Mexico. Middle American burrowing snakes are a shy, non-venomous creature, which usually has a combination of red and dark brown colours. There’s natural variation, with the two fluctuating against each other in a constant war. Sometimes the red comes to the forefront, with the brown taking over in others.
This species prefers lowlands and foothills, unlike its close relative Adelphicos veraepacis, which prefers higher altitudes. Middle American burrowing snakes often hang out near streams in forests. They’re only small (30cm), and survival in Honduras’ wilds is a struggle. They’re picked off by larger predators such as flathead knob-scaled lizards, and even spiders. Adelphicos quadrivirgatus was once found stuck in the web of a dark fishing spider, a semi-aquatic species. The web was 20cm above a stream, and the spider had managed to eat most of the flesh 3-4cm below the snake’s snout.
Adelphicos quadrivirgatus is a decent climber, sometimes laying its eggs in termite nests 1.5 metres above ground. Their small size has also pushed them towards a diet of earthworms (which might taste amazing for all we know).
| 10 | Degenhardt’s scorpion-eating snake |
A docile snake measuring 65cm, which can easily be watched from a distance swimming around the streams they reside in. Stenorrhina degenhardtii resides in many habitats, including forests, agricultural fields, and areas near houses.
They vary in appearance, with some having dull grey blotches, but others being a bright rusty red colour. Some can be beige with red blotches, others brown with darker brown bands. What’s consistent is that they’re a friendly-looking snake, with round hopeful eyes, featuring black pupils and an orange iris. Their belly is always slightly lighter than the rest.
Stenorrhina degenhardtii is persistent, and will endure several sting attempts by angry scorpions, before landing their teeth and chewing their venom in. Their prey includes the centurion scorpion, as well as a hefty dose of spiders. One of their arch enemies in nature is the variable coral snake, which preys on them.
Degenhardt’s scorpion eater has one other family member: Stenorrhina freminvillei, which also eats scorpions but has far plainer patterns, usually a consistent red colour and occasionally with vertical stripes.