Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After the World Congress of Herpetology in Manaus, Brazil. Two friends/colleagues (Bart Vervust (University of Antwerp, Belgium) & Kim Roelants (University of Brussels, Belgium)) and I went for a short trip in the Manaus region. After mainly encountering frogs, caiman and some snakes (Bothrops atrox, Leptophis ahaetulla, Helicops sp., Oxibelis sp., ...) we found the one...
Bart spotted the bushmaster laying next to a wild trail on our way out of the forest... It was an amazing sight, we were thrilled... After the first rushes of adrenaline, we shot some pictures and phoned another colleague of us (Freek Vonk, University of Leiden, The Netherlands), who was still in Manaus...
The next day we shot pictures during daytime and Freek made a short movie afterwards, which can be viewed on his site soon...
Anyway, the moment we saw it laying there in it natural environment is an unforgettable feeling.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Jonathan Brecko (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

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Outstanding find and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

>>Outstanding find and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing....for those of us who dream of finding one of these "life list species" we can just live vicariously through you incredible find. Thanks for sharing. Although I keep Lachesis at my facility, finding one in the wild would be one of the highlights of my existence.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Very beautifulk animal.Great find.That animal is in excellent shape with no visible "battle wounds" Lachesis is definately the diamond of South America Let alone it is the unicorn for most who go in search of one in the field.

Again congrats on an amazing find,and thanks for sharing your rewards.

John

Out of curiosity a few questions.

1) How large was the snake approximately?
2) Was this a walking trail you were on, meaning could you have walked or stood next to it and never known you had?

I personally wonder just how many snakes (and interesting other sights) we have missed in our lives by just walking past them or turning our heads at the wrong moment.

As an example, I saw a group of 18 manatees in an area smaller than a volleyball court this summer only because I got up early for a walk that day.