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Cartoon of Terciopelo
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Terciopelo

Bothrops asper
Pit vipers๐Ÿฆท Bites
Danger to people: DeadlyOne of the most dangerous animals in the world.

Terciopelo belongs to the group: Pit vipers. It lives in: North America, South America.2

Lives in
North America, South America2
Length
1.5 m (4.9 ft)2
typical adult size
Top speed
about 4.2 km/h (2.6 mph)
On land, rough guess

Venom power

Bites

Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: DeadlyOne of the most dangerous animals in the world.

๐Ÿš‘ If it bites or stings

  • Keep the person still and calm, keep the bitten limb at heart level, remove rings and tight things, and get to a hospital fast.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

โ›‘๏ธ Stay safe

  • Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
  • Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
  • If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

How big is it?

How long is it?

Terciopelo about 1.5 m long (4.9 ft)A house cat about 50 cm (1.6 ft)A dog about 1 m (3.3 ft)A grown-up's bike about 1.8 m (5.9 ft)
as long as 3 house cats nose to tailas long as 8 bananas end to endcould cover 100 metres in 86 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)

How big is Terciopelo compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

For venom experts

Scientific name
Bothrops asper
Group
Pit vipers
Family
Viperidae1
Order
Squamata
Continents
North America, South America
Danger to people
5 / 5: Deadly2

Where the facts come from

  1. Bothrops asper (iNaturalist): names and classification.
  2. Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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More from the same group: Pit vipers

Also lives in: North America

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