﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  291 
  

  

  The 
  jumping 
  viper. 
  

  

  Most 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  in 
  striking 
  keep 
  the 
  tail 
  and 
  posterior 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  body 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  leverage, 
  but 
  the 
  jumping 
  viper 
  (Bothrops 
  

   nummifer) 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  slide 
  and 
  strike 
  in 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  carries 
  its 
  body 
  2 
  

   feet 
  forward. 
  From 
  a 
  slight 
  elevation 
  it 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  jump 
  for 
  a 
  yard. 
  

   Since 
  its 
  length 
  is 
  somewhat 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  yard, 
  it 
  has 
  several 
  times 
  the 
  

   striking 
  range 
  of 
  most 
  pit 
  vipers. 
  Its 
  body 
  is 
  stout, 
  its 
  head 
  propor- 
  

   tionately 
  large, 
  and 
  its 
  skin 
  so 
  rough 
  that 
  one 
  is 
  reminded 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   bushmaster. 
  The 
  fangs 
  are 
  short, 
  and 
  the 
  venom 
  is 
  of 
  lower 
  toxicity 
  

   than 
  in 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Bothrops, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  snake 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  greatly 
  to 
  

   be 
  feared 
  as 
  are 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  relatives. 
  It 
  ranges 
  through 
  most 
  of 
  Cen- 
  

   tral 
  America 
  into 
  Mexico. 
  Its 
  native 
  names 
  are 
  timba 
  and 
  mano 
  de 
  

   piedra, 
  the 
  latter 
  coming 
  from 
  its 
  supposed 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  native 
  

   implement 
  used 
  for 
  grinding 
  corn. 
  

  

  The 
  hog-nosed 
  vipers. 
  

  

  These 
  three 
  small 
  terrestrial 
  vipers 
  (Bothrops 
  nasuta, 
  B. 
  lansbergii, 
  

   B. 
  ophry 
  omegas) 
  may 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  their 
  upturned 
  snouts 
  (pi. 
  

   6, 
  fig. 
  1). 
  They 
  live 
  in 
  Central 
  America 
  and 
  southern 
  Mexico, 
  with 
  

   two 
  species 
  extending 
  into 
  northern 
  South 
  America. 
  Their 
  native 
  

   names 
  are 
  chatilla 
  or 
  tamaga. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  savage 
  little 
  vipers 
  strike 
  

   with 
  such 
  force 
  that 
  they 
  slide 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  on 
  smooth 
  level 
  ground 
  

   and 
  sometimes 
  jump 
  forward 
  several 
  inches, 
  although 
  this 
  habit 
  is 
  

   not 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  jumping 
  viper 
  

   (Bothrops 
  nummifer) 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  They 
  grow 
  to 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  

   in 
  length. 
  

  

  Other 
  pit 
  vipers. 
  

  

  Maximilian's 
  viper 
  (Bothrops 
  neuwiedii) 
  of 
  Brazil 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  fer-de- 
  

   lance 
  type 
  and 
  might 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  that 
  species. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  

   smaller, 
  and 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  triangular 
  brown 
  markings 
  are 
  different. 
  

   Its 
  native 
  names 
  are 
  jararaca 
  and 
  urutu. 
  It 
  ranges 
  into 
  northern 
  

   Argentina 
  and 
  Paraguay. 
  The 
  name 
  jararaca 
  is 
  also 
  applied 
  to 
  other 
  

   closely 
  related 
  kinds 
  of 
  poisonous 
  snakes. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  poisonous 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  pit 
  vipers 
  is 
  the 
  island 
  viper 
  

   (B. 
  insularis) 
  , 
  which 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  rocky 
  island 
  barely 
  three- 
  

   quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  extent 
  lying 
  40 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  

   Santos, 
  Brazil. 
  Since 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  else 
  on 
  the 
  rock 
  for 
  snakes 
  to 
  eat 
  

   except 
  the 
  small 
  birds 
  that 
  nest 
  there, 
  this 
  snake's 
  highly 
  toxic 
  bite 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  insures 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  before 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  flutter 
  far 
  

   enough 
  to 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  so 
  be 
  lost. 
  

  

  While 
  most 
  people 
  do 
  not 
  associate 
  beauty 
  with 
  a 
  poisonous 
  serpent, 
  

   B. 
  alternatus, 
  commonly 
  called 
  urutu, 
  has 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  handsomest 
  pat- 
  

   terns 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  pit 
  vipers 
  — 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  dark 
  brown 
  crescentic 
  marks 
  on 
  

  

  