MundoAndino Home : Andes Argentina Guide at MundoAndino
Bothrops alternatus
Common names: urutu, wutu, crossed pit viper.
Bothrops alternatus is a venomous pitviper species found in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Within its range, it is an important cause of snakebite. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Description
Large and stout, this species reportedly exceeds 2 m in length, although the verified maximum is 169.0 cm. The average length is 80-120 cm with females being significantly longer and heavier than males.
Common names
Urutu, wutu, crossed pit viper.
In Argentina, it is referred to as kiririog-aka-kurussu, mboi cuatia, vibora de la cruz, yarara (Guarani dialect) and yarara grande. In Brazil it is called boicoatiara, boicotiara (Tupi dialect), coatiara, cotiara (southern Brazil), cruzeira, cruzeiro, jararaca de agosto , jararaca rabo-de-porco (Rio Grande do Sul), and urutu. In Paraguay it is called mboi-cuatia, mboi-kwatiara (Gi dialect), and yarara acacusu (Guarani dialect). In Uruguay it is referred to as crucera, vibora de la cruz and yarara.
Geographic range
Found in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina (in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Cordoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Rios, Formosa, La Pampa, Misiones, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucuman. The type locality is listed as "Amerique meridionale" and "Paraguay."
Behavior
Venom
An important cause of snakebite within its range, bites are rarely fatal but frequently cause severe local tissue damage.
See also
List of crotaline species and subspecies
Snakebite
External links
. Accessed 13 December 2007.
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Fauna of Argentina or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Bothrops alternatus
