Facts about Fer-de-Lance
- 06
A single fer-de-lance can strike with its fangs at speeds exceeding 175 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest snake strikes recorded in nature.
- 05
In rainforests from southern Mexico to northern South America, fer-de-lance snakes are responsible for more human deaths than any other snake species in the Western Hemisphere due to their aggressive temperament and habitat overlap with human settlements.
- 04
Heat-sensing pits along the fer-de-lance's upper lip allow it to detect prey temperature changes as small as 0.003 degrees Celsius in complete darkness.
- 03
Approximately 800 to 1000 people die annually from fer-de-lance bites in Central and South America, earning the species the local nickname terciopelo meaning velvet in Spanish.
- 02
Fer-de-lance snakes reproduce through viviparity, giving birth to 12 to 20 live young per litter rather than laying eggs like most reptiles.
- 01
The fer-de-lance's venom can cause tissue necrosis within 2 to 12 hours of a bite, making it one of the deadliest snakes in the Americas with hundreds of human fatalities annually.