Metlapilcoatlus occiduus is a venomous pitviper subspecies endemic to southern Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Venom is a type of poison, especially one secreted by an animal. It is delivered in a bite, sting, or similar action. Venom has evolved in terrestr...
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starts withAdults are usually 35–60 cm (13+3⁄4–23+5⁄8 in) in total length. The largest specimens reported are a male of 74.8 cm (29+1⁄2 in) from Baja Verapaz, Guatemala, and a female of 79.5 cm (31+1⁄4 in) from Volcán de Agua, Escuintla, Guatemala. The build is very stout, although not so much as that of M. mexicanus.
Found in southern Mexico (southeastern Chiapas), southern and central Guatemala, and western El Salvador. The type locality given is "Saint-Augustín (Guatemala), versant occidentale de la Córdillère. 610 mètres d´altitude". Actually, San Augustín is on the southern slope of Volcán Atitlán.
Its habitat includes subtropical wet forest on the Pacific versant from southeastern Chiapas, Mexico to western El Salvador. It also inhabits the pine-oak forest near Guatemala City. It can be found at altitudes varying from 1,000–1,600 m (3,300–5,200 ft).
