Brevard Zoo Membership Newsletter Fall 2019 | Page 8

Pirarucu
EYELASH VIPER PIRARUCU
One of the first habitats you’ll discover is the “herp house,”
meant to resemble a dilapidated shack reclaimed by the
rainforest. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows are all that separate
you and your family from colorful frogs, delicate tarantulas and
slithering snakes—including a handful of venomous species. The murky Amazon River may not look like much from
the surface, but it’s packed with life every bit as fascinating
as the trees that line its banks. More than 3,000 known
species of fish live here, many of which are found nowhere
else on Earth.
Reminiscent of a long, scaly banana with wicked fangs and
the fiercest mascara you’ve ever seen, the eyelash viper is
perhaps (literally and figuratively) the exhibit’s most striking
resident. Unlike the smooth, glossy pythons you may have
encountered at the Zoo, eyelash vipers are rough to the
touch; sharp, keeled scales make it easier for these snakes to
slither through the trees, where they spend most of their lives. . . . one of the Amazon’s most
The pirarucu is one
of the Amazon’s
fascinating denizens, capable of
most fascinating
exceeding 400 pounds in weight.
denizens, capable
of exceeding 400
pounds in weight. This beefy beauty has adapted to breathe air
rather than water, and often lurks in low-oxygen environments
where sluggish fish become easy prey.
Although eyelash vipers are found in forests ranging from
southern Mexico to Peru, venomous snakes live right here in
Florida, too. But fear not, these natural “pest control workers”
would much rather take flight than fight a big, scary human
and are highly unlikely to bite unless provoked. Be a good
neighbor to wildlife by learning how to distinguish venomous
from nonvenomous species; should you find a venomous
snake on your property, contact a licensed wildlife trapper to
relocate it rather than killing it.
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Brevard Zoo News | Fall 2019 | www.brevardzoo.org
As the human population in and around the Amazon has
grown, so has the demand for the meat and leather of the
pirarucu. You’re unlikely to encounter these products in
our corner of the world, but you can do your part for other
threatened and endangered fishes by becoming a more
informed seafood consumer; we recommend downloading
the Seafood Watch app, which tells you which stocks are
managed sustainably and which ones to avoid.