3. Fer-de-lance, common lancehead, terciopelo, barba amarilla (Bothrops atrox)
Of frequent snakes of Bothrops genus, fer-de-lance that ranks 3rd in our list of most common snakes in America is probably the most common snake in South America. It inhabits Mexico, Central and Northern South America. They prefer inhabiting rainforests, but are also oten found in other forests, savannahs, lowlands, Atlantic lowlands, and also agricultural lands and plantations. They are highly venomous and considered to be one of the deadliest snake species. Since they inhabit a variety of environments, they have developed different coloration that incorporates them into the ambient, so they are hardly visible. They often encounter people, so they have many common names, like barba amarilla, terciopelo and many more, all usually referencing to their body characteristics: lance-shaped head, the color of the chin, etc. They are rather long species, growing to 2 meters in length; females can outgrow males as much as 10 times. They are darkly colored with diamond shaped patterns.
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