A short, thick South American pit viper of grassland and wetland edges, known for the small white markings on its dark face.
Description
The urutu is a stocky, broad-headed pit viper usually under 1.2 m, with rich brown to olive ground colour and a series of opposing dark crescent-shaped marks along the back. The face bears small but bright cream or white markings that help separate it from related species.
Behavior
The urutu is a nocturnal ambush hunter especially fond of frogs, which it takes from the muddy edges of marshes and wet grassland. Its hemotoxic venom causes severe pain, swelling, and tissue damage, and bites are a common medical problem in the rural south of Brazil and Argentina.
Range
Distributed across the pampas and gallery forests of southern Brazil, Uruguay, eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. Locally common, the species is one of the more frequently encountered pit vipers in the cattle country of the southern cone.
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Urutu starts with U . Browse other snakes along the same letter.
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