Bothriechis lateralis
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Side-striped palm pit viper sighting in Chirripó National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 17 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Side-striped palm pit viper in Chirripó National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Chirripó National Park's wettest months, with about 470 mm of rain a month against 75 mm in February.
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.
2nd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Side-striped palm pit viper sightings, Chirripó National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica, about 70%).
Same genus: Bothriechis
The closest relatives of the Side-striped palm pit viper that you can see in Chirripó National Park (genus Bothriechis, Palm Vipers) are Blotched Palm-pitviper (about 10%) and Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper (about 10%), 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 Chirripó National Park (17 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.
