Bothriechis lateralis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Common names: side-striped palm pitviper side-striped palm viper, more. Bothriechis lateralis is a pit viper species found in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. No subspecies are currently recognized. Adult specimens may exceed 100 centimetres (39 in), but are usually less than 80 centimetres (31 in) in length. These are relatively slender snakes and have a prehensile tail.
The color pattern consists of an emerald green to bluish green ground color, overlaid with a series of yellow alternating paravertebral vertical bars. Some of the scales adjacent to the yellow in this pattern may be blue or black-tipped. The belly is a uniform yellowing-green, bordered on either side by a pale yellow stripe running along the lower portion of the paraventral scales and the extreme lateral part of the ventral scales. The head is uniformly green on top and a blue or blue-gray postocular stripe may be present. If a postocular stripe is present, it is weakly defined, especially in large adults. The iris is yellow.
Juvenile specimens are usually brown with dark brown markings on the head, bronze irises, postocular stripes, paravertebral makings that are edged with yellow... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Monteverde Theme Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Side-striped palm pit viper sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 64 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Side-striped palm pit viper in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Side-striped palm pit viper sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Side-striped palm pit viper sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica, about 70%), Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Poás Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Viperidae
The closest relatives of the Side-striped palm pit viper that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Viperidae, Vipers) are Fer-de-lance (about 40%), Rainforest Hog-nosed Viper (about 20%) and Central American Jumping Pit Viper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Side-striped palm pit viper is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
