Reptile · GBIF taxon 5220785
Jararaca Pit Viper
Bothrops jararacaAlso known as Jararaca, Yarara, Jararaca-da-Mata
Jararaca pit vipers are masterfully camouflaged predators that spend their days coiled amid leaf litter in Atlantic forests and agricultural fields. Young vipers entice frogs and lizards by wiggling bright, pale tail tips like worms, while adults shift to hunting mammals using heat-sensing facial pits. Their potent hemotoxic venom served as the original biological template for captopril, a major human blood pressure medication.
VenomousCamouflageReptile
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Rodents
- Tree frogs
- Lizards
Predators
- Birds of prey
- Mussurana snake
- Skunks
ThreatsHabitat loss, human persecution
HabitatsAtlantic forest, tropical scrub, agricultural fields
Life span10–15 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyViperidae
- SpeciesBothrops jararaca
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskVery high
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is very high
- Highly venomous bite causes tissue necrosis and severe bleeding; keep a wide distance and never handle.
- Why it is dangerous
- Injects potent hemotoxic and proteolytic venom that causes severe swelling, tissue necrosis, internal hemorrhaging, and potential kidney failure.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Recognized by a distinctly triangular head, heat-sensing facial pits, and grey-brown scales with dark, pale-bordered lateral blotches.
- What to do
- Freeze immediately upon spotting and back away slowly; never reach blindly into dense leaf litter or under fallen logs.
Responsible observation
- Safe Distance: Maintain at least three meters of distance when observing in the wild.
- Footwear Caution: Wear sturdy high-topped leather boots and thick pants in leaf-litter areas.
- Night Vigilance: Use a powerful flashlight on forest trails after dark to avoid stepping on hidden snakes.
Predator Close Relative 
Close Relative (c) K. Zyskowski & Y. Bereshpolova, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by K. Zyskowski & Y. Bereshpolova · cc-by
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