Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OKay so these arent HOT snakes but they are rear-fanged, and cool little snakes to find! I just came back from a herp adventure in Costa Rica, and I'm still sorting out my pictures. The scans of my negatives are bad, so I apologize for the poor quality of the images. I'll need to have them re-done soon. Taken with a canon AE-1 film SLR.

Anyway, the first snake is a False Coral Snake (Erythrolamprus mimus), and the second snake is a red banded thirst snake, either (Dipsas articulata) or (Dipsas bilcolor)depending on the text. We also found a yellow eyelash viper, but I havent got any good photos.

I threw in a pic of some C. acutus on the Rio Tarcoles.

Pura Vida!

www.NeotropicalStudies.com

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From checking your website I believe you mentioned being on the Osa Peninsula. The only Dipsas documented in that region of Costa Rica is Dipsas tenuissima. This is according to both Jay Savage and Alejandro Solorzano. I do not know any better books on Costa Rican snakes. Photos in Alejandro's text of D. tenuissima do not match up to your snake but they do in Savage's book. Since D. bicolor and D. articulata only range in more north eastern regions of Costa Rica (according to the two texts I mentioned) I would say Dipsas tenuissima is your snake. But I could easily be wrong.

Cool shot either way

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Nope, Dipsas tenuissima is the black faced thirst snake, on the Osa (and the rest of the wet pacific versant) This one was on the northern caribbean versant, and the black faced does not occur on the caribbean. Its definitely a red ringed.
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- Happy herping!

KE