The Buschmaster (lachesis muta) lives in a very small population in the north of South America and is the biggest viper with a length of more than 4 m. Among the poison snakes it is exceeded in size only by the Kingkobra. It prefers tropical rainforests in mountain regions and lives on small mammals. Living on the ground and being extremely night active it reacts to disturbances similar to a rattle snake: the tip of its tail carries a little thorn which starts vibrating in excitement. Another special quality is that it lays eggs (ovipar) and hatches its nest. It is even able to slightly regulate the hatching temperature by its muscle contractions.

The successful breeding and the development of the most various colour variations has for a long time been an achievement by Dean Ripa. By clicking on the banner you will be transferred to his homepage which is definitely worth seeing and reading.
 

Buschmaster (lachesis muta) in its natural colour and marking

Dean Ripa`s Buschmaster (lachesis muta) - colour variations