Overview

Bushmasters (Lachesis muta muta) are one of the largest vipers in the world. They are the longest vipers; while Gabon Vipers and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes are the heaviest vipers in the world. There have been reports of Bushmasters measuring up to 14 feet, but 12 feet is more likely their maximum length. Bushmasters are sexually dimorphic in size with males reaching larger sizes, and they have a pinkish tan, orangish tan, reddish brown or yellowish color on their skin, with a series of dark markings down the back. Younger Bushmasters usually have a darker ground color and lighter marking on their back relative to adult animals. The Bushmaster was first described by F. M. Daudin in 1803 and the genus name came from one of the Three Fates in Greek Mythology. Lachesis is a goddess that measures the thread of life or how long each person will live. Historically, the genus was thought to be a single species, muta, with four subspecies but subsequent morphological and genetic studies show that there are four species (acrochorda, melanocephala, muta, and stenophrys) with one of the species containing two subspecies (muta muta and muta rhombeata).

Habitat

Bushmasters occur entirely within the New World and specifically within the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela. Throughout their range Bushmasters are primarily found in undisturbed lowland and pre-montane rainforest. However, in some parts of their range they can be found in dryer regions but always along riparian corridors. Very little is known about the movements and home range size of Bushmasters except that they are active primarily at night and that they can remain coiled in the same location for almost a month. Bushmasters are sit and wait predators that specialize in eating small mammals including rodents and marsupials. Unlike many other vipers that strike and release their prey, bushmasters often strike and hold onto their prey injecting large amounts of venom. Bushmaster reproduction is fascinating, as they are the only species of vipers in the New World that lay eggs. Females have been observed laying between 6 and 20 eggs in old logs or mammal burrows from May through August. The females then protect the nest by coiling around the eggs which can take approximately three months to hatch.

For more information, download the Bushmaster Fact Sheet