Lancehead Viper For Sale

Lancehead Viper For Sale

THE FOUR-FOOT-LONG BODY OF A golden Lancehead Viper For Sale coils into a ball. Its scales are less golden and more a pale yellow-brown, like Dijon mustard. Its unblinking eyes, watchful through the terrarium glass, give it an intimidating look appropriate for one of the world’s most feared snakes—even though the viper isn’t particularly aggressive to humans unless provoked. “Compared with other species, the golden lancehead pit viper for sale is calm to work with,” says Selma Almeida, a biologist at Brazil’s Instituto Butantan, where the snake is currently a resident. “They are nowhere near as aggressive as some of the other snakes we keep here.” The golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis) gained notoriety because, in the wild, it is found only on Ilha da Queimada Grande, known to the world as Snake Island. Located about 20 miles off the Brazilian coast, south of the city of São Paulo, the roughly 100-acre island is home to approximately 3,000 of the vipers, creating one of the highest population densities of snakes anywhere in the world. Despite this localized superabundance, the golden lancehead is critically endangered and will likely be lost without human intervention. So, after more than 30 years of being one of the few scientists permitted to carry out fieldwork on the infamous island, Almeida is now trying to recreate the animals’ habitat at Butantan, in the middle of São Paulo.

Golden Lancehead Viper Reproduction

Mating takes place once a year. It happens only in the months during the middle of the summer.

The mating function may take place either on the ground or on the trees. Like other viper species, the golden lancehead gives live birth.

The average litter size varies from 6-8 newborn vipers. Experts believe that they have a very similar size to other Bothrops species. This is only because no observational studies have been done on these specific vipers regarding size at birth.

Other species typically vary from 20-24 cm at birth with a weight of 9-10 grams. How fast these snakes grow and their lifespan remains a mystery.

The lack of population paired with a harsh environment for people make it difficult to study this species of viper.

Diet of the Golden Lancehead
Besides the golden lancehead, the Island is home to many other snakes.

By some estimates, there is one snake to every square meter of land.

Hence, there is stiff competition for food resources.

The island is also home to about 3 dozen established species of birds.

But the golden lancehead almost only consumes two species of bird: the southern house wren and a species of flycatcher.

Most of the birds are able to avoid the viper. However, birds mainly snack on bugs that are either on the ground or in trees.

Since the viper is known to be an adept climber, birds typically don’t stand a chance.

There are no known mammals on the island. So, the main diet of the golden lanchead likely consists of insects, lizards, spiders, smaller birds, amphibians, and other snakes.

Like other vipers, the golden head is believed to be an efficient killer. The humble viper is known to be a patient hunter.

It is likely to either hide in the trees, rock crevices, or under leaves waiting to ambush its prey. After biting and killing the prey, it usually remains on the ground during the process of ingestion.

Because the island is small and has no known mammals, there is intense competition for food.

How does This Deadly Viper Hunt?
The golden lancehead kills the prey by first injecting the venom.

The prey usually stumbles and tries to flee. During this time, the venom will destroy the tissues making it easier for the snake to swallow. Once the prey is dead, the snake will track and swallow the animal.