| 1 | Blotched-palm pitviper |
This venomous snake is found exclusively in Costa Rica, not even in Panama to the south. Blotched palm pitvipers (Bothriechis supraciliaris) are centred in the southwestern regions of Coto Brus and Valle del General, primarily at altitudes of 700-1800 metres. They prey on rodents from the forest floor, and the vast majority of their toxins are engineered towards haemorrhaging, combined with moderate myotoxic (muscle-assaulting) dangers.
Blotched palm pitvipers vary from green to red, with blotches that vary in shape from circular to rhomboid. Another chunk have multiple bands encircling their body. This species is potentially deadly, yet is simple to combat with Costa Rica’s standard pitviper antivenom.
Until 1998, blotched palm pitvipers were a mere subspecies of the widespread eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelli). However, Bothriechis supraciliaris spends far more time on the ground, lives at higher altitudes, and has a minty-green morph with brown spinal blotches which is especially common. Blotched palm pitvipers also have smoother colours between their blotches, whereas eyelash vipers are adorned with many fine dots and stripes.
| 2 | Costa Rican coral snake |
In the forests of Costa Rica, only three things are guaranteed: mist, bananas and coral snakes. This venomous snake inhabits the country’s Caribbean coast, also spilling over the borders into Panama and Honduras.
Micrurus mosquitensis dwells on forest floors covered with fallen leaves and mulch, and has an insidious venom which could easily paralyse a fully grown man. The LD50 toxicity rating is 0.20-0.61mg, just matching the eastern coral snake of Florida (0.2mg). One ingredient is a rare toxin called MitTx, which intensifies pain across the body, by activating acid-sensing ion channels. This can also cause seizures by blocking GABA receptors, the same brain receptors that alcohol targets.
Costa Rican coral snakes aren’t even immune to their own venom. One youngling was left in a cage overnight for several weeks, until one morning it was found dead. It had bitten itself at a point 3.5cm behind the head, whether in suicide or self-grooming gone horribly wrong. Like all coral snakes, this is a shy species which is in no rush to bite – just don’t step on them.
| 3 | Costa Rica montane pitviper |
This venomous snake lives in misty mountain ranges, particularly the Talamanca Cordillera bordering Panama to the south. High altitude forests are their favourite, but they also inhabit open highlands controlled by mankind.
Costal Rican montane pitvipers (Cerrophidion sasai) have a strongly anticoagulant venom, which impairs blood clotting and causes random spontaneous bleeding across the body, from gums to tiny papercuts. They reach a maximum of 80cm, and have the nasty claim to fame of being difficult to treat with antivenom.
Costa Rica’s main pitviper antivenom is made from 3 species: fer-de-lance, central American bushmaster, and central American rattlesnake. According to a 2013 study, this worked decently against the rainforest hognose pitviper, as there was a large toxin crossover, but made far less impact against Cerrophidion sasai. This snake has a relatively isolated venom, branching off in deadly new directions.
This species was only made official in 2012, as its Godmane pitviper relative originally covered most of Central America. After fresh genetic analysis, this was split into several independent species, with Cerrophidion sasai taking over Costa Rica and Panama, and Wilson’s montane pitviper being handed Nicaragua and Honduras.
| 4 | Black forest racer |
A non-venomous serpent which hugs the Caribbean coast of northeast Costa Rica. This is a friendly snake, which looks like it would warn you about the venomous snakes nearby if only you spoke its language.
Drymobius melanotropis is highly dependent on frogs, to the extent that if the frogs in one area go extinct, the snakes will also disappear. Its other names include ranera and green frog-eater. Black forest racers are photographed only rarely, but in 2014, an image of one with two frog legs sticking out of its mouth shot to global headlines. Black forest racers can swallow a frog from head to toe in two minutes, and if they’re not satisfied, they’ll immediately move onto fresh frogs in the vicinity.
Drymobius melanotropis is a medium sized snake. The largest female on record measured 123cm, and the largest male 122cm. They have large eyes with a round pupil and brown iris, and their bodies vary in colour from bright green to brown, with the green versions sometimes having a parched brown face.
| 5 | Panamanian dwarf boa |
One of the most obscure snakes on Earth, lying buried in deep corners of Costa Rican forests where humanity’s footprint is barely felt. Ungaliophis panamensis is a shy snake, which is almost never encountered by people. It’s strongly nocturnal, and inhabits only remote forests, including lowland rainforests and high altitude cloudforests. The only human structures they enter are crop fields such as banana plantations, and isolated rural buildings within forests, where they sometimes stash themselves in roofs as an alternative to their tree trunks. This 40cm boa has a strong tendency to lurk in tree hollows, where they peer out and watch fellow forest creatures traipse by.
Over 8 years, a series of 258 snake surveys were conducted in the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge of northeast Costa Rica. The Panamanian dwarf boa was encountered just ten times. This species also inhabits northwest Panama, but is most heavily concentrated in Costa Rica (despite the name). So far, their diet is confirmed to include bats, birds, and reptiles such as yellow-headed geckos.
| 6 | Black-speckled palm pitviper |
This venomous snake inhabits a wide swathe of Costa Rica, sticking to cloudy mountain forests at altitudes of up to 3000 metres. Black-speckled pitvipers are found in three of Costa Rica’s mountain ranges: Tilarán Cordillera to the northwest, the central Cordillera, and Talamanca Cordillera on the Panamanian border. This snake struggles to adapt to manmade landscapes, and vanishes from an area the moment humans begin to cultivate it.
Bothriechis nigroviridis possesses an extremely rare toxin called nigroviriditoxin, which is structured similarly to the crotoxin of rattlesnakes. Nigroviriditoxin has myonecrotic powers, targeting muscle tissue selectively. It’s also a strong neurotoxin, which are rare in the Bothriechis pitviper family. The venom only causes mild haemorrhaging, yet is one of the Bothriechis family’s most lethal. Intense pain and nausea are two of the earliest symptoms.
Black-specked palm pitvipers have an emerald or yellow-green base, overlaid with numerous mottled black scales. This dangerous snake has black irises, a black tongue, and a black stripe connected to each eye. They average at 60cm, with a female record of 93.7cm.
| 7 | Orange-bellied glasstail |
A frog-eating snake which sticks to forest floors, occasionally entering small pools to swallow up tadpoles. Orange-bellied glasstails are rarely sighted, dwelling exclusively in undisturbed forests. Their bellies are indeed orange, with the approximate shade of a citrus fruit. They have a brown back, with the two being separated by a thin white line.
Orange-bellied glasstails grow darker with age, and have round black pupils with a copper-red iris. They’re found in various forested areas, including sunlit clearings and the deepest, gnarliest sections. As for its other name, this family is notorious for having a fragile tail. A large chunk encountered in forests have tail ends completely missing, snapping off as they escape from birds’ clutches.
This snake has a narrow head, barely wider than its neck. A signature ID sign is a white spot, located slightly behind and above the eye. Orange-bellied glasstails also appear in Panama, but Costa Rica is easily their world capital.
| 8 | Black-headed bushmaster |
The South American bushmaster is one of Brazil’s main venomous snakes, but this is their more obscure cousin. The black-headed bushmaster mostly resides in the southwest region of Puntarenas, adjecent to the Pacific ocean. It was debated for years whether they also inhabit Panama, but a smattering of sightings have been recorded near the Costa Rican border.
Black-headed bushmasters love heat and humidity, and stick to low altitude forests, occasionally reaching 1800 metres. This is a venomous ambush snake, which is most commonly sighted lurking at the bases of thick tree trunks. Black-headed bushmasters are intelligent hunters, as they preferentially opt for fruit trees. When curious rodents investigate the fruit falling at their base, the hungry bushmaster devours them. This snake vibrates its tail when frightened, reverberating off the leaf litter to create a low buzzing like a rattlesnake.
The black-headed bushmaster reaches a record length of 2.4 metres. Their bodies alternate between grey scales and black blotches, which are random in order, varying between individuals. However, their head is always dense black, like a special cap, part of the official black bushmaster uniform.
| 9 | Clark’s coralsnake |
The second of Costa Rica’s native coral snakes, mostly inhabiting the southeast. Micrurus clarki is a shy forest dweller which sometimes takes refuge in tiny insect burrows. This is a snake you’d be highly likely to meet while crossing the border mountains into Panama illegally.
Clark’s coral snake has beady, black eyes, and a neurotoxic venom which it slowly chews into its victims. One human death has been confirmed in Colombia, where this species also resides. Clark’s coral snake has a highly targeted venom, as 16.1% consists of the rare clarkitoxin-1. This has virtually no effect on lab mice, but strongly targets the reptiles and marbled swap eels this snake is confirmed to feed on. There’s also a dose of myotoxins, which assault muscle fibers.
Micrurus clarki could easily be confused with the Costa Rican coral snake. The colouring and ordering of the bands is identical, but Clark’s coral snake has a dramatically shorter black band immediately after the neck. They also tend to have shorter black-yellow-black sections, and longer red spaces inbetween.
| 10 | Talamancan palm-pitviper |
This venomous snake lives in a narrow, 100km slice of Costa Rica. It was first sighted in 2001, but falsely attributed to the black-speckled pitviper, due to its overwhelming similarity. In 2016, it was finally confirmed as an all-new Costa Rican snake species: Bothriechis nubestris instead of Bothriechis nigroviridis.
The green-black colour was identical, its length of 80cm was similar, and the head shape and eyes were barely distinguishable. Yet genetic analysis showed that the Talamancan palm pitviper diverged millions of years ago. This is called cryptic speciation – where two species have no obvious physical differences, yet are separated by vast DNA chasms. The only physical differences identified were subtle alternations in scale shape, particularly below the eyes, which were more kidney-shaped.
Bothriechis nubestris has a far smaller empire than its cousin, sticking to the Talamanca Cordillera mountains near the Panamanian border. They inhabit cloudy, misty forests, resting on branches in tight coils. Being a close relative, they possess the neurotoxic nigroviriditoxin of their cousin, but in far smaller quantities.