Yarara

Description

The yarara is a slim pit viper around a metre long with a tan or olive ground colour broken by a series of brown trapezoidal saddles outlined in cream. The head is broad and lance-shaped with a strongly raised snout, and the eyes have vertical pupils.

Behavior

Mostly nocturnal but easily disturbed during the day, the yarara hides under fallen logs and crop debris and strikes when stepped on. Its hemotoxic venom causes severe local swelling, tissue damage, and bleeding disorders. Bites are a leading cause of snakebite injury across the Chaco region.

Range

Distributed across the Chaco and Pampas of central South America, including parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Closely related Bothrops species replace it in surrounding regions, with the genus collectively responsible for most pit viper bites in the Neotropics.