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Bothriechis nigroviridis

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Bothriechis nigroviridis is a venomous pit viper found in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama. There are no recognized subspecies. The name means black and green, matching its distinctive color pattern.

Adults are usually under 60 cm long, though a few large females have reached about 90–95 cm. It is slender and arboreal, with a prehensile tail. The body is emerald green with strong black mottling; some individuals have pale green dorsal blotches with black edges. The belly is yellow-green and lightly mottled with black. The head is heavily mottled with black and has a clear postocular stripe; the iris and tongue are dark. Juveniles look similar but are paler and have a black tail tip.

This species lives in montane and cloud forests in Costa Rica and Panama, at elevations roughly from 1,150 to over 3,000 meters, on both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes. It has a limited range and is generally rare, though locally common where its habitat is undisturbed. Habitat loss can reduce its numbers. The IUCN classifies it as Least Concern. Bites can cause intense pain, nausea, and breathing difficulties, and fatalities have been reported.


This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:30 (CET).