Dear Fellow Herpers
Your passion is needed! Revitalize your zeal for herps by joining us in the hunt for the fabled Black-headed Bushmaster! Collect your nerves as we explore the mountainous region of southwestern Costa Rica seeking to better understand this remarkable viper through sound scientific research.
No other snake in the New World inspires such reverence and dread within us than the Bushmaster, a reaction most likely stemming from our ignorance of this uncommon snake. The Black-headed Bushmaster (Lachesis melanocephala) will act as our research focal point for reptiles as we will also include other species of concern, namely terrestrial squamates. Amphibians will be investigated through our separate Amphibian Tour!
This enigmatic viper, the largest in the world, is endemic to the verdant forests of southwestern Costa Rica and possibly into adjacent western Panama. A very restricted range indeed, compounded further by their constraint to undisturbed tropical wet forests. The black-headed occurs within the Costa Rican National Park system (e.g. Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks), but most remaining low and middle elevation forest within their distribution has been converted to agriculture. This habitat conversion has severely fragmented their range and the snake is undoubtedly subjected to needless killing, and commercial collecting (Zamudio and Greene 1997) which continues unhindered as they are not protected under CITES.
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Photo by local botanist Reinaldo Aguilar, Sept 22, 2002 near Rincon at el Alto de San Juan, 200 to 300 m elevation, primary forest. |
It is imperative that the status and distribution of L. melanocephala and others be quickly determined, for two reasons. First, the threats leading to the loss of lifeforms effect with more drastic consequences, isolated and rare species more than on common, widespread species; simply put, rarity increases the probability of extinction. Second, extensive herpetological monitoring of the biodiverse Golfo Dulce region of Costa Rica is urgently needed. A recent paper by Whitfield et al. (2007) raises the already well known need to monitor Central American herpetofauna. The paper documents a massive decline in density (75 percent) of the leaf litter herpetofauna in a protected area, La Selva, over the past 30 years. By their very nature, these gradual community wide declines are difficult to perceive. They, therefore, strongly advocate the need for long term abundance-based data on population densities collected by using consistent methodology.
This is where you are needed! We are urgently in need of dedicated herpers with a basic knowledge of Central American herps, a keen sense for herp detection and the ability to tackle rough conditions. We have room for 10-12 adventure seeking individuals to partake in this important research. Your participation in the project is vital in sustaining this essential monitoring. While here you will play two pivotal roles:
- Being actively involved in surveys gathering data vital to conservation and
- Acting as the core source of funding while participating. Due to the very inconsistent nature of research grants this project, vital in assessing the herpetofauna of the region, cannot be consistently fueled without your help!
This investigation will direct us through the wilder locales of the Golfo Dulce region with the ultimate goal of documenting the distribution, habitat preference and abundance of the bushmaster and other species encountered. We will rely heavily upon interactions with local people whose superbly practical knowledge will help in our quest for this often intangible snake. So, join us as we delve into the mysterious world of the Bushmaster and immerse ourselves in the many local legends appropriately surrounding this viper!
Sincerely,
Michael Boston
Principal Investigator
Gareth Blakemore
Investigator
Bushmaster Survey Specifics
Introduction
Black-headed Bushmaster Survey 2008 Research Proposal (PDF document)
Survey Itinerary
Volunteer Training
Waiver of Liability
Snake species of the Osa Peninsula
Suggested Reading and References
Please contact Gareth Blakemore at gareth@osaaventura.com for any questions