Bothriechis nigroviridis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Bothriechis nigroviridis is a pit viper species found in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama. No subspecies are currently recognized. The specific name is derived from the Latin niger (black) and viridis (green) in reference to its distinctive color pattern.
Black-speckled palm-pit viper, speckled palm viper, black-spotted palm viper, yellow-spotted palm viper. Adults may exceed 80 centimetres (31 in), although most are less than 60 centimetres (24 in) in length. They are relatively slender and have a prehensile tail. Two exceptionally large females were reported by Hammack and Antonio (1991) that measured 89.2 centimetres (35.1 in) and 93.7 centimetres (36.9 in).
The color pattern usually consists of an emerald green (rarely yellowish green) ground color with strong black mottling. There may also be pale green dorsal blotches that have black edges. The belly is yellowish green and lightly mottled with black. The head is heavily mottled with black on top, often with black parietal stripes. There is also a clearly defined postocular stripe running back towards the angle of the jaw. The iris is heavily stippled and appears almost black. The tongue... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper sighting in Chirripó National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 17 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper in Chirripó National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–May, July and November, the lowest months. That is one of Chirripó National Park's wettest months, with about 690 mm of rain against 75 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper sightings, Chirripó National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 20%).
Same genus: Bothriechis
The closest relatives of the Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper that you can see in Chirripó National Park (genus Bothriechis, Palm Vipers) are Side-striped palm pit viper (about 20%) and Blotched Palm-pitviper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Chirripó National Park (7 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.
