The zoo has had 13 successful eyelash pit viper births since 1980, with the last being in 2014.
The Dallas Zoo announced that six eyelash pit vipers were born at the zoo on October 11, 2024. The zoo recorded the first birth of the species at the zoo in 1980. The zoo has had 13 successful births since, with the last being in 2014. The snakes are born alive and measure about 6 to 8 inches at birth. The Dallas Zoo has been keeping eyelash pit vipers for more than 50 years. Two of the young snakes are on display at the zoo’s Herpetarium Nursery.
Baby eyelash pit viper at the Dallas Zoo. Photo courtesy Dallas Zoo
Eyelash pit vipers (Bothriechis sp) are a small venomous snake, about 22 inches in length, according to the Dallas Zoo. Arboreal, the eyelash pitviper can be found in trees feeding on rodents, bats, tree frogs, birds and lizards such as anoles and geckos. They are also known to feed on juvenile iguanas. Other habitat includes sea level forests, montane and cloud forests and moist lowlands and foothills. Their range includes southern Mexico and Central America and into Colombia, Ecuador and parts of western Venezuela.
5 Beautiful Venomous Eyelash Pit Viper Snakes Of The Bothriechis Genus Described
One notable trait about the eyelash pit viper is they are found in several colorations naturally with shades of green and yellow being quite striking. In February of 2024, researchers revised the eyelash palm-pitviper Bothriechis schlegelii into five new species. In addition to Bothriechis schlegelii, the new species are B. klebbai sp. nov., B. rasikusumorum sp. nov., B. khwargi sp. nov., B. rahimi sp. nov., and B. hussaini sp. nov
