www.CostaRicaTicas.com

If any of you guys have left the Gulch perhaps on an ecotour in Guanascaste or similiar place in CR I would like to hear from any of you that have come in contact with the famous "Mata Buey" (Ox Killer) or in english "Bushmaster". Not in an Abortorium mind you, behind glass. Im talking up close an personal.

I have been told that CR has 21 types of venomous snakes within its borders.

The "Bushmater" or "Mata Buey" as the locals call them is responsible for quite a few deaths each year.

Have you seen one?

Other than a few I ran across in the gulch, the only venomous snakes I encountered were in glass jars filled with formaldehyde at the Arenal Observatory. I believe the exhibit has just about every variety of venomous snake living in Costa Rica.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Never seen one and I have been on a few rainforest tours. Back in 1999 there was a place just to the east of the Monkey Bar. It was a "serpentarium." Very cool place. Anyone know if this place has relocated?

dapanz1

All around Grecia there are advertisements for a serpentarium. Not sure if it has any connection the one that was located across the street from the Colonial.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
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alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

The most deadly snake in CR is the Fer de lance.

That place was really cool. It has to be at least four years or so now that it hasn't been there.

The place near the Monkey Bar has been closed for at least two years and has not, to the best of my knowledge, reopened anywhere.

The best serpetarium I found in Costa Rica was in Monteverde. Beautiful place with lots of very nice displays. There was no Bushmaster on display because the chief Herpentogist there said they were just too damn dangerous to keep in captivity.

Apparently they account for the greatest number of deaths in the country. They did have several Fer de Lances on display which is the number two killer in the country.

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DATY & 69 aren't mere abbreviations they are a way of life

I guess the good news from this thread is that no CRT members have come in contact with the "Mata Buey" during their travels.

I guess you guys have not been to the forested areas of Guanacaste where I have heard from locals that they (Mata Bueys) can be found every 15' feet on the jungle floor.

i think i see one trying to squint out between those rounded pieces of flesh on the picture above...(':twisted:')

The serpentarium at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens has both a bushmaster and fer de lance. The information cards state essentially that while the bushmaster gets all the press, it's the fer de lance that accounts for most of the bites on people/deaths, since it likes to lurk in agricultural fields and so a lot of workers get bit, plus it's also very aggressive.

Yep this is a good tour for about $55.00. I went on the tour on my third visit to CR. Nice buffet, butterfly exhibit, frog exhibit, snake exhibit, and "Colibris" (hummingbirds.
I was kind of hoping with the wide variety of members in the group that a few might have trekked to a locale where they might have encountered "Mata Buey" in the wild.

they did, but they didn't make it back alive....(':lol:')

One time at the Rain Forest Aerial Tram the guide pointed out an eyelash viper coiled up on a leaf. Is that close enough?

No mata buey for you