When Europeans first explored South America, one of the deadliest snakes they found was the fer-de-lance. This tropical viper has a muscular body, a lightning-fast strike and venom that can kill big victims, even humans. When settlers built plantations, this serpent moved in and killed hundreds of people. The snake still claims many human lives every year.
Bigmouth: The fer-de-lance can bite victims just about anywhere on their bodies because it can open its mouth to nearly a 180° angle. This viper's strike is so fast that the victims can barely see it happen.
Blending In: The coloring of this serpent's scales is one of its best hunting tools. Light brown scales cover the fer-de-lance's body, which are dotted with dark triangles. The snake is hardly visible when it's coiled near a tree trunk or plant.
Farmer-de-Lance[]
This snake's fangs flip down and pierce a victim's flesh.
The fer-de-lance is the most feared snake in the "New World" because it kills 200 to 300 people every year-more than any other snake in the Americas. In past years, that number was even higher because the snake often slithers into tropical plantation fields, where it can find abundant prey (especially rats) and its colors blend in with sugar cane plants. Today, much harvesting is done mechanically, but the fer-de-lance killed plantation workers by the dozens when harvests used to be done by hand.
Worm Tail: When born, the fer-de-lance has a bright yellow tail. To get some experience in ambushing prey, the young viper wiggles its tail like a worm to draw curious animals, such as frogs, within striking distance.
Bad/Good Venom: This serpent's venom causes flesh to rot and creates so much bleeding that the victim's organs shut down. Scientists have used the fer-de-lance's toxins to make medicines that help cure blood disorders in humans, such as blood clots.
Funeral Boat[]
- A man treks onto the Brazilian island of Quemada Grande to pick some bananas, but the walk back to his boat takes him right past the ambush spots of a several fer-de-lance snakes. His footsteps startle them, and they strike.
- Little does the man know that the snakes that bit him were golden lanceheads-the deadliest known species of fer-de-lance. The man struggles into his boat and pushes off, but unless he gets help he could be dead in a few minutes.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Fer-De-Lance is one of three members (at the time) of the genus Bothrops featured in the series, the other two being Eyelash Viper and Jumping Viper.
- In Costa Rica, the Fer-de-Lance makes 46% of snakebites. Which makes it the most dangerous snake in the country.
- The name "fer-de-lance" has been used to refer to many different vipers in the region, such as Bothrops lanceolatus, but the one used on the card overall is most likely Bothrops asper.
- As named in the section, the species that bite the man in "Funeral Boat" are golden lanceheads (Bothrops insularis).