When I first researched the Selva Verde Biological Station I learned that birders venturing out at night occasionally run into the Bushmaster or the Fer-de-Lance. I know enough about snakes to know these are two of the most poisonous snakes alive. So when I visited the Herpetarium at La Paz Peace Lodge I was especially interested in what these snakes looked like, even though I had no plans to wander around at night.
When on the way back from the Coffee Plantation we saw a coral snake in the road. As our guide said, “Black on Yellow, kill the Fellow.” This was a mnemonic for which coral snakes were poisonous and which were not. This one was clearly black on yellow. Our guide put it in a bottle to take to the center that makes anti-venom for coral snake bites. This is important because many of the coffee bean pickers are bitten by coral snakes hiding in the plants.
The last snake was a viper in the trees at Hanging Bridges, Arenal.
Bushmaster
Fer-de-lance
Coral shake poisonous
Snake viper in a tree