Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found in Corcovado N.P., Osa Penin. 4/14/04. I'm still amazed someone spotted it.

head shot.

and another

last one.

Matt, excellent pictures. It just makes me all the more excited about my trip next month to Belize. That is pretty amazing that the eyelash was spotted. I couldn't even see it initially with the picture pointed right at it. How did that come about, by the way? My target species in Belize are B. asper and cribos. Since you are a fan of the former, do you have any tips about how best to locate these animals while out herping? According to the friend we're going down and staying with, at least one child each year from that village dies from the "tommygoff," which in this case I believe refers to the asper, so I know they are around there. Considering the time of year, May 17 - 22, it will likely be pretty dry. Where do aspers tend to be at this time of year? Thanks again for the photos, and any tips you can give me.
-Chance

I recommend, for asper you look in creek bottoms and rocky creek beds. The wet season just started in Costa Rica, so babies will be born there starting any time (on the Pacific side). If it starts raining at all in Belize you may expect the same thing.

Both asper we found (other one was a small yearling) were around water. The juvie was hanging out near a mud puddle hunting frogs. Big ones probably won't be near isolated puddles that result from down pours. Typically big females can be found curled up, half buried in leaf litter along the streams (or IN THEM as we found).

The schleg....well that was a needle in a haystack. If you find moss covered trees......analyze them with a fine toothed comb. 3 or 4 people walked past the schleg before someone finally saw it. In fact, 10 of us walked right past the asper within 3 feet of it and never saw it. Only when 4 of us decided to go back up the river and scour it again, did one of the group see it---and even then stared at it for 30 seconds to realize it was a snake coiled up.

Hope it helps.....GO NORTH IN BELIZE....FIND SOME TZABCANS!!!!!

Great pics, I'm a newbie; Is that the snake I have circled? If not where the heck is it.(lol) Wow, don't you guys worry about getting tagged when walking by the tree without knowing its there?

You can see the snakes coil there. He is dead center in the picture. Not really. Most snakes in teh wild, if they feel that they are concealed or cryptic in the leaf litter, moss, etc., they do not feel threatened and have no need to bite.

Same thing goes for the terciopelo. Only when restrained or stepped on do they really attempt to bite.

Thanks, I see it now. Thanks for the great info as well. I never knew that I always thought if they sensed you were too close they would strike out.

So pretty much you guys are just very careful where you step walking while looking at the ground and if you see a pile of leaves or other vegetation where you think a snake may habitat you don't walk into it you probably just probe the leaves carefully 1st with a long stick or just closely examine the leaves correct?

I will be sure to send u a cd of mine one i get joes and stuff on one cd.

Aaron