Species Fact Profile: Bushmaster (Lachesis muta)

(South American) Bushmaster

Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766)

Range: Northern and Central South America, Trinidad
Habitat: Forested Hills and Mountains
Diet: Rodents, Birds, Amphibians
Social Grouping: Solitary
Reproduction: Lays 5-19 eggs per clutch, usually in a burrow, defended by the mother.  Incubation period 60-80 days.  Hatchlings 30 centimeters in length.  Juveniles are more brightly colored than adults and achieve adult coloration at 1-2 years old.  Sexually mature at 4 years old.
Lifespan: 18-24 Years
Conservation Status: Not Listed

• Body length of up to 3.65 meters, with an average length of 2-2.5 meters.  Longest (not heaviest) member of the viper family and the longest venomous snake in the western hemisphere.  Weight 3-5 kilograms.  Males larger than females
• Stout, tapered body with a broad head separated by a narrow neck.  Scales are rough and strongly keeled
• Pattern consists of black or dark brown triangular markings set against a yellow-gray background.
• If threatened, the bushmaster will vibrate the horny tip of its tail in the leaves, making a buzzing sound similar to a rattlesnake's rattle
• Ambush predators, sit and wait along known rodent trails for prey to come within striking range
• Latin name translates to "Silent Fate" - Lachesis was one of the three Fates of Ancient Greek mythology, who determined how long a man was supposed to live.  The "muta" (mute) refers to the absence of a rattle on the tail
• Bushmasters are the only New World vipers known to lay eggs
• Two subspecies - the nominate (L. m. muta) and the Atlantic Forest bushmaster (L. m. rhombeata).  Two additional subspecies have been elevated to full species status - the Central American bushmaster (L. stenophrys) and the black-headed bushmaster (L. melanocephala)
• Most commonly found in remote areas, so encounter humans less often than many venomous snake species.  Still, highly feared due to size, potency of venom, and perceived aggression.  The species has lent its name to, among other things, several firearm brands, a military unit, and a comic-book supervillian

Zookeeper's Journal: Powerful... deadly... delicate?  So it must have seemed to Raymond Ditmars and many other herpetologists, who had an almost-impossible time keeping bushmasters in zoos.   The difficulty in maintaining the world's largest viper doubtlessly was a major part of the obsession that Ditmars felt towards the snake.  As it turns out, the bushmaster, for all its vaunted venom, is quite shy and easily stressed; combined with the rough handling and shipment that snakes were subjected to in those days as they journeyed from the forest to the zoo and it's easy to understand why those bushmasters that crossed Ditmars' path fared so poorly.  A gentler, more enlightened take on snake husbandry has changed things dramatically since then; the first captive breeding of this species occurred at the Dallas Zoo.