📸 PhotoPhoto: Rafael Mitsuo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Golden Lancehead
Bothrops insularis (Golden Lancehead · コガネヤジリハブ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 About 2,000–4,000 individuals are known to live on the single island (University of Georgia).
- 💡 Because hardly anyone sets foot on the island, there are no officially recorded human fatalities, despite many terrifying rumors (University of Georgia).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Golden Lancehead is an endangered pit viper found only on Queimada Grande Island off the coast of São Paulo, Brazil.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It is a pit viper with heat-sensing organs between its eyes and nostrils. An account from the University of Georgia notes that its venom evolved to be up to 5 times more potent than that of mainland relatives so flying birds cannot escape.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Juveniles feed on ectothermic prey such as frogs and lizards, while adults prey mainly on migratory birds visiting the island around March and July. Although naturally nocturnal in disposition, it does most of its hunting during the day.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List CR (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2917/123180264
- • IUCN Red List category CR — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — MNY4
- • iucnredlist.org — 123180264
- • wikidata.org — Q670143
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Jararaca-ilhoa-ARIE Ilhas Queimada Grande e Queimada Pe
- • news.uga.edu — snake-island-vipers
- • repositorio.unesp.br — 65858f8e-4c12-4452-b183-0d2992de6294
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Beth Reinke · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Vipera berus)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.