About the Central American Eyelash Pitviper Drawing
I encountered many Central American Eyelash Pitvipers while conducting research in the vicinity of Tortuguero, Costa Rica. These small arboreal snakes were usually perched on vegetation or against a tree trunk, often positioned to ambush a passing lizard or other small animal.
One of the most remarkable features of eyelash pitvipers is their extraordinary variation in color. Around Tortuguero, we found brown, reddish, and lichen-green individuals, as well as the brilliant golden form commonly known as the Oropel. The golden snakes were especially common there, but every color form was beautiful in its own way.
Despite their dramatic appearance and venomous bite, the snakes I encountered were generally inoffensive, even when we disturbed or handled them during fieldwork. Their compact bodies, prehensile tails, prominent eyes, and raised eyelash-like scales make them among the most distinctive and appealing of the Neotropical pitvipers.
In Hanging Out, I portrayed the snake draped loosely across a branch in the kind of elevated resting or ambush posture in which I often encountered the species. The overlapping coils and strongly keeled scales create a complex pattern of texture, while the large eye and raised scales above it draw attention to the animal’s unmistakable face.
Hanging Out is a graphite wildlife drawing of a Central American Eyelash Pitviper (Bothriechis nigroadspersus) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art. Reference photograph courtesy of W. W. Lamar.