Bothrops lanceolatus
species of reptile
Bothrops lanceolatus — known as the fer-de-lance, Martinican pit viper, and Martinique lancehead — is a species of pit viper endemic to the Caribbean island of Martinique. Some reserve the common name fer-de-lance for this species, while others apply that name to other Bothrops species, as well. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Geographic range
Bothrops lanceolatus is generally considered endemic to the island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. Along with Bothrops caribbaeus and B. atrox, it is one of three Bothrops species found in the West Indies. The type locality according to Bonnaterre (1790:11) is "La Martinique".
Description
It measures 1.5 to 2 m (5 to 7 ft) long. Its color is brown, black and gray.
Behavior
As ambush predators, Martinique lanceheads typically wait patiently somewhere for unsuspecting prey to wander by. They are known to select a specific ambush site and return to it every year in time for the spring migration of birds.
The public source identifies “Bothrops lanceolatus” as species of reptile. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bothrops, lanceolatus and species.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q391459. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1790.
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This entry incorporates text from “Bothrops lanceolatus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.